The Special Communications Organization has launched trial 5G services at seven locations across Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, marking an early step toward bringing next generation mobile connectivity to two of Pakistan’s more remote and mountainous regions. According to media reports, twenty additional sites are scheduled to become operational by the end of this year, which would bring the total number of active 5G sites across both regions to 27 once the expanded rollout is complete.
The trial rollout follows shortly after SCO successfully tested 5G services specifically in Gilgit-Baltistan last week, a milestone the organization described as a significant step toward establishing next generation, high speed internet connectivity across the region. Given the challenging terrain and comparatively limited existing telecom infrastructure in many parts of both Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, successfully activating trial 5G sites in these areas represents a notable technical achievement, particularly compared to the more straightforward infrastructure rollouts typically seen in Pakistan’s larger, more accessible urban centers.
According to SCO, the deployment of high speed 5G technology is expected to create new opportunities and support growth across several sectors, including tourism, education, healthcare, business, and public service delivery. The organization specifically pointed to potential benefits for information technology, e-commerce, online education, telemedicine, and digital entrepreneurship, with young people in these regions identified as a group particularly likely to benefit from expanded access to these emerging digital opportunities. Given that both regions have traditionally faced greater connectivity challenges compared to the rest of the country, the introduction of 5G infrastructure could meaningfully narrow existing gaps in access to digital services for residents.
SCO said the rollout could strengthen digital services and support broader economic activity while expanding access to emerging technologies and opportunities across Gilgit-Baltistan specifically, framing the initiative as part of a longer term strategy to bring the region’s digital infrastructure more in line with other parts of the country. With trial services already active at seven locations and a clear target of reaching 27 total sites by year end, the rollout represents one of the more concrete recent steps taken to extend Pakistan’s expanding 5G network into areas that have historically lagged behind in terms of mobile broadband infrastructure, potentially setting the stage for a broader, more permanent 5G deployment across both regions in the period following this initial trial phase.
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