Pakistan sells 480 MHz internet spectrum for $507 million

Pakistan sold 480 MHz of spectrum worth $507 million in the first stage of its 5G auction, the country's telecommunications regulator announced Tuesday, marking what officials called a key milestone toward next-generation mobile services.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said three of the four auctioned bands drew strong demand, with spectrum selling across the 700 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands. Out of 597.2 MHz on offer, the auction closed at PKR 144.5 billion and increased overall spectrum availability by 1.7%.

Jazz emerged as the top buyer, securing 190 MHz of spectrum, followed by Ufone with 180 MHz and Zong with 110 MHz.

Band-by-band, the 2300 MHz and 2600 MHz bands were fully sold out, with all five and all 19 available lots purchased, respectively. In the 3500 MHz band, 22 of 28 lots were sold, equivalent to 220 MHz. The 700 MHz band saw two of three lots sold.

PTA Chairman Gen. (R) Hafeez ur Rehman said the first stage focused on band allocation and that telecom operators have now secured spectrum across multiple bands required to deploy 5G networks.

The auction's second stage is yet to be announced.

Aamir Ibrahim, the CEO JazzWorld, appreciated the government, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for conducting a "historic spectrum auction".

"This spectrum acquisition reinforces JazzWorld’s digital ambition as we evolve into a full-scale ServiceCo, enabling us to progressively introduce 5G where it creates real value while expanding high-quality 4G connectivity for the masses. Our continued investments reflect our long-term confidence in Pakistan and our purpose of enabling a better life for all through technology."