Pakistan Switches On 1,782 5G Sites Across 24 Cities, Led by Jazz

Pakistan has deployed 1,782 5G sites across 24 cities since its rollout began on March 20, 2026, with Jazz accounting for more than half of the national footprint. The figures came from Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who set out the deployment counts, the licence framework and the affordability problem in a statement reported by Business Recorder.

The operator split is lopsided. Jazz has deployed 1,015 sites, China Mobile Pakistan (Zong) 640 and Ufone 127. That leaves Ufone with roughly seven percent of the national total, a gap that will shape competitive dynamics as the phased plan progresses.

How did the rollout start?

The technology arrived through a multiband spectrum auction, with licences signed on March 19, 2026 — one day before deployment began. The licences are the new Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) instruments, and their rollout obligations serve two purposes at once. They mandate phased 5G introduction, but they also require operators to improve existing 4G services. For practitioners, that dual obligation matters: capex is not flowing exclusively to 5G.

The federal government approved a four-phase plan. Phase one makes deployment mandatory in federal and provincial capitals. Beyond that, operators choose which cities to enter according to their own business models. This explains the uneven city list, which spans major metros and smaller centres alike:

• Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Hyderabad
• Abbottabad, Attock, Jhelum, Kasur, Kohat, Mardan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Sukkur, Swabi, Chitral and Gujrat

Karachi leads with 385 deployed sites, followed by Lahore at 373 and Islamabad at 276. Faisalabad has 144, Peshawar 122, Rawalpindi 108, Multan 103, Sialkot 87, Quetta 65 and Sheikhupura 55.

Where does each operator stand?

The geography reveals strategy, not just volume. Jazz leads in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan — the largest commercial markets. Zong, despite trailing nationally, has the stronger presence in Peshawar, Quetta, Sheikhupura and Sialkot. Ufone's 127 sites leave it a marginal player in this first phase.

All three operators, the minister said, conducted technical 5G trials nationwide between 2020 and 2025. The 2026 deployment therefore formalises groundwork built over five years of testing rather than a sudden technology leap.

What blocks mass adoption?

The handset price floor is the hard constraint. The cheapest locally available 5G-compatible handset costs approximately Rs36,000. In a market where affordability decides subscriber growth, that price excludes a large share of consumers from the new network regardless of coverage.

The government has offered no definitive timeline for making 5G affordable. Its stated remedy is local assembly. Between January and August 2026, manufacturers assembled 607,093 5G-capable handsets domestically — roughly 76,000 units per month — and the ministry expects this growing ecosystem to push device prices down over time.

For subscribers, the migration path is simpler than the economics. Users with existing 4G-capable SIM cards do not need replacement SIMs. They need only a compatible handset and 5G coverage in their area.

What happens next?

The commercial reality is sobering for a country that waited years for 5G. Nearly 1,800 sites concentrated in 24 cities represent a limited geographical footprint, and coverage outside major urban centres remains thin. The story ahead rests on two timelines the source leaves open: how quickly operators push through the remaining three phases of the plan, and how fast local assembly erodes the Rs36,000 device floor. Until the second happens, Pakistan's 5G subscriber base will stay narrower than its network suggests.