Gilgit-Baltistan has moved closer to next-generation digital connectivity as authorities approved policy directives for the launch of 5G trials in the region, with testing expected to begin shortly.
Sources said the decision follows months of consultations after the nationwide 5G spectrum auction process, initiated in February, did not initially include GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Caretaker Minister for Information Technology in GB, Ghulam Abbas, raised the issue with federal authorities and remained engaged on the matter.
He held meetings with Hafeez ur Rehman, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, and Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, stressing the need to extend 5G services to the region.
Subsequently, the GB Council Secretariat prepared a summary seeking approval of policy directives for the trials.
Also read: Pakistan’s 5G moment: chance or another missed transformation?
The proposal was endorsed by the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication before being forwarded to the prime minister, who also serves as chairman of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council. The summary was later circulated among council members.
According to sources, the council has approved the proposal, which has also been ratified by the GB governor, removing key procedural hurdles for the start of 5G trials.
They said the telecom regulator had already prepared guidelines for testing, and, following formal approval, telecom operators would now be allowed to initiate trials in the region.
The PTA chairman has indicated that a formal 5G spectrum auction in GB would follow the successful completion of trials.
Officials and sector experts said the move is expected to improve digital connectivity, support tourism and facilitate business activity in the mountainous region.
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