Pakistan is actively strengthening its spectrum monitoring capabilities as the country continues its rapid move into the 5G era. The Frequency Allocation Board is heavily upgrading its nationwide 5G spectrum monitoring network, a move intended to improve interference detection and boost oversight of emerging wireless services across the country. FAB took a decisive step in August, signing a contract with Rohde & Schwarz, a company that operates globally as a manufacturer of spectrum monitoring and measurement systems. Under the agreement, Rohde & Schwarz will supply advanced network scanners and spectrum monitoring receivers to FAB, giving the board access to specialized equipment built specifically for tracking radio frequency activity across a wide range of bands. Spectrum monitoring equipment of this kind is typically used to scan the airwaves for signals operating outside their licensed frequency ranges, helping regulators catch interference before it affects commercial network operations.
FAB will deploy the new equipment at strategic locations across its regional network, expanding its geographical coverage and significantly strengthening its capacity to monitor Pakistan’s radio frequency spectrum. Distributing the equipment across multiple regional sites rather than concentrating it in one location gives FAB a more comprehensive view of spectrum activity nationwide, rather than relying on monitoring capacity centered around a single hub. This distributed approach is particularly relevant for a country with Pakistan’s geographic spread, where interference issues in one region may not be visible to monitoring equipment based elsewhere.
The upgraded infrastructure is expected to deliver immediate tactical advantages, primarily enabling FAB to more efficiently identify problematic and unauthorized spectrum use. The advanced technology is also intended to ensure timely detection and swift mitigation of harmful network interference, which can disrupt mobile services and other wireless communications if left unaddressed. As the national body responsible for spectrum management, FAB has said that integrating 5G capable monitoring technology is essential for the board to keep pace with the country’s rapid technological developments in the telecom sector. The rollout of next generation connectivity introduces more complex demands on spectrum management, as Pakistan now has to manage new frequency bands and more advanced wireless services than it did under previous generations of mobile technology. 5G networks typically operate across a wider range of frequency bands than earlier generations, including higher frequency bands that behave differently from the spectrum used for 3G and 4G services, making more sophisticated monitoring tools necessary to track usage accurately across all of them.
The newly deployed systems, working alongside the upgraded 5G spectrum monitoring network, are intended to reinforce regulatory oversight and support more reliable and efficient use of the country’s limited radio frequency spectrum. The contract with Rohde & Schwarz marks a notable step in modernizing Pakistan’s national spectrum infrastructure, coming at a time when the country is actively expanding 5G coverage and working to resolve coverage and interference issues flagged by both regulators and telecom operators in recent months.
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