Syed Amin-Ul-Haque, the federal minister for information technology and telecommunications, has promised that 5G services will be launched in Pakistan by July 2023. The minister made the announcement during Thursday’s Career Feast 2022, an event hosted by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Karachi.
It is the new date declared by the minister for the introduction of 5G technology in Pakistan, as he had previously stated that it would be introduced in December 2022. In order to meet the nation’s future needs, he underlined the importance of establishing a strong connection between colleges and IT firms.
“We are working to ensure that people in every corner of the country have access to technology,” he stated. The minister emphasised that the IT ministry had the largest export growth rate of 47.44% compared to other ministries, which only saw exports increase by 2% to 3%.
Haque stated that $373 million had been set aside for startups in 2020 and that the government intended to increase that amount to $500 million. “When I took over, IT exports were worth $1.4 billion, and they have since increased to $2.6 billion,” he remarked.
A report commissioned by Ericsson and conducted by the management consulting firm Analytics Mason highlights the potential economic, consumer, and environmental benefits of 5G connectivity in 15 emerging nations, including Pakistan.
With regulatory and political backing, all 15 nations might experience GDP growth between 0.3% and 0.46 % by 2035, an estimated three to seven times the cost-to-benefit ratio, according to the report ‘The Future Value of Mobile’ According to the rising markets report.
In addition to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey are discussed in the research paper.
Pakistan is already striving for the swift introduction of 5G technology. In August, Syed Aminul Haq, the federal minister for information technology and telecommunications, stated that the technology would be implemented prior to next year’s elections.
In the meantime, the study investigates the impact of multiple 5G spectrum deployment options to facilitate advanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA) across consumer, industry, logistics, rural, and public service groups, as well as multiple business case options, such as vertical spreads.
“This Analysys Mason Future Value of Mobile in Emerging Markets report provides a detailed breakdown, based on extensive research, of the potential economic, social, environmental, and national benefits of 5G in each of the 15 countries Is.” In a press release, Andrew Lloyd, Head of Government and Policy Advocacy for Ericsson, was quoted as saying.
With the backing of their respective governments, regulators, and policymakers, each of these 15 countries and their populations stand to gain substantial benefits from 5G connection. In locations with inadequate fixed infrastructure, 5G can also reduce climate impact, improve social inclusion and well-being, and bridge the digital gap.
Using national government data and reports, Ericsson network insights, and innovative mapping techniques, such as population density distribution and existing national infrastructure such as road and rail networks, and agriculture, the study creates a cost-benefit analysis of various deployment models.
The deployment choices are predicated on the initial assumption that existing mobile radio network sites will be utilised for the introduction of 5G base stations. Additional options investigate the additional benefits of adding low-band 5G spectrum coverage beyond the baseline (providing broad geographic coverage at the low end of 5G capabilities and suitable for agricultural or logistics deployments) or mid-band 5G spectrum coverage (providing less geographic coverage, but still suitable for agricultural or logistics deployments). The site, although with high capacity and speed, is appropriate for sophisticated manufacturing, automation, and industry services.
Expanded mid-band 5G coverage is acknowledged as a critical success factor, having the ability to generate approximately 80% of the economic advantages. In each rising market, smart industries and smart village clusters account for 85 to 90 percent of total economic advantages.
Agriculture is a vital industry in all 15 nations, contributing up to 10 percent of GDP in some markets. The analysis believes that expanding 5G coverage in rural areas might enhance agriculture’s long-term GDP by up to 1.8%. 5G will also support sustainable agriculture practises, boost agricultural productivity, and reduce agricultural waste.
“The analysis underlines the benefits of having the appropriate spectrum available for 5G deployment, both in the geographic coverage for which low-bands are best suited and in the 3.5GHz range where high-capacity 5G deployments exist in other regions. Already taking place, according to Janet Stewart, Partner at Analysys Mason.
The rollout of 5G is anticipated to cost between $3 and $8 billion per country. To expand coverage, an additional 20 to 35 percent must be invested. Expansion of coverage beyond baseline can provide substantial GDP benefits from industrial adoption, particularly expansion of mid-band coverage.
Expanding coverage is anticipated to create three to seven times the gross domestic product (GDP) of the majority of nations. The results indicate that 5G mobile broadband could provide a consumer surplus of USD 1 to 10 billion per country, with coverage extension delivering an additional 20 to 30 percent consumer surplus.
The use cases in 5G-based FWA, smart factories, freight & logistics, agriculture, and healthcare will yield the largest social advantages.
Adoption of 5G can help cut emissions by facilitating digital transformation in agriculture, freight and logistics, and smart factories.
The report focuses on how governments, regulators, and policymakers can support the 5G ecosystem in order to generate advantages. These include treating 5G as a national infrastructure with a 5G National Strategy and Roadmap and establishing 5G spectrum policies that promote quick and widespread deployment while satisfying connectivity policy objectives. Simple to swap spectrum fees and build infrastructure deployment and site upgrades regulations and procedures.
In addition, working with communication service providers to expand coverage in areas where commercially viable solutions are not available, encouraging 5G usage and adoption in industry and manufacturing, promoting 5G in the public sector, and promoting the environmental benefits of the solutions could be advantageous. 15 countries have adopted 5G technology.
Director of YouTube Partner Development and Management Asia-Pacific (APAC) Marc Lefkowitz stated that there are over 5,400 YouTube channels in Pakistan with over 100,000 subscribers. He emphasised that Pakistan is one of the fastest-growing markets in the APAC region. The number of YouTube channels in the United States increased by 35% during the past year.
According to him, more than three hundred fifty of these channels had over one million members. Lefkowitz stated that the platform plans to continue providing assistance to Pakistani content creators so they may pursue their passions and establish careers responsibly.
As of June 2021, the number of YouTube Channels earning at least Rs 1 million had increased by more than 110% year-over-year.
