Pakistan has deployed 1,782 5G sites across 24 cities, with Jazz leading the rollout with 1,015 sites, according to figures shared by Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja. Zong has deployed 640 sites, while Ufone accounts for 127. The rollout follows a multiband spectrum auction, and operators signed their licences on 19 March 2026. Commercial deployment began on 20 March 2026 under a four-phase plan approved by the federal government. The new Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) licences also require operators to improve their existing 4G services alongside the phased expansion of 5G, so the 5G build-out is meant to run in parallel with upgrades to the networks most users still rely on.
Karachi leads the deployment with 385 sites, followed by Lahore with 373 and Islamabad with 276, while Faisalabad has 144 sites, Peshawar 122, Rawalpindi 108, Multan 103, Sialkot 87, Quetta 65, and Sheikhupura 55. Jazz has the strongest presence in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Multan, whereas Zong leads in Peshawar, Quetta, Sheikhupura, and Sialkot, and Ufone’s network remains smaller. Under the rollout plan, operators must deploy services in federal and provincial capitals first and can then extend coverage to other cities based on their business plans. The total has grown quickly, since TechJuice reported earlier on PTA data showing 1,136 sites in early August, with Jazz at 689, Zong at 338, and Ufone at 109.
The main obstacle to wider use is the cost of handsets. The cheapest locally available 5G phone costs around Rs36,000, which could keep the technology out of reach for many consumers, and the government has not given a firm timeline for making 5G services affordable for ordinary users. It has instead pointed to local smartphone assembly as one way to lower costs over time. According to the minister, Pakistan locally assembled 607,093 5G-capable handsets between January and August 2026. The minister also clarified that existing 4G SIM cards do not need to be replaced to access 5G services, although users need a compatible smartphone and must be within an area covered by a deployed 5G network.
The rollout comes after a spectrum auction in March in which 480 MHz was sold for $507 million, according to Dawn, with Zong, Jazz, and Ufone competing for the 2,600 MHz band. Telecom operators had invested an estimated $178.57 million in 5G up to June 2026, ProPakistani reported, citing a written reply given to the Senate. The current footprint still covers only 24 cities, and wider coverage will depend on operators’ business plans and on how quickly compatible devices become affordable. The minister said all cellular operators had carried out technical 5G trials across Pakistan between 2020 and 2025, and that experience now underpins the phased expansion across the cities listed in the rollout.
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