The federal minister of information technology and telecommunications, Syed Aminul Haque, stated on Wednesday that the country’s largest cities will be the first to use 5G technology. Today, Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque met with a group led by Etisalat International CEO Mikhail Gerchuk. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications plans to launch “trial coverage” of 5G services in some of the country’s largest cities this year.
“The introduction of 5G technology is related to the future of technology in Pakistan,” a ministry official told APP, “and the ministry is taking all reasonable steps to make new technology business-friendly.”
He stated that the Ministry of Information Technology was fully supporting telecom businesses and urged them to play their part in bringing modern technology to Pakistan.
He also stated that the ministry of information technology (IT) had launched approximately 70 projects for the development of optical fibre cable (OFC) and broadband infrastructure in four provinces for Rs 65 billion through the Universal Service Fund (USF), stating that providing broadband services throughout the country was the government’s top priority. “By June, all work in remote locations would be completed.”
Hatem Bamatraf, CEO of PTCL and Ufone, Secretary of Information Technology Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, CEO of Etisalat Pakistan Abdulrahim Abdulla Abdulrahim Al Nooryani, and Group Chief Regulatory Officer Naveed Khalid Butt were also present. According to Aminul Haq, the government’s primary goal before moving on to bigger and better options is to expand 4G technology coverage across the country.
When he stated that the deployment of 5G technology would determine the country’s technological future, the federal minister cited the Digital Pakistan goal and elaborated on Pakistan’s background in digital connectivity. No one wants Pakistan to fall behind in the race for global technological dominance, according to the minister, so businesses and other interested parties should begin making plans to foster inclusive, sustainable technological growth for Pakistan’s long-term potential and prosperity.
Aminul Haque also informed the team that the ministry would provide any mobile company with all necessary assistance. The federal minister urged all telecom companies to help bring advanced technologies to Pakistan in order to highlight the importance of the sector’s long-term growth.
Because of the foregoing, the IT minister assured the group that every effort was being made at the highest level to make 5G more business-friendly. He stated that before nationwide deployment, 5G experiments would begin in specific locations in key cities. The Etisalat delegation praised Federal Minister Aminul Haque for the government’s initiatives to improve telecom services in Pakistan.
Mikhail Gerchuk, CEO of e& International, emphasised the importance of information technology and telecommunications to the nation’s overall economic development and stated that the company is willing to invest in a variety of related fields.
According to the official, 20 NGBSD and OFC projects worth Rs 16.3 billion have been launched so far in Sindh’s 20 districts, including Tharparkar, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Larkana, Badin, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, and Dadu.
He also stated that initiatives to connect underserved and unserved populations had begun in the provinces of Baluchistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). USF purchased over 16,000 kilometres of optical fibre cable (OFC) as part of its Next Generation Optic Fiber (NG-OF) Network and Services programme, which will benefit 31.5 million people nationwide.
