Pakistan's telecommunications sector faces a complex reality as the rollout of mobile broadband reaches new milestones while running into infrastructure roadblocks. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication informed the National Assembly during Question Hour that the country's 5G network spans 24 cities with 1,782 active sites nationwide. While major urban centers now have network access, the broader deployment faces challenges related to hardware costs and power supply stability.

Further expansion will occur in phases. The government plans to prioritize network stability and service quality on existing installations before scaling coverage to additional regions. Network operators installed these deployment sites under trial frameworks and specific operational testing authorizations granted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

Geographic Distribution of Network Sites

City-level deployment data highlights significant concentration in specific commercial hubs. Karachi leads the expansion metrics, experiencing a sharp rise in infrastructure installations over a three-month period. Site counts in the port city grew from 50 to 385 between July and September, adding 295 new installations. Karachi now represents 21.5% of all network sites in the country. Ministry projections indicate that site counts in the city will surpass 1,000 as deployment continues in the area.

The initial 24-city footprint includes major population centers such as Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta. Parliamentary Secretary for IT Sabeen Ghouri noted that the national subscriber base stands at 210 million mobile users, alongside 161.7 million mobile broadband subscribers. This user base highlights the gap between total mobile connectivity and access to the newest network generation.

Fiber optic connectivity to tower sites remains a structural challenge across these cities. Less than 20% of telecom towers in Pakistan link directly to fiber backhaul networks, while the majority rely on microwave links. Microwave connections offer lower bandwidth capacity, which creates data transmission bottlenecks when multiple high-speed users connect to a single cell tower.

Hardware Requirements and Local Manufacturing

Users require a compatible handset and local coverage to access the network, though no SIM card replacement is necessary. Device affordability remains a primary bottleneck for consumer adoption. The minimum retail price for a compatible handset currently stands at Rs36,000, which exceeds the national official monthly minimum wage of Rs37,000 set for general workers in major provinces.

Local assembly facilities produced over 600,000 compatible mobile phones between January and August. Local manufacturing policy incentives encouraged domestic assembly plants to increase output of entry-level smartphones. However, imported components remain subject to currency fluctuation risks and import duties that affect final retail pricing. To address price barriers and accelerate adoption, the government evaluates several fiscal measures:

  • Tax reductions on imported components
  • Manufacturing incentives for local assembly plants
  • Duty-free equipment imports to lower production costs
  • Structured credit models to allow consumers to purchase handsets through monthly installments

Infrastructure and Power Supply Hurdles

Network reliability faces operational risks from external infrastructure deficits. The ministry acknowledged that prolonged load-shedding, electricity theft, and physical vandalism directly degrade mobile service quality across multiple regions. Power outages in commercial and residential zones force telecom base transceiver stations to switch from the primary electrical grid to backup systems.

To mitigate power disruptions, authorities established a high-level committee focused on securing uninterrupted electricity for transmission towers. The committee reviews dedicated power feeders, smart grids, and industrial feeders as potential solutions. Operators maintain backup power systems, including lithium-ion batteries, solar installations, and diesel generators at tower sites. Operating diesel generators during extended power cuts increases fuel expenditures, raising operational expenditure per tower site by up to 30% during peak summer load-shedding months.

Regulatory Enforcement and Spectrum Allocation

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority conducts ongoing field surveys to evaluate service quality concurrently with the network expansion. This monitoring follows recent enforcement actions that required operators to resolve coverage deficiencies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Technical bottlenecks, power supply constraints, and device pricing continue to dictate the pace of digital infrastructure growth.

Spectrum pricing and license terms remain central topics in discussions between mobile network operators and regulatory authorities. Operators require additional spectrum blocks in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 3.5 GHz bands to deliver higher data speeds across dense urban environments. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication is preparing spectrum auction design frameworks to clear additional frequencies ahead of wide commercial availability.

Source: Digital Pakistan