Islamabad International Airport has become the first airport in Pakistan to offer 5G connectivity, the Pakistan Airports Authority announced on 2 April, delivering the milestone through a collaboration with a private telecom operator.
5G services are currently active in areas surrounding the terminal and in adjacent zones of Islamabad including the Red Zone, Blue Area and Parliament Lodges. Technical work to extend full indoor coverage inside the terminal building is ongoing. The PAA confirmed plans to roll out 5G to other major airports across the country in the near term.
The airport activation follows the commercial 5G launch by Jazz and Zong on 19 March, three days after Pakistan’s landmark USD 507 million Next Generation Mobile Services spectrum auction on 10 March. Jazz activated approximately 180 sites across Islamabad and all four provincial capitals in the initial phase. Zong launched across more than 16 cities and has announced a target of over 1,000 5G sites by end of 2026.
Editor’s Note: The airport activation is a deliberately visible milestone — high footfall, high media coverage, international passenger mix — designed to demonstrate consumer 5G in action. For readers tracking Pakistan’s post-auction 5G buildout trajectory, the airport site count and the Zong 1,000-site target are the metrics to watch against the two-year full-coverage commitments operators made at the time of the spectrum sale.
