5G to be launched soon: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Highlighting the country’s progress in terms of telecommunication, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said that the government will soon be launching fifth generation (5G) cellular services to ensure faster connectivity.

“People who already have access to 3G/4G technology will be able to benefit from the next advanced mobile network technology after the launch of 5G in the near future,” he added.

Speaking at the 'Pakistan StartUP Cup' competition for young entrepreneurs, jointly organised by the US Embassy and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), he said that Pakistan and US were working on a ‘knowledge corridor’ under which around 10,000 PhDs from Pakistan will be trained in U.S universities.

Over 950 teams from Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Islamabad participated in the competition and competed for the prize of Rs1 million.

“We have big hopes from our youth, who have the potential to contribute to the development and prosperity of the country,” said Iqbal.

Iqbal said the government had granted Rs250 billion to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) during the last four years for promotion of higher education in the country.

The winning team, 'Cowlar', hailing from Islamabad, developed a start-up plan to sell smart collars for cows designed to help farmers improve herd health, optimise dairy operations, and boost milk yields.