THE federal cabinet has approved the telecom infrastructure-sharing framework and green-lighted the formation of a committee to auction the spectrum for the next-generation 5G wireless network. Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Umar Saif told newsmen that infrastructure-sharing framework is aimed at helping the telecom companies jointly use resources, including towers, antennas and cable ducts, optimize resource consumption and possibly cut operational costs. He also hoped the framework’s adoption would also open doors for new companies to enter the domestic telecom space.
The proposal to allow infrastructure sharing was there for long but credit goes to the incumbent Minister for translating it into reality and this is reflective of the required vision and commitment to lead the sector towards optimum growth. The new policy is a significant step forward as sharing of resources would not only help cellular companies to incur savings in operational cost but also potentially help improve service quality for users. There is huge mobile phone penetration in the country but quality of both voice and data services remains a question mark because of the inability of the companies to make necessary investment for the purpose. It is because of this that call drop and slow data transfer have become problems of all the existing cellular players and the situation is not improving despite warnings and fines by the regulator (PTA). It is also hoped that the new policy would make operations of the mobile companies viable in the backdrop of gradual loss of interest because of heavy taxation and other factors. Warid had to seek merger with Jazz because of issues relating to capacity building while Telenor is also in search of a similar solution. Concrete steps are being taken for the introduction of 5G, which would revolutionize the telecom sector in the country and create more employment opportunities for people. However, we have been slow in catching up to the rest of the world and therefore, prompt and right decisions and their swift implementation is the need of the hour.
