Pakistan, April 26 -- Gilgit-Baltistan has moved closer to next-generation digital connectivity as authorities approved policy directives for the launch of 5G trials in the region, with testing expected to begin shortly.

Sources said the decision follows months of consultations after the nationwide 5G spectrum auction process, initiated in February, did not initially include Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Caretaker Minister for Information Technology in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ghulam Abbas, raised the issue with federal authorities and remained engaged on the matter.

He held meetings with Hafeez ur Rehman, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, and Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, stressing the need to e...