Pakistan to begin 5G pilot projects next week in major cities, says IT minister

Pakistan will begin pilot projects for 5G services in major cities next week, following the completion of the country’s multi-band spectrum auction, the information technology minister said.

The announcement comes after the government raised about $510 million, equivalent to roughly Rs142 billion, through the auction of Next Generation Mobile Services spectrum.

Officials also confirmed that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has completed the position assignment process, which determines the exact placement of spectrum blocks acquired by telecom operators.

During a press briefing after the auction process concluded, IT Minister Shaz Fatima Khawaja said the pilot projects would begin shortly while commercial deployment of 5G services is expected in the coming months.

The government said the spectrum auction was carried out with the coordination of several institutions, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Frequency Allocation Board. Authorities also confirmed that spectrum required for the auction was vacated with the cooperation of relevant institutions.

The telecom regulator said the position assignment stage was completed after several bidding rounds, generating an additional $3 million.

The process covered the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands, where telecom operators selected lower, middle or upper spectrum block positions to optimise network performance and reduce interference.

No position assignment was required for the 700 MHz band, which was secured by a single operator during the auction.

Officials said the additional spectrum is expected to improve mobile internet performance, with average speeds projected to increase from around 4 Mbps to nearly 20 Mbps once the networks are deployed.

The government also said it is preparing a smartphone leasing policy aimed at improving access to smart devices and expanding digital connectivity.

Authorities noted that telecom operators in Pakistan face financial constraints due to low average revenue per user compared with regional markets. They added that reducing taxes on mobile services and devices has been proposed to support sector growth, although such decisions fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Board of Revenue.

The telecom regulator said mobile service packages have increased by about 10 to 15% over the past three years despite higher operating costs, adding that the rollout of 5G services is not expected to lead to higher consumer tariffs.