PTA to Hold Second Phase of 5G Auction Tomorrow

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will hold the second phase of the 5G spectrum auction tomorrow, where telecom operators will compete to determine the exact positioning of the frequency bands they have already purchased.

The second phase will be an assignment-based auction covering the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands. Companies will bid for top, mid and low positions within these frequency ranges, which determine the placement of their allocated spectrum blocks.

If telecom operators mutually agree on the positioning of the bands, the regulator will finalize the allocation without bidding. However, if no agreement is reached, competitive bidding will take place. PTA has set the initial positioning fee at $100,000, which could rise to $1 million if the process moves into a second round.

The regulator completed the first phase of the 5G auction a day earlier, in which 480 MHz spectrum out of 597.2 MHz was successfully auctioned.

During the first stage, Pak Telecom Mobile Limited acquired 180 MHz of spectrum, Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited purchased 190 MHz, while Zong secured 110 MHz.

The auction generated about $507 million in revenue, and PTA expects an additional $1 million to $2 million from the spectrum positioning bids in the second phase.