Pakistani operator Jazz trials 5G in Islamabad

By Dan Oliver
published

Another successful 5G trial has taken place in Pakistan, but MNOs are still waiting on the government to take action.

Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim announcing the company’s 5G trial in Islamabad.
Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim announcing the company’s 5G trial in Islamabad. (Image credit: Jazz)

Despite the fact that mobile network operators (MNOs) are still waiting for the Pakistani government to come up with a working policy and framework for 5G technology, service providers are moving ahead with their trials, with Jazz – the operating brand for Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited – being the latest company to announce a successful roll-out. 

Towards the end of 2019, CMPak Limited, known within Pakistan as Zong, became the country’s first operator to successfully conduct 5G trials. Zong, owned by China Mobile, conducted its 5G tests using Huawei technology. And similarly to Zong, Jazz also worked with Huawei as a technology partner, and managed to reach speeds of 1.5 Gbps during live testing.  

“We at Jazz wanted to conduct proper 5G trials with necessary Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) approvals, and legally allotted spectrum."

Khalid Shahzad, CTO at Jazz.

“5G is not just about the speed, as speed comes automatically, but it’s about the ecosystem that comes along with 5G, and it will revolutionize the way we do things in our daily lives,” said Khalid Shahzad, CTO at Jazz. “We at Jazz wanted to conduct proper 5G trials with necessary Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) approvals, and legally allotted spectrum, and here today successfully integrated 5G operational site to our network.”

Meanwhile, Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim highlighted the credibility of the company’s trial in Islamabad, claiming it was being launched “in the bright daylight, not in the darkness of the weekend”, and reiterating that the trial took place on the “legal frequency of 2.6Ghz”.

The commercial launch of 5G in Pakistan is currently dependent on the state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) agreeing a regulatory and policy framework, which has yet to be finalized. But these trials indicate that operators have done their part.

“It’s just the government approvals that could delay the commercial launch of 5G in Pakistan,” a Jazz official confirmed.



Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.