Pakistan successfully tests 5G, service is expected to be available by early next year

[WebGuru]

Pakistan has successfully tested 5G network in the country, and the service is expected to be available by early next year, Khaleej Times has learnt.

CMPak Limited, popularly known as Zong, is a Pakistani mobile data network operator owned by China Mobile. It conducted 5G tests in the presence of senior government officials and telecom executives in Islamabad on Thursday.

"Zong has become the first operator in Pakistan to successfully conduct 5G trial and this is yet another milestone for the company" Wang Hua, chairman and CEO of Zong, said at the event.

Zong, a pioneer of 4G-service in Pakistan, is among top three telecom service providers with 34.71 million mobile phone subscribers by the end of June. It has established Pakistan's largest network with more than 13 million 4G customers and 12,000 4G sites.

In July, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority issued the advertisement for 5G wireless networks trials. The telecom regulator is expected to issue 5G licences by year-end that will pave the way to launch 5th generation service of mobile cellular communications in the country, which has a subscriber base of more than 161 million as of June 2019.

According to industry sources, 5G service in Pakistan will be 100 times faster than the current levels while network will be 10 times faster than existing broadband connections available in the country. 5G home routers speed has been recorded at 4 gigabytes per second, which means that it can download a 50gb file in just two minutes.

5G is expected to revolutionise key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and education in Pakistan.

It will have a significant impact on Pakistan's economic transformation, social progress and create new avenues of entertainment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A look into the digital future with Zong! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZongTests5G?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZongTests5G</a> <a href="https://t.co/zqKeWgQp58">pic.twitter.com/zqKeWgQp58</a></p>— Zong (@Zongers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Zongers/status/1164576955687157760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/busine...n-successfully-tests-5g-launch-date-announced

 

[WebGuru]

1.14 Gbps on mobile...

 

[sweep_shot]

A fight over access to radio-wave frequencies for 5G mobile data is coming to a head as officials decide how wavelengths should be allocated.

The European Space Agency has warned opening up the airwaves will harm climate change research and make weather forecasting more difficult.

But a mobile industry group says these claims are "unfounded" and will limit networks' ability to offer fast speeds.

Ministers and regulators are meeting in Egypt to discuss the options.

More capacity
The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) in Sharm el-Sheikh will attempt to find a global agreement on how 5G airwaves should be used.

Launched in the UK this year, 5G enables users to download films over the internet in seconds rather than minutes.

UK media watchdog Ofcom said on Monday it would auction more sub-6GHz (gigahertz) low- and mid-level airwaves next year to boost coverage and support the rollout of 5G services.

But higher-level "millimetre wave" (mmWave) frequencies offer the scope to provide further 5G capacity.

In May, the European Union said some of these high-frequency airwaves should be released by member states before the end of 2020 to facilitate the 5G rollout.

Experts say these airwaves could help avoid the high-speed service being swamped by demand, thus ensuring the smooth running of data-hungry applications, including those that power autonomous vehicles and augmented reality apps.

However, meteorologists have warned if too much bandwidth is provided, it could cause interference with the equipment they use to predict hurricanes and other weather patterns. So, they want a narrower range of mmWave frequencies to be offered than mobile networks would like.

Fiona Vanier, a senior analyst at CCS Insight, said: "Meteorologists are concerned that radio frequencies such as 23.8GHz [at the beginning of the mmWave zone] contaminate Earth observations such as water-vapour detection."

Weather data
The European Space Agency (ESA) told BBC News it feared its ambitious Copernicus project could be compromised.

The Earth observation programme uses vast amounts of data to help study climate change.

The ESA said mobile networks' use of high-frequency 5G airwaves could also affect its ability to communicate with satellites, including those used to collect weather data.

"Those remote sensors constitute an essential part of the global numerical weather prediction and are key in the observation of the global climate," a spokesman said.

The GSM Association (GSMA) trade body said the WRC event, which is held every four years, was a "make or break moment" for 5G.

And its head of spectrum, Brett Tarnutzer, accused the ESA of "fear mongering".

"[Studies have] demonstrated that 5G using mmWave spectrum can co-exist safely and efficiently alongside weather-sensing services, commercial satellite services and others," he said.

"This protectionist attitude will have consequences for our global economy if allowed to prevail."

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50208391.

 

[finalfantasy7]

How much will this cost per month

 

[Syed1]

5G technology is really in its infancy at this stage. The biggest impedent to it's widespread use is that it is very, very short range so providers will have to flood an area to provide it with coverage. I'm talking a network node at every light post after every 10-20 feet. Even then 5G may only be available on the road near the light posts and not inside buildings and homes or even in the next street over.

 

[finalfantasy7]

so any signs of 5g in pakistan- half the year has past

 

[Abdullah719]

so any signs of 5g in pakistan- half the year has past

Not really. The ‘early next year’ bit was just marketing hype. 5G will take many years to become properly functional in Pakistan.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Not really. The ‘early next year’ bit was just marketing hype. 5G will take many years to become properly functional in Pakistan.

Good to hear. Would have been somewhat embarrassing going to Pakistan and seeing family members flaunting their tech while we Brits would still be trundling along with 4G.

 

[Abdullah719]

Good to hear. Would have been somewhat embarrassing going to Pakistan and seeing family members flaunting their tech while we Brits would still be trundling along with 4G.

Very few people have 5G capable phones anyway

 

[topspin]

Very few people have 5G capable phones anyway

Don't worry the Chinese copycats will always be popular in Pakistan.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Not really. The ‘early next year’ bit was just marketing hype. 5G will take many years to become properly functional in Pakistan.

well as uk will take 7rs to get rid of huawei parts from BT - and so have other countries, well pakistan do need to invest in better 4g, tbh - 5g in islamabad / lahore/ karachi should be viable - just in some riches area- to get it moving

 

[Abdullah719]

Don’t worry the Chinese copycats will always be popular in Pakistan.

Chinese smartphones are indeed the most popular ones overall because they provide the most mid-range options which is what most people seek. However, I believe Samsung still has the largest share of the market. But there aren’t many mid-range phones with 5G capability.

 

[Abdullah719]

well as uk will take 7rs to get rid of huawei parts from BT - and so have other countries, well pakistan do need to invest in better 4g, tbh - 5g in islamabad / lahore/ karachi should be viable - just in some riches area- to get it moving

Yes, availability in some limited areas is a much more realistic goal.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Yes, availability in some limited areas is a much more realistic goal.

yeh but thr not even doing that along with installing better 4g coverage