The federal government has declared that the radio spectrum to be auctioned for next-generation mobile services will be technology-neutral, allowing telecom operators to deploy any existing or future advanced mobile technologies within the approved government policy framework.
This approach aims to ensure flexibility, efficient spectrum utilization, and alignment with international best practices.
Under the policy directive, the spectrum assigned through the auction may be used for all existing and upcoming generations of mobile technologies, including IMT and beyond. The government emphasized that technology neutrality will enable operators to design their networks based on evolving consumer demand, innovation trends, and commercial considerations.
Alongside technology neutrality, the policy directive mandates phased network rollout obligations for successful bidders.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been directed to incorporate rollout requirements into the licenses, including benchmarks based on the number of cities, network sites, fiber-to-the-tower deployment, and enhanced Quality of Service standards to improve mobile broadband coverage nationwide.
The policy also sets spectrum caps to ensure fair competition, including an overall cap of 40 percent of the total available spectrum post-auction, as well as specific caps on low-band, mid-band, and high-band holdings.
Licenses issued under the auction will be valid for 15 years and will include provisions for spectrum trading and sharing, while existing operators winning new spectrum will transition to updated rollout obligations under the new licensing framework.
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