Experts stress radical tax cuts for 5G technology roll-out in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (APP) - The successful roll-out and adoption of 5G technology in Pakistan hinges on radical tax cuts and business-to-business strategy, otherwise the country’s transition to 5G will remain in low pace due to crippling taxation, high handset costs, and the lack of industrial use cases.

This was crux of a debate on Monday seminar, titled: “5G Imperative in Pakistan: The Need for Comprehensive Infrastructure, Economic Readiness, and Digital Sovereignty,” organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute under its Study Group on IT and Telecommunication, said a press release.

In his welcome remarks, Brig (R) Mohammad Yasin, the Distinguished Adviser Emeritus of SDPI, termed the forthcoming auction of nearly 600 MHz of spectrum as potentially the largest in Pakistan’s history, calling it a structural shift rather than merely a technological upgrade.

Dr Muhammad Mukarram Khan, the Director-General Cyber Vigilance at Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), said the PTA must balance the interests of government, cellular mobile operators (CMOs) and citizens.

Parvez Iftikhar, the renowned ICT Consultant, said the 5G spectrum auction could remove major barriers hindering sector modernization, however, he cautioned that 5G would not become instantly ubiquitous.

Dr Zainab Naeem, Associate Research Fellow and Head of Center for Ecological Sustainability and Circular Economy at SDPI stressed the need for regulatory clarity, investment confidence, skilled human capital and demand from real sectors of the economy.

Aslam Hayat, Senior Policy Fellow at LIRNEasia, said that since 2003 Pakistan’s telecom policy has been focusing heavily on infrastructure supply while neglecting demand stimulation. Highlighting the absence of national use-case priorities, he said that 5G could transform manufacturing, industrial automation, ports, logistics, health and energy sectors.
Fatima Akhtar, Head of ESG at Jazz Pakistan, said spectrum is a sovereign asset and its debate had matured. Device affordability, she said, remains a “chicken-and-egg” challenge.

Hannan Tariq, Director Strategy, Universal Service Fund (USF), highlighted three key 5G application areas: enhanced mobile broadband, low-latency applications such as robotics, and massive machine-type communications for agriculture and industry.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Sajid Amin Javed, Deputy Executive Director, SDPI, thanked the panelists and participants for their substantive contributions.