Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi on Friday apprised the National Assembly that the government was planning to launch 5G service in the country.

In response to various questions during Question Hour, the minister said the Information Technology Ministry was formulating a policy to launch 5 G in consultation with all other stakeholders. He said that the 4G technology was also launched by PML-N government. 4G services were available in 89 percent area of the country and in the next nine months the whole country would be covered, he said.

He said cellular operators were continuously expanding their networks and Currently, Pakistan has 90 percent teledensity with mobile penetration of 89 percent. The total mobile subscribers stands at 193.4 million, he added. He said that the cellular operators were obliged to extend 4G coverage as per license conditions and charge consumers on the basis of data used/consumed by the subscribers irrespective of the technology i.e. 2G/3G/4G.

To a separate question, the minister said that the incumbent government had plan to promote digital literacy in the country and a project was currently being implemented under which one hundred smart classrooms would be made functional in the universities by the end of the year, he said.

The Higher Education Commission has also been working with Microsoft to ensure universities have access to digital tools and technology, he expressed.