Ahmed Mukhtar Naqshbandi
ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has planned to begin ‘trial coverage’ of 5G services at specific points in major cities of the country during the current year.
While talking to APP, an official from the ministry said that the future of technology in Pakistan was linked to introducing 5G technology, and the ministry was taking all possible steps to make new technology business-friendly.
He further said that the Ministry of IT was extending full support to the telecom companies, urging them to play a positive role in bringing modern technology to Pakistan.
5G Technology in Major Cities
The official said the provision of broadband services across the country was the topmost priority of the incumbent government. He further said that the ministry of IT, through the Universal Service Fund (USF), had launched about 70 projects of optical fiber cable (OFC) and broadband infrastructure development in the four provinces at the cost of Rs65 billion. “All projects underway in remote areas would be completed by June this year.”
“In the province of Sindh alone, about 20 projects of NGBSD and OFC worth Rs16.3 billion have been initiated so far in 20 districts, including Tharparkar, Nawabshah, Larkana, Badin, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, and Dadu,” the official added.
He said connectivity projects of the unserved and underserved communities of Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces had also been initiated.
Under its Next Generation Optic Fiber (NG-OF) Network and Services program, USF contracted more than 16,000 km of Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) to benefit 31.5 million people throughout the country.
