ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom-munication has evaluated seven bands for adoption of 5G services in the country.
Official documents available with Business Recorder revealed that the ministry is presently in a process of assessing the options available for timely launch of 5G services in Pakistan.
In this connection, the following bands are being evaluated for adoption of 5G services as low bands, mid bands and high bands: (a) 700 MHz; (b) 2.3 GHz; (c) 2.6 GHz; (d) 3.5 GHz; (e) MiIIi8meter wave bands; (f) C-Band (3.6-4.2) GHz and (g) Unlicensed Backhaul Frequency bands (P2P & P2MP).
The ministry in view of these bands has requested the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) for sharing the current status and availability of all 5G spectrum in the above identified frequency bands.
The government is planning of launching 5G services in the country by December 2022, which will open new avenues for investment and will accelerate progress towards achieving the goal of "Digital Pakistan", said an official of the ministry.
The ministry has constituted an advisory committee for 5G Planning in Pakistan (5G Pakistan Plan Committee) to define a roadmap and finalize recommendations for 5G technology readiness in the country.
The committee will develop strategic plan and roadmap for 5G technology in Pakistan with the formulation of working groups for 5G spectrum management, telecom infrastructure development, telecom regulations review including health and safety and 5G applications and use cases.
The committee comprises members from Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Frequency Allocation Board (FAB), PM Office SRIU (Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit), PM Taskforce on IT & Telecom, academia, cellular mobile operators and telecom vendors.
Pakistan Telecommunic-ation Authority (PTA) last year granted permission to mobile operators for conducting test and trial of 5G technology under limited environment and non-commercial basis. PTA had issued "Framework for Test and Development of Future Technologies (Particularly Fifth Generation (5G) Wireless Networks in Pakistan)" for facilitating testing/trial only of 5G technology and related services in Pakistan. The rapid growth in mobile data traffic and consumer demand for enhanced mobile broadband experience have led to an increasing emphasis on the upcoming fifth generation of mobile technology (5G). Seen as a comprehensive wireless-access solution with the capacity to address the demands and requirements of mobile communication for IMT-2020 and beyond, it is projected that this technology will operate in a highly heterogeneous environment and provide ubiquitous connectivity for a wide range of devices, new applications and use cases, PTA added.
The scope of IMT-2020 is much broader than the previous generations of mobile broadband communication systems. The ITU's work in developing the specifications for IMT-2020 in close collaboration with the whole gamut of 5G stakeholders is now well underway along with the associated spectrum management and spectrum identification aspects. The IMT-2020 will be a cornerstone for all of the activities related to attaining the goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021