STAFF REPORT ISB: Warid Telecom has planned to invest around $400 million over the next 12 months in the deployment of LTE technology in the country. The operator has also planned to upgrade 70 percent of its urban network to 4G mobile technology by end-2014.
According to information, Warid has selected Ericsson as equipment provider for its 4G LTE deployment, said an official of the company requesting not to be named.
Warid intends to commercially launch 4G services in Pakistan by September. “Warid will be investing $400 million in rollout costs over a period of one year”, the source said. “Warid will be technically ready for the launch of 4G services by September”, the official added.
According to the same source, Warid has already passed 50 Mbps – though theoretically – during the test phase at its technical hub in Kot Lakhpat area of Lahore. This speed, he said, would come down to about 35 mbps when launched commercially. However, the official said that subscribers in some areas might receive as low as 3 mbps. “But over the time, this will also improve,” he added.
This is to be mentioned here that the broadband connectivity rate has lowered in the country with the increased pressure on network with the influx of more and more subscribers.