The PTA’s latest annual report is stoking debate about when 5G – the next-generation connectivity technology following 2G, 3G and 4G – is going to come to Pakistan. “Pakistan has set its eyes on launching the 5G technology by 2020 and preparations have started to test 5G cellular connectivity that will be the first of such tests in the South Asia,” the regulator said.

That sounds ambitious. After all, 2020 is the expected launch-year for 5G among many advanced countries and the Asian titans like China and Japan. Pakistan already has a history of being late launching new connectivity technology. It launched 3G and 4G around mid-2014, years after many regional and peer economies. The mobile broadband uptake – currently at 46 million subscriptions – is impressive, but the adoption is far from complete.

But there is nothing wrong with aiming for the stars. To jump onto the 5G bandwagon on time, the telecom authorities would need to move fast, and consistently, on a number of areas.

One, bottlenecks in the way of network expansion must be eased, as 5G is going to be a very complex deployment requiring many small cell sites. The fiber-optic backhaul will need to be strengthened besides solving issues like right of way and procedural delays at the provincial and local levels. Operators should also be able to easily share infrastructure – some progress is already on the horizon. Powering cell sites with renewable energy is needed so that carbon footprint is contained.

Two, redundant spectrum will need to be made available to operators on time and at a price that is not stubbornly high. Though a number of spectrum auctions have taken place in the PML-N tenure, there needs to be more predictability to the exercise in the future. The licensing framework also needs to adjust to the requirements to build scale in the 5G environment.

Three, work needs to be done regarding broadband’s accessibility and affordability. As with other things, technology is not the panacea, but how folks use it to go about their daily lives more productively. Doing away with broadband tax would be a start. By 2020, 5G-enabled smart devices would be available, but they will likely be expensive. With the future in mind, local device assembly must be encouraged.

And last, PTA, for its part, must beef up its regulatory capacity that is needed to understand 5G standards and oversight mechanism. It is good to see that approvals have been given for 5G testing in Pakistan. A focused approach is needed in coming years. The regulator picked up momentum in 2013-17 under the leadership of Dr. Ismail Shah.

With a new Chairman awaited, it is hoped that progress achieved in recent years will be built upon, with a renewed focus on consumer protection.

In the end, while the regulator can be there for a policy and institutional mechanism to migrate to 5G networks, it is the operators who hold the wallet.

The prospect of fresh 5G investments looks plausible but unlikely by 2020. The operators would naturally monetize their existing investments in 3G and 4G network expansions, before they embark on something new that will take years to have uniform equipment and connectivity standards.