Zong today showcased its 5G network to the world at an event that was attended by Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication division, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Amir Azeem Bajwa, Chairman PTA and Dr. Wang Zhihua, Economic & Commercial Counselor, Chinese Embassy, along with dignitaries from various government entities, telecom industry and the corporate sector.
Zong was allowed to conduct 5G tests after a green signal from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, in an arrangement where company can test its 5G network readiness within limited geographical limits.
If you are wondering, commercial trials aren’t allowed for now and hence usual customers won’t be able to see or test Zong’s 5G network. Not to mention, you have to have a 5G enabled handset in order to test and experience 5G network, and such smartphones are very rare as of yet.
Not to mention, commercial trials or wider-scale roll outs for 5G networks are to take a longer period of time. While we can’t be sure but you can expect this to happen after an year or two at least.
As a matter of fact, and as per insiders, there are less than 1,000 5G enabled handsets on Pakistani networks for now, meaning that there’s no business case for a wide-spread 5G network roll out. But then again, this is going to change and market will get prepared in about couple of years or so.
Also to note, PTA has to prepare the regulatory framework and ultimately the spectrum for operators for their 5G networks.
Getting back to today’s event and Zong’s 5G test, Radio FM World Pakistan was given exclusive access to test the speeds. We were able to witness the whooping 1Gbps speed, and even beyond. In fact at one time the speed tests hit 1.4 Gbps on the screens.
Zong also displayed various applications and use cases for its 5G network. Which were obviously working in lab environment for now.
Watch the 5G speed test that we did ourselves at Zong’s Islamabad Headquarters:
