5Glinktechnologyhas been making waves all over the world ever since its introduction, withapplications ranging from smartphones to driverless cars. Now, the PakistanTelecommunication Authority (PTA) has set its sights on making the mostadvanced 5G internet commercially available to the Pakistani masses by2022-23. It is expected to accelerate download speeds to 1 Gbps and enhancethe flow of economic activities significantly.
As reportedlink by TheExpress Tribune, the government of Pakistan is working on developing acomprehensive roadmap for 5G technology availability in the country. Asstated in the PTA’s annual report 2020, the government aims to auction“spectrum for 5G services in the fiscal year 2023.”
One of the biggest motivators for the government to bolster its effortstowards a 5G-ready nation has been the COVID-19 pandemic, as it showed thesignificance of having a proper digital infrastructure in place and thedigital economy expanded immensely. Needless to say, regulators andstakeholders have learnt the importance of continually improving thedigital infrastructure of the nation.
This isn’t exactly Pakistan’s first brush with 5G, but it has yet to makethe technology commercially available to the common man.
Earlier, mobile phone service providing firms successfully conducted a testtrial of 5G services under limited environment and on non-commercial basisin 2019 and 2020. Pakistan stands as the first country in South Asia totest 5G link “with a recorded download speedof more than one Gbps.”
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Aminul Haque said that thegovernment has planned to launch 5G technology by December 2022. However,experts in different fields are understandably skeptical, believing thecountry will take a much longer time (5-7 years) to roll out thenext-generation technology.
Haque reportedly made a test video call through 5G to China and said it wasa wonderful experience. The voice was loud and clear, and the video qualitywas also wonderful, according to an international media outlet.
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