ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will hold the auction for the 5G spectrum today, after which 5G services will soon be available in major cities like Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
This move will also significantly improve 4G services across the country. PTA has completed all preparations for the 5G spectrum auction, with 600 MHz of spectrum to be auctioned. The process will be live-streamed to ensure transparency, and software will be used to guarantee a fair auction.
Software testing has already been completed in the presence of telecommunications companies.
The PTA has also announced the reduction of the Right of Way (RoW) charges from 3600 thousand rupees to zero. This initiative is expected to improve telecom infrastructure across the country. Currently, 274 MHz of spectrum is available in the country, with operators required to buy a minimum of 100 MHz of spectrum in the auction.
To improve the quality of service, the PTA has implemented several measures in the auction. The licensing template and operational conditions have been updated, including a reduction in the uplink speed for premium services from 25% of the downlink speed to 20%.
The PTA has also set a minimum downlink speed of 50 Mbps for 5G, while aiming to increase the quality for 4G users from 4 Mbps to 20 Mbps.
Successful companies will be required to install at least 1,000 new sites every year, with 20% of these sites needing to be set up in completely new locations.
The submission period for applications and pre-bid deposits ended on February 27 when interested companies needed to complete their applications to participate in the 5G spectrum auction which will take place on March 10 2026.
The government has made available approximately 597 MHz of spectrum for auction in the 700, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2600, and 3500 MHz frequency bands. Initially, 5G services will be launched in the federal capital and all four provincial capitals.
