Govt Preps 5G Launch But Makes 4G Coverage

Official documents available with ProPakistani revealed that the Government of Pakistan is planning to launch 5G in the country and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOIT&T) is in the process of finalizing policy guidelines for 5G in consultation with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)/Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and other stakeholders.

The documents further revealed that no expenditure was incurred by PTA as no consulting services have been procured so far. The previous government was planning of launching 5G services in the country in the first quarter of 2023.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has evaluated seven bands for the adoption of 5G services in the country.

Official documents revealed that the ministry is presently in a process of assessing the options available for the timely launch of 5G services in Pakistan.

In this connection, the following bands are being evaluated for the adoption of 5G services as low bands, mid bands and high bands: (a) 700 MHz; (b) 2.3 GHz; (c) 2.6 GHz; (d) 3.5 GHz; (e) MiIIi8meter wave bands; (f) C-Band (3.6-4.2) GHz and (g) Unlicensed Backhaul Frequency bands (P2P & P2MP).

The ministry in view of these bands has requested the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) for sharing the current status and availability of all 5G spectrum in the above-identified frequency bands.

Cellular operators are continuously expanding their networks. Currently, Pakistan has 90 percent teledensity with a mobile penetration of 89 percent. Total mobile subscribers stand at 193.4 million. These numbers are on a continuous increase. All CMOs are putting their efforts to expand 4G coverage nationwide as per license conditions.