ISLAMABAD The government’s planned rollout of 5G services may be further postponed by over a year because of protracted legal disputes. For the same reason, the spectrum auction has previously been postponed for a number of years.
The IT ministry has said that steps are being taken to establish Pakistan as a major player in the global digital economy, and the finance minister is in charge of the advisory committee for the introduction of 5G, according to information obtained from the Economic Advisory Wing of the Ministry of Finance.
In order to prepare for the 5G spectrum auction, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was currently hiring consultants.
The government wants to foster an atmosphere that is focused on investment, which will encourage all telecom operators to take part in the 5G spectrum auction, according to a report from the IT ministry that will be included in the next Economic Survey 2023–2024.
It further stated that while 5G trials have been successfully completed by the nation’s mobile operators—including Zong, Jazz, Telenor, and Ufone—they were only using 274 MHz of spectrum. In order to launch 5G services, an auction will be conducted to use an additional 300 MHz of spectrum for commercial mobile broadband services.
Simultaneously, the IT ministry has conveyed its confidence that a number of long-standing court matters are being actively pursued, thanks to the active support of stakeholders such as the Attorney General of Pakistan and the Law Ministry.
Among the other initiatives carried out by the IT ministry was the creation of the National Artificial Policy Committee and the first draft of Pakistan’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.
The research underscores the significance of the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC) in fostering an environment that is favorable to electronic transactions by means of a legally sound and strict policy framework.
The regulatory agency that has the authority to enforce laws governing electronic transactions in both the public and private sectors is the ECAC. In addition to providing cryptographic services and security protocols, it provides and renews certifications granted to Certification Service Providers (CSPs) in order to safeguard the interests of relevant stakeholders and keep the country up to date with evolving e-commerce trends.
For security, integrity, and authenticity, all businesses, individuals, or organizations offering electronic services must utilize certified digital certificates.
It gives digital signatures the same legal standing as handwritten signatures by establishing a framework for the recognition and facilitation of electronic documents, records, information, communications, and transactions.
The ECAC will enroll Pakistan’s National Root CA in the internationally recognized operating systems and browsers, such as Microsoft Windows, Google Android, Apple iOS and macOS, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari. Pakistan has implemented the National Root Certification Authority (NRCA) for the efficient implementation, creation, and management of electronic transactions in the nation.
