Pakistan’s 5G Network Expands to 449 Sites Across 22 Cities, PTA Tells NA Panel

Fifth-generation mobile services have been activated at 449 telecom sites across 22 cities in Pakistan, officials of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.

Briefing the committee, PTA Director General Amir Shehzad said the regulator was collecting data from telecom companies every 24 hours to monitor network performance and identify towers that had gone offline.

He said the monitoring process was intended to provide the authority with a clearer picture of network availability and service disruptions across the country.

According to the official, 5G services had so far been launched at 449 sites in 22 cities. Committee members, however, raised concerns about the pace and geographical distribution of the rollout.

Committee member Sadiq Memon said only around 50 sites had reportedly been upgraded to 5G in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, while Hyderabad had only three active 5G sites.

“At this pace, it appears the 5G rollout will be completed by 2035,” Memon said, warning that the technology could become outdated before nationwide deployment was achieved.

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja acknowledged the need to pay greater attention to Karachi because of its population and economic importance. She said telecom companies were initially required to launch 5G services in five cities during the first year of deployment.

The PTA chairman told the committee that telecom operators generally made investment decisions according to their business plans and commercial priorities.

He said PTA had asked the companies to provide detailed one-year rollout plans to help the regulator assess their expansion targets. The authority had also formed a committee to promote a more balanced rollout of 5G services across different cities, he added.

The briefing followed the auction of additional telecom spectrum in March. The government has said the new spectrum would support the expansion of network capacity and the rollout of 5G services.

The IT minister had earlier informed the committee that Pakistan previously operated on 274 megahertz of spectrum before an additional 480 megahertz was auctioned.

Officials said the next stage would involve expanding 5G coverage and improving existing network infrastructure.

The committee also discussed the effect of electricity outages on mobile connectivity. PTA officials said they were monitoring tower shutdowns daily, as prolonged load-shedding continued to disrupt telecom services in several areas.

Lawmakers urged the regulator and mobile operators to ensure that the rollout was not concentrated only in commercially attractive urban locations.

They said consumers outside major city centers should also receive improved coverage, faster internet speeds, and reliable mobile services as the new network expands.