Here’s How Pakistan’s 5G Spectrum Will Be Sold

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has shared important details about the spectrum bands, lot structure, and limits for the Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS), also known as the 5G auction, planned for 2026.

According to the Information Memorandum, a total of 597.2 MHz of spectrum below 6 GHz will be offered to mobile operators. This spectrum will be sold through a structured, multi-band auction process.

The auction will cover six different frequency bands: 700 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz. Both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) bands will be included. Some of these bands, such as 700 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz, will be made available to cellular operators in Pakistan for the first time.

PTA has divided the available spectrum into 62 lots of different sizes. The 700 MHz band will have three lots of 2×5 MHz each. The 1800 MHz band will include three lots of 2×1.2 MHz, while the 2100 MHz band will have four lots of 2×5 MHz.

For the TDD bands, the 2300 MHz band will include five lots of 10 MHz each. The 2600 MHz band will comprise nineteen 10 MHz lots, and the 3500 MHz band will include twenty-eight 10 MHz lots.

To maintain fair competition, PTA has set limits on how much spectrum any single bidder can acquire. The maximum overall cap is 348.5 MHz, which equals 40 percent of the total spectrum available after the auction. A separate limit of 55 MHz has been placed on low-band spectrum. There are also band-specific caps, including 140 MHz for the 2600 MHz band and 200 MHz for the 3500 MHz band.

According to the Information Memorandum, these limits are meant to prevent any one operator from controlling too much spectrum and to ensure that frequencies are used efficiently. PTA has also set bidding limits for existing operators based on the spectrum they already own. New companies entering the market will not be allowed to bid in certain bands.

The authority says this auction structure is designed to support healthy competition while allowing operators to secure enough spectrum to expand 4G and roll out 5G services across the country.