BeNewz
Related Articles
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority says 5G spectrum auction fetched Rs144.5bn, with 480 MHz sold in the first stage, increasing spectrum availability by 1.7%.
Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman announced the results of the 5G spectrum auction, saying the first phase of bidding has been completed with significant participation from telecom operators and an increase in available spectrum capacity. He said the auction would help improve high-speed internet services and support the launch of 5G technology in Pakistan.
Briefing the media, the PTA chairman said the first stage of the auction covered band allocation across several frequency ranges. In the 700 MHz band, three lots were available and two were sold, while all five lots in the 2300 MHz band were successfully auctioned. He added that the entire 19 lots in the 2600 MHz band were also sold, giving operators additional bandwidth to expand network capacity.
He said the 3500 MHz band, considered the primary band for 5G deployment worldwide, had 28 lots available, out of which 22 were sold, amounting to 220 MHz of spectrum. According to PTA, one company purchased 190 MHz, another bought 180 MHz, and a third operator acquired 110 MHz spectrum during the bidding process.
The PTA chairman said the price in the first stage of the auction was locked at 507 million dollars, while the total value of the spectrum sold reached Rs144.5 billion. Out of the total 597.2 MHz spectrum offered, 480 MHz was auctioned, resulting in a 1.7 percent increase in overall spectrum availability in the country. He said the increase would help telecom operators improve service quality and support future data demand.
Officials said the auction marks an important step toward the introduction of 5G services in Pakistan, where mobile broadband usage has grown rapidly over the past decade. According to official telecom data, the country has more than 125 million mobile broadband users, while overall cellular subscribers exceed 190 million, creating strong demand for additional spectrum.
Industry experts say the 3500 MHz band is globally recognised as the core band for 5G networks because it provides a balance between speed and coverage. The successful sale of this band is expected to support faster internet, smart city projects, industrial automation, and expansion of digital services in Pakistan over the next few years.
The government expects that the launch of 5G will strengthen the digital economy, boost IT exports, and attract fresh investment in the telecom sector. PTA officials said operators will now be given timelines under licence conditions to upgrade their networks, after which commercial rollout of 5G services in major cities is expected in the coming years.
