IT Ministry Set to Launch Telecom Infrastructure Sharing Framework

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) is all set to launch Infrastructure Sharing Framework after the cabinet’s approval. This was stated by Member Telecom Omar Malik while speaking at a webinar titled “Adopting 5G to Positively Impact Environment: A Roadmap for Pakistan” organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Wednesday. He further said that initiatives like spectrum and infrastructure sharing will play a crucial role in improving connectivity, reducing network disruptions, and lowering environmental impacts. Referring to a study conducted in collaboration with World Bank which revealed optic fiber penetration as a key barrier, he informed that since 2020, the total deployment of fiber optic in Pakistan has increased from 124,000 km to 190,000 km. Additionally, he said that economic instability and consumer affordability are other challenges hindering the launch of 5G in the country. Brigadier Mohammad Yasin (Retired), Senior Advisor Emeritus, SDPI in his opening remarks highlighted political and economic instability, a higher tax on IT services, weak fiber optics infrastructure, expensive frequency spectrum, dearth of dollars, and uneconomical smartphone prices as key challenges resulting in declining investor interest, deteriorating IT services, and delaying the launch of 5G in Pakistan. Khalid Khan, Chairman, Central Asian Cellular Forum said that advancement to 3G and 4G had transformational impacts on other sectors including transport, fintech etc. He emphasized human resources being the top exportable commodity and urged to promote competitive engineering skills to capture the potential growth of the global IT sector. He encouraged the government to focus on the larger picture of connectivity through supportive policy interventions rather than perceiving them as revenue-generating avenues. Abdul Rehman Usmani, VP Network, Jazz stressed that rather than hastening 5G’s launch, the best approach is to develop use cases and a sustainable business model to prevent consumers from reverting to 4G due to limited utility. He stressed developing a conducive ecosystem through R&D centers, regulatory regime, and cost-effective spectrum denominated in PKR. Dr Fareeha Armughan, Research Fellow, SDPI said that 5G will lead to the acceleration of modern financial services, cloud computing, and AI; with banks already keen to shift to fast, touchless, and easy-to-use financial services over conventional banking. There is no better tool than combining mobile and financial services for looping in the vulnerable communities in the economy and moving the needle on the full circle of poverty alleviation. Aslam Hayat, ICT Regulatory Expert highlighted that the adoption of 5G offers potential advantages of energy efficiency, catalyze uptake of renewables, efficient resource management by promotion of AI, IoT, and use of sensors, etc., reduction in greenhouse emissions by the adoption of smart technologies particularly in the transport sector, and improvement in air quality. However, he highlighted that these come with their disadvantages which include a sharp rise in electricity demand and consumption, an increase in e-waste load when consumers will switch to the latest 5G-enabled devices, and negative implications on the environment, biodiversity, habitats, and ecosystems due to infrastructure development. Fawad Sarwar, Solutions Architect at Ericsson, Australia highlighted that telecom and IT contribute 1.4 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions but by 2030, economic and industrial digitalization will have an out-sized influence of 50 percent emissions. He elucidated that the use of sensors, artificial intelligence, and IoT-enabled systems can reduce emissions from the construction and transport sectors. He stressed a three-pronged approach of sustainable network evolution, expanding and modernizing it and operating intelligently to break the energy curve and reduce environmental footprint. Maryam Shabbir Abbasi, Research Coordinator at the University of Vermont highlighted that developed countries offer emission reduction success stories achieved by the adoption of 5 G-enabled technologies in industries. She stressed that 5G can enhance early warning systems, connectivity, intelligence, and information dissemination during climate disasters like the recent floods. Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI in his closing remarks stressed that penetration of 1 trillion interconnected devices is projected in the future and will increase lithium consumption by 4 times, and energy demand significantly. He emphasized new self-energizing and energy harvesting techniques and capturing electromagnetic waves produced from these interconnected devices through micro-antennas to meet energy demand.