Two additional companies have been given Internet of Things (IoT) licences by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Details indicate that the PTA has granted licences to Infostructure Pakistan (Private) LTD and Kwick High Tech & Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Both companies have been granted five-year licences that can be renewed upon expiration.
According to PTA officials, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) operators has climbed to six with the issuing of licences to these two enterprises. PTA had previously given IoT licences to four businesses, including Noby Solutions (Private) LTD, IoT Technologies (SMC-Private) LTD, LCC Pakistan (Private) LTD, and WeatherWalay (Private) LTD.
Under section 5 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act of 1996 and the PTA Regulatory Framework for Short Range Devices (SRD) & Terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) Services, the telecom regulator has given IoT licences to these companies. These businesses have been granted licences to develop, manage, and maintain IoT Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) networks in Pakistan for the provision of LPWAN Services. The government gave IoT licences to these two operators after they satisfied all of the standards listed in the check list.
According to PTA, these firms have offered a concise explanation of the IoT application and network topology, which includes end devices, gateways, and a central network server. These firms have also offered an overview of end-to-end security between the various network components (end devices, Gateways, Data Platform, and Application).
The operators are obligated to supply PTA with reports on any network expansions in terms of Gateways deployed or added, as well as any other information PTA may periodically request. In most cases, IoT solution providers utilise the connectivity of current Cellular Mobile operators, so they are not required to install a new base station.
If the operator must deploy a new base station for technical reasons, the base station must be registered with the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) through the PTA, and the corporation must get PTA approval before installing the new Gateways.
In February of this year, PTA announced a Regulatory Framework for Short Range Devices (SRD) & Terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) Services. The framework provides a regulatory framework for the sector to facilitate the growth of the Internet of Things ecosystem in Pakistan.
IoT is one of the most important technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and it is used to operate smart city systems and digital services such as smart homes, smart metres, transportation, etc.
