PTA unveils plan to test 5G in Pakistan next year

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority plans to take on a headstart with 5G testing in Pakistan next year.

With the year 2019 just a couple of days away, PTA has unveiled its roadmap about public testing of 5G services in Pakistan. A draft framework document was made available recently listing information related to 5G public trials, its demonstrating systems and information about its related services in Pakistan.

The last 3G/4G spectrum auctions for telecom services happened in 2014. Even speaking of the international perspective, the stage is still draped for 5G. PTA mentions that the rapidly increasing demand for high bandwidth telecom services has moved into gaining pace towards 5G testing in Pakistan.

“Seen as a comprehensive wireless-access solution with the capacity to address the demands and requirements of mobile communication beyond IMT-2020, 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 mentioned.

The initial draft hints at under the hood working by PTA in this direction. The draft outlines different procedures, authorizations, duration and other terms and conditions needed for legal testing of this service in Pakistani telecom space. In this regard, the Frequency Allocation Board would issue a temporary spectrum for non-commercial testing purposes. After allocation, authorization certificate detailing the duration and/or other terms would be issued by PTA.

Once, the authorization is done, 5G services would be made available for testing purposes in certain areas for a period lasting from 3 to 6 months. According to the reports, users would not be charged for these services during the trial period.

The Pakistani authorities have often mentioned that they would be launching 5G services in Pakistan very soon. Just a few months back, the IT minister mentioned that Pakistan could launch these services as early as next year. South Korea has officially launched these services earlier this month.

News Via DailyTimes