ISLAMABAD: The government, terming 2025 as year of 5G, has prepared an ambitious target including attaining an average broadband speed of 50/100 Mbps and increasing Fibre-To-The-Site (FTTS) coverage to 60 percent.

This was noted in the outcome statement presented by Amer Shahzad, Director General (DG) Licencing at National Broadband Network Forum 2024, organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaboration with Huawei.

Shahzad said that 5G spectrum auction is expected to take place in April 2025, which would be a great achievement in terms of its benefits for the country.

Telecom operators set prerequisites for launch of 5G

He elaborated the government plan while saying that Fixed Broadband (FBB) penetration is currently less than two percent in the country which is envisaged to increase and achieve 20 percent within five years.

Regarding broadband speed, the DG envisaged attaining an average broadband speed of 50/100 Mbps, which is currently 15 Mbps. He further said that one of the current challenges is low FTTS coverage of current 20 percent; however the government is planning to increase FTTS coverage to 60 percent.

A key component of the telecom infrastructure - Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) is essential for closing the digital divide and supporting 5G networks. With the rise in demand for OFC to connect base stations, the government initiated the development of a National Fiberization Plan to boost OFC footprint and FTTS penetration.

He also came up with another suggestion for deploying 1 Gbps connectivity in Islamabad with a vision for nationwide expansion. He said that government is aiming at expanding fibre footprint to 0.5M km, which is currently 200k km.

The PTA annual report noted that it achieved remarkable progress vis-à-vis nationwide expansion of telecom coverage, improving accessibility and connectivity for millions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024