Pakistan's government has set a target to launch 5G in the country in June of this year.

Pakistan Today reports that the country's Ministry of IT and Telecom (MoITT) has outlined a timeline for the launch, including a spectrum auction set for May.

Pakistan
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The publication reports that recommendations from the Spectrum Advisory Committee’s consultant will be submitted by February.

The committee, set up in 2020, is expected to finalize policy reforms, including spectrum pricing, trading conditions, and taxation frameworks, in March.

The federal government will approve the policy a month later, ahead of the planned spectrum auction in May. Spectrum in the 3,500MHz, 2,600MHz, 2,300MHz, and 700MHz spectrum bands will be up for grabs.

According to the Ministry, the country's planned 5G launch is a key part of the government's telecoms strategy.

Pakistan's MoITT previously submitted a plan for the launch of 5G services to the caretaker federal cabinet in 2023, ahead of a planned launch last year.

Details around network vendor partners were not disclosed by the Ministry.

Veon-owned Jazz, Telenor, Etisalat-owned Ufone, and China Mobile-owned Zong are the four operators offering 4G in the country.