The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is set to conduct the country’s 5G spectrum auction today, marking a major step towards the launch of next-generation mobile services.
Following the auction, 5G services are expected to be introduced soon in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and other major cities. Efforts will also be made to improve the quality of 4G services nationwide.
According to PTA officials, all preparations for the auction have been finalised. A total of 600 MHz of spectrum will be offered for bidding. To ensure transparency, the entire auction process will be broadcast live and advanced software systems will be used to monitor every stage of the bidding.
Testing of the auction software has already been completed in the presence of telecom companies. PTA also announced that the Right of Way (RoW) fee for improving telecom infrastructure has been reduced from Rs3,600 to zero in order to facilitate network expansion.
Currently, 274 MHz of spectrum is available in the country, and each operator participating in the auction will be required to purchase a minimum of 100 MHz.
The government has placed approximately 597 MHz of spectrum across multiple frequency bands, including 700, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2600 and 3500 MHz, for auction.
To enhance the quality of service, PTA has revised license templates and operational conditions. Under the new rules, uplink speed for premium services will be capped at 20 per cent of the downlink speed. The minimum downlink speed for 5G services has been set at 50 Mbps, while the minimum speed target for 4G users will be increased from 4 Mbps to 20 Mbps.
Winning telecom companies will be required to install at least 1,000 new sites annually, with 20 per cent of those sites to be set up at new locations. Initially, 5G services will be rolled out in Islamabad and the four provincial capitals before expanding to other parts of the country.
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