As the telecom sector remained a significant source of revenue generation for the country, the sector contributed Rs 378 billion (provisional) to the national exchequer in the form of general sales tax, withholding tax, regulatory fees, initial and annual license fees, and other taxes during July to December FY2023, Gwadar Pro reported quoting Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2022-23. According to PES, the telecom sector drew over $ 6.3 billion in investments in Pakistan during 2018 to 2022. Telecom investments reported by telecom operators in FY2022 reached a significant amount of $ 2,073 million due to spectrum acquisition and network expansion, however, it remained low at $ 422.0 million (provisional) during the first two quarters of FY2023.
China Mobiles’ Zong 4G (CMPAK) is one of the main players in Pakistan’s telecom sector with its quality services and a growing number of subscribers, contributing revenue to the national exchequer. At the end of March 2023, the total telecom subscriptions (mobile and fixed) in the country were 197 million with total teledensity of 83.2 percent, according to PES 2022-23. Zong 4G, which is the pioneer of 4G services in Pakistan, currently holds 24.07% of the total market shares. During the first ten months of FY 2022-23, the market share of Zong 4G has increased from 22.71% to 24.07%, according to statistics available on the official website of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). As per PTA’s statistics, by April 2023, Zong 4G has 44.19 million subscribers in the four provinces of Pakistan and 1.5 million subscribers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
As 5G is a transformative technology, allowing communities to avail socio-economic benefits of an advanced and data-intensive digital economy, PTA and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and MoITT, are synergizing for the successful launch of 5G in Pakistan. FAB has already identified the available spectrum in the maximum bandwidth. Zong 4G has successfully conducted trials in Pakistan and has become the first and only operator to officially test the 5G services in the country. Zong with 5G services will bring more profound and long-term changes to Pakistan’s economic transformation, social progress, and people’s livelihood improvement in the future. It is also expected that 5G will have an impact on health care, agriculture, and education.
