Pakistan’s 5G rollout could multiply streaming speeds by three to five times for users, according to Umar Siddique Raja, Director of Marketing Segments at Zong, who made the remarks at a media briefing following the country’s landmark spectrum auction. However, the actual performance gains will depend significantly on how much bandwidth each telecom operator chooses to allocate to their 5G networks, making operator strategy as important as the underlying technology in determining how much of that potential is realised in practice.
Of Pakistan’s roughly 200 million mobile connections, only around five million are currently on 5G-enabled handsets, a relatively small share that might suggest the immediate impact of the rollout will be limited. Raja argued otherwise, noting that the benefits of 5G are not confined to users with compatible devices. The addition of new spectrum to the network eases overall congestion, meaning that even customers on older devices will experience a smoother and more consistent network experience as the infrastructure expands. Over time, broader 5G coverage is also expected to drive demand for 5G handsets, which in turn should prompt manufacturers to introduce more affordable devices to Pakistan’s price-sensitive market, accelerating the technology’s reach across the subscriber base.
The implications of 5G extend well beyond mobile browsing and streaming. Currently, only around five million households in Pakistan have fibre-to-the-home connections, with approximately half of those routed through informal or undocumented operators, leaving a significant gap in high-quality residential broadband coverage. Fixed wireless access, which delivers high-speed internet through wireless routers using 5G infrastructure, offers a way to bridge this gap without the expense and logistical complexity of laying fibre, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. For Pakistan’s growing information technology export sector and freelance economy, where poor connectivity frequently disrupts collaboration with international clients, the prospect of faster speeds and lower latency carries direct economic significance. Raja also pointed to the widespread penetration of closed-circuit television systems as a foundation for future smart home and smart city applications, ranging from motion sensors to automated systems, with 5G serving as the enabling layer for this emerging ecosystem. Average screen time in Pakistan has already doubled from around three hours to over six hours in the past year, a trend that is expected to continue and that will increasingly place mobile data infrastructure at the centre of everyday digital life.
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