When Pakistan’s spectrum auction concluded earlier this month, the competitive dynamics of the country’s telecommunications industry shifted decisively. Among the three operators that participated, Zong, the China Mobile subsidiary that has long positioned itself as Pakistan’s most technology-forward carrier, moved fastest and farthest. On March 19, the day commercial 5G services were switched on in Pakistan, Zong went live in more than 16 cities simultaneously. That number has since grown to 21, a geographic footprint that no other Pakistani operator came close to matching on launch day. Jazz launched on the same date but in eight cities, while Ufone has yet to commercially activate its 5G network at all.
Zong’s current 5G coverage spans a diverse cross-section of Pakistan’s urban landscape, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Sukkur, Abbottabad, Mardan, Larkana, Sheikhupura, Okara, Wah Cantt, and Dera Ghazi Khan. It is important to note, however, that coverage in all these cities remains concentrated in select areas rather than spanning entire metropolitan boundaries. Zong’s interactive coverage map allows users to verify whether their specific locality has an active 5G signal. As a subsidiary of China Mobile Limited, the world’s largest telecom operator, Zong benefits from access to global infrastructure expertise and supply chains that rival operators cannot easily replicate, and the company has committed to deploying and upgrading over 1,000 5G sites across Pakistan by the end of 2026.
Zong’s 5G ambitions are not new. The company conducted Pakistan’s first 5G trial back in 2019, demonstrating speeds exceeding 1.4 Gbps under controlled conditions. Commercial 5G speeds are considerably more modest, with initial figures set at 50 Mbps, which is nonetheless 2.5 times faster than the 20 Mbps cap currently applied to 4G services following the spectrum auction. Real-world performance will vary based on congestion levels, proximity to towers, and device compatibility, the last of which remains a significant barrier to mass adoption. Most potential 5G users in Pakistan are still waiting on Apple and Samsung to remove device-level restrictions, meaning Zong’s early geographic lead will only translate into a meaningful subscriber advantage once the handset ecosystem catches up and the network continues to densify within its 21 launch cities.
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