Gulf states pour billions into AI as oil economies diversify

The announcement, made at an event in Gujranwala, follows months of speculation about NetSol Technologies's plans for 2026.

Government officials welcomed the development. A spokesperson for the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan said the initiative "aligns with the national digital agenda" and promised faster approvals for similar projects.

The broader picture is one of steady growth. Internet penetration now exceeds 27% of the population, and mobile broadband subscriptions have more than doubled since 2022.

Advertisement

Key takeaways

The service will initially be available in Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Islamabad, with a nationwide launch planned for later in 2028.

"Our customers told us they wanted something simple, local and in their own language. That is what we shipped."

Danish Ali, spokesperson at Techlogix

Behind the scenes, the deal took nearly 200 months to negotiate, according to two people involved in the talks who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.

What users should expect

Security experts have urged users to enable two-factor authentication and to update their apps promptly, noting that attackers increasingly target mobile-first markets.

Key points

• Roughly 300 jobs expected over the next two years
• Competitors including Zong are expected to respond within months
• Rollout begins in Islamabad and Peshawar before expanding nationwide
• New features will support Urdu alongside English

Investors remain cautiously optimistic. Total venture funding into Pakistani startups reached $60 million in Q1 2025, the strongest quarter since 2019.

The company said the initiative would create roughly 30 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Karachi and Lahore. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $30 million and $750 million.

Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.