Authorities of Pakistan want to first reach a 60 percent 4G penetration rate in the nation, so the launch of 5G technology has been postponed yet again.
Authorities of Pakistan want to first reach a 60 percent 4G penetration rate in the nation, so the launch of 5G technology has been postponed yet again.
The country’s current 4G service penetration, which is less than 60%, needs to be raised in order to make room for the deployment of more advanced technology as soon as possible, according to the Minister of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT), who was speaking to the media on Wednesday.
He claimed that before implementing the 5G rollout schedule, the government has decided to increase the 4G coverage first.
The minister said that talks with telecom companies about the launch of 5G in Pakistan are currently underway. The IT Minister stated that he will meet with the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) to discuss regulations and challenges facing the country’s 5G technology rollout.
In response to a question about the affordability of spectrum rates, the minister backed the notion of lowering spectrum prices in order to provide more benefits to consumers. The minister announced that he will soon meet with the advisory committee on the telecom service auction to talk about the pressing issue.
In light of recent comments made regarding the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, by MoITT, the Minister stated that the bill is almost finished and that the ministry will be able to present it to the federal cabinet in 10 days.
The IT Minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister for including a significant package of incentives for the IT sector in the budget for the fiscal year 2023–2024.
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, according to draft is intended to regulate the gathering, processing, use, disclosure, and transfer of personal data. It also offers a data protection mechanism that includes offences for violating an individual’s right to privacy in regards to their data.
When someone gathers, processes, stores, uses, and discloses data, they must respect the rights, liberties, and dignity of the person in all matters related to and incidental to that activity.