Telenor Pakistan Starts 3G Network Upgrade

Telenor Pakistan is reported to have started upgrading its network to support 3G services in anticipation of being awarded 3G license in the near future. Telenor has given this project to a third-party operator who is busy in analysis and deployment these days, reports Pro Pakistani. The project is scheduled to end in 2 years.

The award of the country's 3G licenses have been delayed several times, despite statements by the regulator that it has spectrum earmarked, and all the ground work is completed.

Last year, Telenor said that it was likely to invest $2.5 billion more in the country if it gets a 3G license. "We have invested almost $1.8 billion out of our commitment of $2 billion by the end-2007 and would go for a further $2.5 billion depending on the situation if we get a 3G license," Jon Fredrik Baksaas, also the president of Telenor Group, told Dow Jones Newswires last August.

Telenor is the second largest operator in the country, and numbers from The Mobile World notes that the operator ended Q1 '09 with around 20 million customers.

On the web: Telenor Pakistan - Mobile World - Pro Pakistani

Posted to the site on 24th August 2009