5G rollout

Pakistan has finally taken a long-delayed step into the fifth-generation mobile era. This week's spectrum auction — which raised about $507 million through the sale of 480 megahertz of frequencies to telecom operators — is being projected as a watershed moment for the country's digital future. Yet the question that millions of frustrated internet users are asking is, will 5G actually fix Pakistan's chronically slow and unreliable internet?

The government's long-awaited auction, saw the country's three major operators - Jazz, Ufone and Zong — acquire spectrum needed to deploy next-generation mobile services. In theory, the technology promises a transformation. Fifth-generation mobile networks offer significantly higher speeds, lower latency and the ability to connect far more devices simultaneously than 4G. Such capabilities underpin the infrastructure of modern digital economies — enabling everything from remote work and online education to AI systems and advanced manufacturing.

For Pakistan, however, the excitement surrounding 5G must be tempered with a dose of realism. The country's existing internet problems need rectification. Years of underinvestment in spectrum and weak digital infrastructure have left Pakistan with one of the lowest spectrum allocations in the region. The new auction does address part of this problem. Yet spectrum alone cannot deliver a digital revolution. For 5G to function effectively, it requires extensive support infrastructure while Pakistan's fibre penetration remains limited, meaning the backbone needed for high-speed mobile connectivity is still underdeveloped. There is also the question of affordability. If pricing is not carefully managed, 5G could remain a premium service available only to a narrow segment of users in major cities.

Countries that have benefited the most from 5G are those that have integrated it into policy and planning. The spectrum auction is a necessary step. But it is only the beginning of a far more demanding journey. Expanding fibre networks and lowering barriers for infrastructure deployment will ultimately determine whether 5G fulfils its promise.