Jazz opposes rolling out 5G

Jazz Ltd CEO Aamir Ibrahim said on Wednesday the rollout of 5G, which is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, should be put on hold. Speaking at a business conference organised by Nutshell Group, the CEO of the largest telecom firm with a market share of over 38 per cent said the stakeholders should strive to do a better job by ensuring “4G for all rather than 5G for a few”. “Customers think 5G is faster internet. Governments think it means hundreds of millions of dollars in auctions. Vendors of equipment think 5G (will) boost their sales. Yet telecom operators think (5G) is none of the above,” he said. News reports suggest that all private-sector telecom players, except China Mobile-owned Zong, are opposing the rollout of 5G because of myriad challenges they’re facing on economic and government fronts. Cellular companies have been demanding that their major problems like high tax rates, stagnant revenue per user, profit repatriation and rising energy costs should first be addressed before the rollout of the next generation of technology standard.