Pakistan to launch 5G in 7 cities soon

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Tuesday announced that Pakistan will introduce 5G services within the coming months, with the initial launch planned in seven major cities.

She made these remarks at the inauguration of the 26th ITCN Asia Expo in Karachi, where she also spoke to the media. She said that Pakistan’s macroeconomic situation has improved, with inflation coming down and the economy moving toward sustainability. Karachi, she noted, continues to play a vital role in the country’s economic development. The minister added that Pakistan is receiving international praise for its progress, with the Digital Pakistan initiative gaining momentum and boosting the country’s technology ranking.

Khawaja highlighted that the Special Investment Facilitation Council has been working to ease doing business and attract investment. She confirmed that the federal cabinet has approved Pakistan’s first Artificial Intelligence policy, and work is underway to implement it. She further said that 500,000 to 1 million youth will be trained in AI and cybersecurity by the end of the year, stressing that those with digital skills will replace traditional roles.

On concerns over poor mobile and data services, the minister explained that two submarine cables were recently damaged in the Red Sea near Jeddah, affecting network performance. However, she assured that her ministry is working to expand submarine cable capacity and accelerate fiberisation to improve internet reliability.

In response to another question, Khawaja revealed that Pakistan successfully blocked hacking attempts from India during recent tensions, ensuring that no government websites were compromised. She reaffirmed that strengthening internet infrastructure and digital security remains a government priority.