The introduction of 5G technology in Pakistan has once more been postponed as officials prioritize obtaining a 60 percent 4G penetration rate before proceeding.
Syed Amin ul Haque, the minister of information technology and telecommunications, said during an interview that Pakistan now has a 4G service penetration rate of under 60%.
Increasing the 4G penetration is important initially in order to open the door for the deployment of new technology.
IT Minster on 5G Deployment
According to the Minister of IT and Telecommunication, the government has decided to give improving 4G coverage priority before moving on with the 5G deployment plan.
According to the minister, talks with telecom providers for the rollout of 5G are presently underway.
The IT Minister also noted that a meeting will be convened with the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) to discuss policy issues and challenges linked to the country’s adoption of 5G technology.
Amin ul Haque stated his support for the idea to reduce the cost of spectrum in order to give consumers more benefits when asked about the affordability of spectrum pricing.
The minister said that he intended to meet with the advisory committee on the auction of telecom services soon to talk about this crucial matter.
Amin ul Haque responded to recent criticism of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication by saying that the legislation is nearly complete and that the ministry would be able to propose it to the federal cabinet within the next 10 days.
The IT Minister thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for included a sizeable incentive package for the IT industry in the budget for the fiscal year 2023–2024.
To read our blog on “Pakistan’s major cities would get 5G service, according to the IT minister,” click here.