By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin pilot projects for 5G mobile services in major cities next week, Information Technology and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Thursday, signaling the start of the country’s long-awaited transition to next-generation wireless networks.
The move comes days after authorities completed a landmark auction of Next Generation Mobile Services spectrum that generated about $510 million, including an additional $3 million from a position-assignment process held on Thursday. Pakistan sold 480 megahertz of frequencies across multiple bands in the main auction, a haul described by officials as one of the largest globally by volume.
“I was very happy to hear the day before yesterday that some of our operators are ready for 5G services,” Khawaja told reporters in Islamabad. “So, its pilot will start in some cities next week. And in the next six to eight months, in five of our capitals of all provinces and in the federal capital, 5G services will be available.”
Khawaja credited the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the Frequency Allocation Board and the country’s Armed Forces — which helped vacate required spectrum — for enabling the auction’s success. She noted growing international interest in Pakistan’s digital push, with several countries inquiring about its 5G plans at the recent Mobile World Congress. “Internet has become a basic necessity for Pakistan,” she said.
The government is also finalizing a smartphone leasing policy on the prime minister’s directive to boost access to 5G-compatible devices. Many phones in use are manufactured locally, though premium models are imported. Still, challenges persist. Average revenue per user in Pakistan is the lowest in the region, limiting operators’ ability to invest in network upgrades, Khawaja said. The ministry has long pushed for lower taxes on mobile services and handsets, an issue under the purview of the Federal Board of Revenue.
Hafeez Ur Rehman, chairman of the PTA, said the position-assignment auction — covering lower, middle and upper blocks in the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands — was completed after multiple rounds. No such process was needed for the 700 MHz spectrum, which went solely to Jazz. The PTA chief described the overall sale as one of the biggest spectrum transactions globally in terms of volume sold and said the government had fulfilled its role. “It is now the turn of the telecom operators to translate this spectrum into improved services for consumers,” he said.
Rehman noted that mobile package prices have risen only 10% to 15% over the past three years despite increasing costs, and pledged that the 5G rollout won’t trigger higher tariffs for consumers. The additional spectrum is expected to lift average internet speeds significantly, from around 4 megabits per second currently to nearly 20 Mbps. With more than 190 million mobile users in a population exceeding 240 million, Pakistan ranks among the world’s largest telecom markets by subscriber base. Most infrastructure remains on 4G technology, and the 5G rollout has been repeatedly delayed by regulatory, economic and spectrum hurdles.
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