IT minister says spectrum auction to be completed early next year, will pave way for better internet services

ISLAMABAD : Information and Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Tuesday said that the auction of 600 MHz spectrum would be completed early next year, stating that it would pave the way for providing better internet services in the country.

She made the remarks while addressing a press conference alongside Finance Minister Muhammad Aurganzeb in Islamabad. At the outset of the press conference, Aurangzeb said the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved the recommendations of the Spectrum Advisory Committee.

In her remarks, Khawaja said that the recommendations would now be taken to the federal cabinet.

“After that, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will issue an information memorandum based on which consultations and negotiations will be held with stakeholders and the telecom sector,” she said.

“We are trying to ensure that the auction is completed by the end of January or early February,” she added. Explaining the significance of the development, she said that the internet quality in Pakistan was not at par with international best practices or even the quality in the region.

“The major reason for this is that the spectrum is not available in Pakistan,” she said. The IT minister said that Pakistan’s population of 240 million was operating on a spectrum of 274 MHz.

“This means we are using two lanes for traffic which requires eight, which is why there is congestion, your internet does not work and you face challenges,” she said. “For that reason, the spectrum auction is being carried out.”

She said that during auctions held in the past, around 60MHz of spectrum was acquired. She said that the government was going to auction 600 MHz, making it the largest-ever.

The IT minister said that during the auction, additional bands were being auctioned in Pakistan for the first time, which meant that for consumers, not only 3G and 4G quality would improve, but it would also ensure the rollout of 5G services.

She said the PTA would ensure that all these rollouts would be completed between four to six months of the auction so that services could “visibly” improve after this period.

She said that the government was making efforts to ensure that 5G services would roll out after six months.

The minister stressed that the internet was integral to the government’s digitisation efforts as part of the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025.

“According to Connect 2030 which the prime minister will inaugurate soon we will ensure that over the next five years the minimum connectivity available to users should 100 Mbps.“

In November, the consultant for the 5G spectrum auction presented its report to the government, which had remained stalled due to the merger of PTCL and Telenor and litigation over the 2600MHz band.

The report, prepared by US-based consultancy firm National Economic Research Associates (NERA), noted that Pakistan was offering 606MHz of new spectrum across six major bands: 700MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, 2600MHz and 3500MHz.

The 2600MHz band was considered the most suitable for 5G.

The report also outlined key policy recommendations, including auction design, methodology, base price, duration and other terms and conditions.