NA told about 5G rollout, infrastructure expansion in near future

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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) was told on Wednesday that the government is ready to introduce four new infrastructure cables and 5G services to provide fast and reliable Internet to customers across the country.

Information Technology and Telecommunications Parliamentary Secretary Sabhin Ghuri said in the NA that 5G services will be launched by mid -2025, with the expansion of optical fiber cables to improve Internet services.

In response to questions during the question of time, it focused on international connectivity and expansion of the fiber optic network, presenting key progress in Pakistan’s telecom sector. He reported that the activation of international submarine cables is currently 9.281 TBPS, which meets the current demand but will need extension to support the implementation of 5G.

To strengthen contact and network flexibility, new submarine cables are being deployed, in which 75,967 km optical fiber cable (OFC) is already laid by Long Distance and International (LDI) operators. Is The total length of the network is expected to reach 135,506 km, with efforts to resolve the right path (row) issues to facilitate further expansion. , Which is expected to reach 3.6 million users.

Pakistan’s Internet services are generally stable, though occasional slowdown VPN is due to overuse, DDOS attacks and factors such as infrastructure issues. In December 2024, the PTCL submarine cable (AAE-1) was damaged near Qatar, temporarily affected meta services, but was restored until December 20, 2024.

The Parliamentary Secretary also updated the House in the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB), which is reviewing the registration of the star link. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is looking forward to clearance for issuing operational licenses for star link services in the country.

To enhance international connection, new submarine cables from PTCL, Transworld, and Cybernett will increase Pakistan’s current 13.7 TBPS capacity.

In addition, the government plans to support the development of the IT industry and enforce VPN registration and licensing to increase data routing performance. The move aims to ensure uninterrupted Internet services for the IT sector, to advance digital exports and promote international cooperation.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the National Assembly in a written reply that exports of Pakistan’s IT and IT services (ITES) increased by 23pc, which was 2022. -23 increased from US $ 2.59 billion to US $ 3.22 billion in 2023. -24.

Shaza also highlighted that Pakistan’s ranking in the Global CyberScureti Index (issued by the United Nations/ITU) kept the country advanced, and further strengthened its position in the global tech landscape. In addition, Pakistan made significant progress in the UN Government Development Index (EGDI) for 2024, which rose to 14 places in 14 places compared to the 150th survey in 2022.

Pakistan is now freely among the five countries, which support the country’s socio -economic development.

The ICT sector acquired a record high export remittance of US $ 3.223 billion during the financial year 2023-24, which increased the last fiscal year by more than $ 2.596 billion by more than 24pC. Trade surplus in the IT & ITES industry reached US $ 2.827 billion, which accounts for 87.71PC of the country’s total ICT export remittance, which represents an increase of 22.31pc from 2022-23 to 22.31pc. Is

The performance of the sector was particularly noteworthy as the overall services sector published a trade deficit of US $ 2.313 billion during the same period, which highlighted the importance of the ICT sector in running the country’s export growth. – The impressive growth of the ICT sector continues in the financial year 2024-25, with export remittances reaching US $ 1.86 billion in the first half of the financial year (July to December), 1.45 billion in the same period last year The dollar has increased from 28pc. This is the highest export remittance in all services sectors, with “other business services” equivalent to US $ 805 million.

Despite positive trends, the sector is still facing challenges, especially about tax issues that affect the IT and ITES industry and freelancers, which of unnecessary obstacles and businesses. Challenges create challenges.

The Minister of State expressed hope for the continued development of the ICT sector, saying that Pakistan’s ICT exports would exceed US $ 4 billion by the end of fiscal year 2024-25, and it He further strengthened his role as a key partner in the country’s economic growth.