When to see 5G in Pakistan?

5G, the successor to 4G and the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, is a latecomer to Pakistan. Despite the fact that 5G is available to millions of people around the world, the technology standard is not yet available in Pakistan.

5G in Pakistan

However, Pakistan has announced that it would implement 5G, with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom stating that it plans to do so in 2023. But there’s still a long way to go. In a report “The Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2021,” the GSMA predicted that Pakistan would rank at the bottom in terms of smartphone users and 5G coverage. Pakistan is behind Brunei Darussalam, India, and Cambodia, which are planning 5G rollouts in 2022. And will be far behind South Korea, Australia, the Maldives, and New Zealand, which launched 5G in 2018 and 2019.

The COVID-19 outbreak turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Pakistan’s digital economy grew exponentially during these challenging circumstances. Regulators and stakeholders have started feeling to upgrade digital infrastructure. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom wants to put out 5G in 2023, as the telecom industry’s market size has increased to $16.9 billion after garnering $1.2 billion in foreign direct investments in the last three years.

Pakistan is working on a detailed path to ensure the country’s readiness for 5G technology. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stated in its annual report 2020 that it plans to auction “spectrum for 5G services in the fiscal year 2023.” It is anticipated that establishing a deadline will encourage telecom companies to invest in infrastructure development.

According to a media report published on Sunday, Pakistan plans to bring out the most powerful 5G internet in 2022-23, which will increase download speeds by ten times to one gigabit per second (Gbps) and expand commercial activity in the country.

Previously, in 2019 and 2020, mobile phone service providers successfully completed a test trial of 5G services in a confined environment and on a non-commercial basis. Pakistan is the first country in South Asia to test 5G, with a download speed of over one gigabit per second. This is the initial and first trial, and more on the various scenarios of 5G will be conducted in the near future.

As per the Express tribune reports, the tested speed is ten times faster than the global average of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) on 4G internet.

5G Operating License

Zong and Jazz were granted trial 5G licenses by the telecom regulator in January 2020. Despite this, the LTE infrastructure capacity and the lack of compelling customers cases for 5G suggests that network providers are not yet interested to launch commercial services.

Wireless technology advancements such as 5G are projected to provide more flexibility, reliability, and capacity to assist Pakistan to meet its digital needs. PTA, as the ICT sector’s regulator, is dedicated to promoting technology and innovation in Pakistan.

A June report by the GSM Association (GSMA), an industry body that represents mobile network operators and providers from around the world, states that 5G services are supposed to rise from “zero connections in 2018 to 2.8 billion in 2025,”.

As per the report, South Asia would spend $67 billion on mobile networks between 2019 and 2025, with $3.5 billion spent in Pakistan alone.

Minister of IT&T on 5G in Pakistan

Aminul Haque, the Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications stated that the government intended to introduce 5G technology by December 2022, but analysts remain skeptical, predicting that the country will take considerably longer (5-7 years) to implement the next-generation technology.

Haque said he had a fine experience making a test video call to China on 5G. The voice was clear and loud, and the visual quality was excellent. He also mentioned this modern technology will help Pakistan make a significant economic impact. He stated that the country has taken important measures to exceed the GSMA’s expectations.

In a statement following the trial run of 5G between China Mobile Communications Corp., Beijing, and Zong in Islamabad, chairman, and CEO of Zong, Wang Hua, said:

“5G is close to being deployed on a big scale globally, and its commercialization is steadily advancing. Our 5G test call brings Pakistan one step closer to the 5G era when users’ options are limitless”.

To know more about Zong’s first 5G international 5G video call with Beijing phone click here.

Meanwhile, mobile phone companies believe that once the 5G service is implemented in Pakistan, it will “fundamentally change and revolutionize” the country’s socio-economic conditions.

Impact of 5G in Pakistan

“4G transforms life and 5G changes society. It will encourage social-economic growth, smart connection, and cloud-network synergy, as well as support conventional industries’ networked, digital, and intelligent transformation.,” said Maheen Akhtar, Zong’s head of public relations

She added, “It will also generate new prospects for social development and promote open sharing and total resource utilization, rational allocation, and efficient collaboration.” However, Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim pointed out that Pakistan will be nowhere near introducing 5G technology unless the issues of lack of good mobile phones, illegal signal boosters, and old frequency bands are resolved.

Summary

In terms of 5G, the provider believes that the country’s 4G network must reach 60% penetration before the next-generation technology can be deployed. The reality is that the country is still a long way from that point. Despite network improvements such as the addition of new 4G towers, over 90% of mobile sets produced or manufactured in the country are only compatible with 2G technology.

Even though 4G has not yet reached every part of the country, there are still some regions where 3G/4G service is unavailable. As soon as feasible, there is a requirement for smooth and stable connectivity in the serving areas. More crucially, until local manufacturing is not stopped, people who have not yet transitioned to smartphones will continue to use 2G-based phones.