The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has sought demands for 3G and 4G additional spectrum from telecom operators. According to the sources, in light of the decision of the Auction Advisory Committee (AAC), PTA has sought demands from the operators for the auction of additional spectrum for the period of 10 years.
PTA sources say that the authority has a 15 MHz free spectrum left in 2100 MHz frequency, which will be offered for auction in 5 MHz blocks. The authority is trying to know the market demand before going to the auction, and the operators have been asked to inform the authority of the spectrum demand in writing.
According to the sources, after the demand from the telecom operators is received, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) will decide the price of the spectrum in collaboration with the PTA for a period of 10 years, after which the Ministry will issue a policy directive for the auction of 3G/4G additional spectrum.
Sources also said Telenor has shown interest in getting a 5 MHz spectrum in the 2100 MHz band for a period of seven years, but the AAC on August 3, 2022, decided to auction additional spectrum in the 2,100 MHz band for a period of 10 years.
The PTA licensing framework is for 15 years, and the spectrum auction for ten years will be priced separately. The MoITT and the Authority will give recommendations for the new spectrum price based on the price of the spectrum auctioned earlier.
Telcos are not interested in 5g
Forget 5G, telcos are not interested in any kind of investment right now, especially with PTA’s absurd rates for spectrum.