ISLAMABAD: China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), better known as Zong, carried out the first official test of its 5G network on Thursday.

Information Technology Secretary, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority Chairman, Chinese Embassy Economic and Trade Advisor, and dignitaries tested Zong’s 5G network during the ceremony, said. a press release from the company.

“Zong has become the first and only operator to officially test 5G services in the country,” he added.

The company’s competitors – Jazz and Telenor – have previously issued statements saying they have also performed in-house testing of their 5G equipment, but the rollout for both companies has been hit by issues with their license renewals. .

These two companies are in court in a dispute with the government over the price at which their licenses will be renewed.

“Jazz has conducted several 5G trials,” said Aisha Sarwari, director of corporate communications for the company. “We have tested several times, inside and out.”

Likewise, Telenor also claimed in a statement released in early August that it had also “prepared” for the 5G launch. “We have all the required equipment ready for the 5G launch, it has been tested and now we are waiting for the spectrum,” said a statement from the company given to Dawn.

Zong is the first company to “officially” test this technology

Following these steps, the statement continued, the company “takes one step closer to the successful launch of end-to-end 5G trials” in the country.

“We look forward to the continued support of the government as a digitization partner for adequate spectrum allocation” for 5G over the next few years, Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO of Telenor, said in the statement.

In the meantime, Zong has found a window to get ahead of its competition. “[T]he pioneer of 4G services in Pakistan, it has already established itself as Pakistan’s largest network with more than 13 million 4G customers and 12,000 4G sites, ”the company said.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Information Technology and Telecommunications Division, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, congratulated Zong on becoming the first Pakistani telecommunications operator to successfully conduct the 5G trial. and put the country on a shortlist of 5G ready countries.

“Zong is an important part of the ties between the two countries,” Siddiqui added.

“This success marks an important milestone in the telecommunications sector in Pakistan,” said Wang Hua, CEO of Zong.

He also announced that the company will establish a 5G innovation center in collaboration with Huawei, for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed at the event.

“5G is expected to impact healthcare, agriculture and education,” the company statement said.

Posted in Dawn, 23 August 2019