Pakistan Telecom industry is already on its toes to welcome next
generation cellular networks in the country. The activity has been high
and high-ups of cellular industry are working non-stop to plan and
figure out the propositions for acquiring and then deploying 3G
networks.
3G, which according to de-regulation policy, was likely to get auctioned around 2008, however that didn’t happen for various reason. But now it appears that all the stakeholders are willing to get the next-gen networks to get rolling.
When 3G Networks Can go Live?
If we assume that all schedules will be met, and all the elements
that involve license auctioning will go smoothly then it is highly
likely that 3G spectrum auction is going to happen around March 2014.
Almost every cellular operator in Pakistan is 3G ready and all they
require is some software and firmware update along with few
modifications in the core-network to get things going.
After getting the licenses, cellular operators can get 3G networks
live with-in one month in select areas of three major cities. However,
it may take up to six months to make 3G network work in rest of few
major cities of the country.
With-in one year of acquiring 3G licenses, at least 10 cities can
expect 3G network, however, the speed of getting 3G service will depend a
lot on the auction price. For instance if 3G license price is set high
then operators will invest less or slow on network upgrade and vice
versa.
What to Expect from 3G?
3G networks will entirely change our lives. There is a lot that will
get impacted with the emergence of 3G ranging from our lifestyles to the
national economy.
Estimates suggest that number of broadband subscribers will increase
from current 2.9 million to around 17-19 million during the first three
years of deployment.
On day one of 3G networks, customers are going to get 2Mbps wireless
broadband with various pricing patterns. It is likely that there will be
capped bundles with various speeds on the offering.
Pricing structure is still hard to predict – as it will depend a lot
on then market situation, license pricing and the competition – however
we can hint you that 1Mbps wireless broadband with around 20 GBs data
limit will cost you around Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 per month.
Video calling will be another facility to enjoy right after 3G, which is likely to be priced at around Rs. 5 per minute or so.
Pakistan’s cut-throat pricing competition is popular but it has
started to disappear, especially during the last year. While we
anticipate that 3G services will be affordable but don’t expect them to
go as cheap as SMS bundles of current times.