The telecom industry has demanded free 5G spectrum for five years and exemption of taxes on 5G devices.
According to a PTA document available with ProPakistani, the industry has proposed auctioning the 5G spectrum in the country after 5 years, once the use cases have been deployed. The industry has also demanded policy intervention from the federal government to ban 2G/3G handset local production as well as their import.
PTA has received telecom industry recommendations, but it cannot make any decisions on its own. The government of Pakistan will issue a policy directive for the launch of 5G in the country. Based on the government’s policy directions, PTA will hire a consultant to provide recommendations on 5G.
The consultant will work in close consultation with all stakeholders to carry out a detailed market study. The consultant will also review international regulatory practices for the launch of 5G and other relevant aspects.
PTA says that the telecom industry can share its input for consideration and subsequent development of recommendations for the government of Pakistan. The government will consider these suggestions while issuing policy directives regarding 5G.
The IT Minister has already indicated a delay in the launch of 5G due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country and the non-opening of LCs. The launch date of 5G was previously given by the Ministry of IT as June 2023, but now the Minister says the launch of 5G may be delayed due to the current crisis.
However, the government wants 5G to be launched later this year.
The Minister has already stated that the upcoming 5G auction should be low-priced and industry-friendly. The Auction Advisory Committee will decide on the 5G auction based on reports from PTA’s consultant.