PTCL Conducts LTE Trials with Huawei and ZTE

PTCL-logoMany who bashed around Etisalat since its partial takeover of PTCL had to curb their negativities for some time when the news of PTCL’s commercial LTE trials found carriers.

Although majority telecom veterans and industry analysts are not sure how things will shape up if the trials and the subsequent negotiation prove successful.

As confirmed by many inside sources, PTCL is conducting LTE trials with Huawei and ZTE. We are further told that both the vendors signed Memorandums of Understating (MoUs) with the landline giant last month. The trials, although, are indoor in nature.

Analysts believe that it will take a year or so more for the network to go on-air due to the lack customer equipment, such as handsets, tablets, dongles etc.

According to an email circulated at a local telecom group, the First LTE Data call was made last Sunday night and speed observed was around 32 Mbps.  This speed was observed using 1900 band. The working engineers believe this speed can cross 100Mbps if some other band is used.

Talking about technologies, Telenor Pakistan is also known to have a dedicated team working on 3G in Islamabad. Nothing has been commercially laid out by the operator though.

One thing is for sure: it is all China. After knocking out European and North American vendors out of major businesses from Pakistan, the vendors have not even left the only non-cellular operator, i.e. PTCL.

ZTE, however, has been associated with PTCL since long.

Some say that the cellular operators might lobby against the initiative to secure themselves and their respective futures with 3GPP technologies. If they do so, I hope not through the means Mobilink conjured up with PTA to falter CDMA operators earlier in the previous decade.


  • From what I’ve remember, Telenor was testing HSDPA back in 2008. If they are still moving forward with those plans, then they might have their work cut out for them.

    And if PTCL does get into the cellular operator game, every other operator might be at risk, and it might be bad for the competition.

    The good thing about this however is that at least someone is thinking of adapting 4G even though we still don’t have a 3G policy.

    • Yes im sure after launching the biggest DSL network in the country you shouldnt except anything of them ,right*sarcasm*

      • I am no fan of PTCL but their 4mb Connection on ONU is working almost flawlessly since it was introduced.

        So, I am not that hard on PTCL. They have done some good things, we have to accept :)

        • shouldn’t you be facing problems due to power outages? ONUs need battery power if wapda provided power goes down

  • wait, what?? I just read that Telenor has a dedicated team working on 3G in Islamabad?????? IS THIS TRUE????????? o_0

  • Yeah It’s ture telenor invest in 3G netowrk,but telenor has to implement 3G in this year,While other wise technology fails and investment waste.

  • Once 4G technolgy means LTE implement in Pakistan,your all problems reslove.


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