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Federal Minister IT and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haque on Wednesday said 5G technology will initially be launched in major cities of the country. A delegation led by Etisalat International CEO Mikhail Gerchuk met with Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque today. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has planned to start ‘trial coverage’ of 5G services at certain points in major cities of the country during the current year.
“Future of technology in Pakistan is linked to introducing 5G technology and the ministry is taking all possible steps to make new technology business-friendly,” an official of the ministry said while talking to APP.
He said that the Ministry of IT was extending full support to telecom companies, urging the telecom companies to play their due role in bringing modern technology to Pakistan.
He said the provision of broadband services across the country was the topmost priority of the government, adding the ministry of IT through the Universal Service Fund (USF) had launched some 70 projects of optical fiber cable (OFC) and broadband infrastructure development in four provinces for Rs 65 billion. “All projects underway in far-flung areas would be completed by June.”
Secretary IT Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, Etisalat Pakistan CEO Abdulrahim Abdulla Abdulrahim Al Nooryani, PTCL & Ufone CEO Hatem Bamatraf, and Group Chief Regulatory Officer Naveed Khalid Butt were also present at the meeting. Aminul Haq said the government’s top priority is coverage and expansion of 4G technology across the country before moving to bigger and better options.
Following the vision of Digital Pakistan and expanding on Pakistan’s digital connectivity backdrop, the federal minister said the future of technology in the country is subject to the introduction of 5G technology. The minister said no one wants Pakistan to be left out of the global technology race, and all companies and vested stakeholders should make their preparations for nurturing sustainable and inclusive technological growth for Pakistan’s long-term prosperity and potential.
Aminul Haque also informed the delegation that the ministry was providing all possible support to all mobile companies. Underscoring the importance of the sector’s growth in the long run, the federal minister implored all telecom companies to play their role in bringing modern world technology to Pakistan.
Because of the above, the IT minister assured the delegation that all possible steps were being taken at the top level to make 5G more business-friendly. He added that 5G trials will be started at certain points across major cities before countrywide deployment. The Etisalat delegation appreciated Federal Minister Aminul Haque for the government’s initiatives on improving telecom services in Pakistan.
The e& international CEO Mikhail Gerchuk acknowledged the role of IT and Telecommunication in the overall economic development of the country and said the company is willing to invest in various areas of the sector.“In the province of Sindh alone, 20 projects of NGBSD and OFC worth Rs 16.3 billion have been started so far in 20 districts, including Tharparkar, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Larkana, Badin, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, and Dadu,” the official said.
He said projects of connectivity of the un-served and under-served communities of Baluchistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces had also been launched. Under its Next Generation Optic Fiber (NG-OF) Network and Services program, USF had contracted over 16,000 km of optic fiber cable (OFC) to benefit 31.5 million populations across the country.
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