Zong successfully carries out Pakistan's first 5G trial

ISLAMABAD: Zong, China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), successfully conducted trials of its fifth generation (5G) wireless network — the first 5G trial in Pakistan.

Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication division on behalf of Federal Minister for Information Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) Maj-Gen (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, and Dr Wang Zhihua, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, along with dignitaries from various government entities, telecom industry, and the corporate sector attended the event. During the event, the Secretary IT, PTA chairman, Economic & Commercial Counsellor, Chinese Embassy along with the dignitaries tested Zong's 5G network.

The trials make Zong, which operates 12,000 4G sites with more than 13 million 4G customers, the first and only operator to officially test 5G services in the country.

"Zong has been at the forefront of pushing the digital agenda forward in the country. Pioneering 4G in Pakistan, the company has continued to uplift the telecommunication infrastructure across the country. I would like to take this moment in congratulating Zong for becoming the first Pakistani telecommunications operator to have successfully conducted the 5G trial and putting Pakistan on a short-list of countries which are 5G ready," said Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication division.

"CMPak has been committed to serving livelihood of Pakistanis, boosting Pakistan's economy, and continuously improving its network capabilities and service level by relying on China Mobile Group's strong support. Zong has become the first operator in Pakistan to successfully conduct 5G trial and this is yet another milestone for us," said Zong Chairman and CEO Wang Hua.

In a press release, Zong said 5G would bring profound and long-term changes to Pakistan's economic transformation, social progress, and people's livelihood improvement in future. "It is expected that 5G will have an impact on health care, agriculture and education."

"Zong has always strived to provide the most innovative mobile connectivity solutions to its customers. Now, with the advent of 5G close at hand, Zong has once again, proven its readiness to open infinite possibilities for the nation," it added.