Islamabad, Aug 21: Major General (R) Hafeezur Rehman, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), revealed the date of the 5G service auction on Wednesday.
The chairman of the NA Standing Committee on IT and Telecom stated that 5G will be available by April 2025 while speaking to the group today in Islamabad. He said that the PTA is actively seeking to draw in new businesses to the auction with the goal of growing the market and boosting competition.
The Chairman gave an assurance that the planned system enhancements are not anticipated to result in additional delays to internet services, even with the current obstacles, which include the ongoing recovery of the submarine cable, which may last until August 27.
It is important to note that for over a week now, the nation’s internet has been severely affected.
Telecom companies are currently using 265 MHz of spectrum, according to Chairman PTA. The regulator is working to convince the government to provide this spectrum at a reduced price, and it intends to make an extra 567 MHz available for 5G services.
The chairman added that Pakistan had already sold 4G spectrum for $29 million per megahertz, while Saudi Arabia had sold its spectrum for $90,000 per megahertz. According to him, the goal is to keep spectrum costs low for the benefit of local customers.
