The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has made it clear that incumbent mobile operators must place mandatory minimum bids in the very first round of the upcoming 5G spectrum auction or risk immediate disqualification.
In its responses issued during the consultation process, the regulator said failure to meet the minimum bidding threshold in Round 1 will lead to exclusion from the auction and full forfeiture of the pre-bid deposit. Any bidder that does not submit valid bids will be treated as having placed zero bids across all categories.
According to the clarification, incumbent operators are required to bid for at least five lots each in the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands during the first round of the allocation stage. Any bid submitted below this requirement will be declared invalid under the auction rules.
The authority also emphasized that these conditions relate only to minimum bidding obligations and do not guarantee spectrum allocation. Operators may end up securing fewer lots than bid for, depending on the level of competition during the auction process.
The regulator further explained that applicants are not required to declare their spectrum demand at the time of submitting applications. The application and pre bid deposit only signal a commitment to comply with the minimum bidding requirement in the first allocation round, not a claim over a specific quantity of spectrum.
The clarification from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority comes as the country prepares for its first 5G auction, with strict rules aimed at ensuring serious participation from existing operators.
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