Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has set February 26 as the date for the next telecom spectrum auction, following the release of an Information Memorandum (IM) that triggers the auction process 47 days after its issuance, the regulator said on Friday.
The upcoming auction will offer wireless spectrum that will be operational only within Pakistan’s mainland, excluding Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit‑Baltistan, according to the PTA. Telcos including PTCL, Ufone, Telenor, Zong and Jazz are expected to participate, with the PTA noting that industry consolidation — such as PTCL’s acquisition of Telenor Pakistan — could influence bidding.
Under the new policy framework, financial obligations of operators have been adjusted and quality‑of‑service (QoS) standards have been revised. The IM lays out phased targets to raise minimum downlink speeds for 4G and 5G services for at least 90 percent of users: 2026–28 baseline standards with 4G at 20 Mbps and 5G at 50 Mbps, 2028–30 targets of 35 Mbps for 4G and 75 Mbps for 5G, and 2030–35 goals of 50 Mbps for 4G and 100 Mbps for 5G.
The PTA also set rollout and coverage obligations for winning bidders, requiring deployment of advanced mobile technology at a minimum of 1,000 sites annually, with at least 20 percent of these at new locations. Telcos must proportionately expand 4G sites across urban and rural areas and introduce 5G coverage first in federal and provincial capitals, expanding to additional cities after 2028.
The auction is a key step in addressing spectrum scarcity that has limited network capacity and internet speeds, and comes as part of broader reforms aimed at supporting next‑generation mobile services and enhancing connectivity across the country.
