Islamabad
\nPakistan generated $510 million (Rs142.6 billion) from the landmark auction of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum, while the telecom regulator on Thursday completed the position assignment auction to determine the exact placement of 5G spectrum blocks acquired by operators.
\nThe announcement was made by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeez Ur Rehman during a press briefing alongside Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja following the completion of the multi-band spectrum auction process.
\nHe said that 480 MHz of spectrum was sold during the bidding held on March 10, generating $507 million in revenue, equivalent to about Rs142 billion for the national exchequer.
\nThe position assignment held today generated an additional $3 million following multiple rounds of bidding, bringing the total proceeds to $510 million (Rs142.6 billion).
\nDescribing it as one of the largest spectrum sales globally in terms of volume, the PTA chief said the government had fulfilled its responsibility by conducting the auction, and it was now the telecom operators\u2019 turn to transform the spectrum into improved services for consumers.
\nThe position assignment stage allowed operators to determine the precise placement of the spectrum blocks they had secured.
\nThe process covered the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands, with operators bidding for lower, middle, and upper block positions to optimise network performance and minimise interference between networks.
\nNo assignment process was required for the 700 MHz band, which was secured solely by a major telecom operator during the auction.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, said the successful completion of the auction was made possible by the difficult decisions taken by the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
\nShe said several countries had inquired about Pakistan\u2019s 5G plans during the Mobile World Congress, reflecting growing international interest in the country\u2019s digital transformation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Pakistan generated $510 million (Rs142.6 billion) from the landmark auction of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum, while the telecom regulator on Thursday completed the position assignment auction to determine the exact placement of 5G spectrum blocks acquired by operators. The announcement was made by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeez Ur Rehman during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-536249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n