China Mobile's Pakistan unit to provide 4G to NTC

Under the arrangement, Zong will be providing the services over NTC’s platform. Announcing the deal, the companies said the launch is the beginning of an expected broad co-operation between the two companies.

NTC was established in 1996 to provide ICT services to Pakistani government functionaries.

To remain competitive the company is pursuing public-private partnerships and seeking to introduce high-quality broadband services.

NTC’s agreement with the China Mobile subsidiary has been reached in the context of the recent expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) megaproject.

The CPEC is a project to establish road, rail and pipeline links between the two nations as part of China’s attempt to create what has been described as a 21st Century Silk Road.

Zong became Pakistan’s first operator to secure a 4G license in April 2014 by purchasing spectrum in the 1800-MHz band.

The venture was China Mobile’s first outside of China. China Mobile entered the market by acquiring a license to operate a GSM network in Pakistan from Millicom in 2008.

Telecomasia.net