Pakistan began its journey in 2022-23 to make the most advanced 5G internet commercially available to consumers, which will speed up downloads 10 times to one gigabit per second (Gbps) and dramatically increase the economic activities of the country.
The Covid-19 pandemic proved a blessing in disguise as the digital economy widened many times during these difficult times in Pakistan. Digital infrastructure improvements by regulators and stakeholders have been initiated by the crisis.
The government of Pakistan is setting up a comprehensive roadmap for 5G technology readiness in the country. In its 2020 annual report, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that it plans to auction “spectrum for… 5G services in fiscal year 2023.”
Earlier, in 2019 and 2020, a pilot trial of 5G networks in a limited region and on a non-commercial basis was successfully performed by mobile phone service providers. Pakistan is the first nation in South Asia to try 5G with a recorded download speed of more than one Gbps.
It was discovered that on the world’s 4G internet, the tested speeds were 10 times higher compared to 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
It has also been learned that the government has predicted that Rs27 billion will be raised by auctioning the spectrum in FY21.
The authority had previously directed mobile phone service supplying firms to refund Rs9.2 billion to consumers after the Supreme Court debarred the companies from the imposition of operating and maintenance charges in 2019. However, they have refunded just Rs6.9 billion so far.