• The communications ministry says Afghanistan has around 32 million active SIMs and 17 million internet users
  • Of 530 telecom antennas planned under the tenth TDF programme, 430 are in service, while another 31 sites have been contracted with Afghan Wireless

The fact

Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology says around 10 million people now use 4G services, compared with just over two million before the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Alokozay said the country has around 32 million active SIM cards and approximately 17 million internet users. The figures are government-reported and do not include a breakdown by operator, province or traffic volume.

Network expansion is continuing alongside that growth. The ministry says 430 of 530 telecom antennas planned under the tenth Telecom Development Fund programme have entered service, with work continuing on the remainder. It has also signed a contract with Afghan Wireless for 31 new telecom sites across 13 districts in Kandahar, Helmand, Paktika and Zabul.

The assessment

The 10-million figure changes the scale of the network Afghan operators are supporting. More 4G users mean more traffic moving through radio sites, backhaul and the core network. Building new rural towers extends coverage, but it does not tell us whether capacity is also being added in places where existing sites are carrying more demand.

That distinction matters because coverage can expand while individual sites still need further upgrades. The ministry has disclosed new antennas and rising 4G adoption, but not traffic growth, peak-hour speeds or where additional capacity is being installed on existing sites. There is therefore not enough evidence to say that the network is congested, or that capacity has kept pace. For BTW readers, the 10-million milestone is best read as a measure of demand. The stronger test now is where operators add capacity as well as coverage, and whether service quality remains stable as more users rely on 4G.

What to watch

Watch completion of the remaining sites in the tenth TDF programme and construction of the 31 Afghan Wireless sites. Further 3G-to-4G upgrades will show where operators are adding LTE coverage. Traffic volumes, busy-hour speeds, congestion data and service-quality measurements would provide the clearest evidence of whether network capacity is keeping up with the larger 4G user base.