Nauman
The government of Pakistan is planning to allocate 700MHz bands for deploying 5G in Pakistan. This is likely due to the coverage and efficiency advantages of the 700MHz band, also known as n28.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication will be using the following low, mid, and high bands for the adoption of 5G.
Low
- 700MHz
- 2.3GHz
- 2.6GHz
- 3.5GHz
Mid
- Millimeter wavebands
- C-Band (3.6-4.2) GHz
High
- Unlicensed Backhaul Frequency bands (P2P & P2MP)
In order to manage the spectrum dynamically and make it available for all new applications, the Ministry has also drafted a “Framework for Frequency Spectrum re-farming”. Details are unclear, but the Framework will also be used for broadband wireless access and digital broadcasting.
Spectrum refarming involves repurposing spectrum bands with more efficient technologies and/or new services. For instance, if a telecom service provider is already using a 900MHz band for 2G services, it may free up some of the spectrum to allow for LTE services.
PTA, PEMRA, and FAB will recommend to the relevant authorities the requirements to reframe any given frequency band. The organizations may discuss the subject of spectrum reframing with the incumbent user.
Not Coming Any Time Soon
However, while the government and its relevant authorities work on deploying 5G in Pakistan, it is worth mentioning that the next generation mobile network will not be official in Pakistan for a while. There is still a lot more development that needs to happen before 5G officially rolls out in Pakistan. The launch has been delayed time and time again and it is now expected to become available sometime during 2023, but there is no confirmation just yet.
Once 5G starts rolling out, it will most likely become available in more prominent cities of the country first including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and Peshawar, before it arrives in other regions.
