Pakistan

First NGMS spectrum auction for AJK, G-B held in Islamabad

Total revenue generated from spectrum auction process stands at over $30 million

Our Correspondent September 29, 2021

Cellular service providers sold over one and a half million high-speed mobile internet connections in November. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:

The first cellular spectrum auction for Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) was successfully held on Wednesday at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)'s headquarters in Islamabad.

According to a press release issued by the authority, the electronic auction was participated in by two operators, CMPak (Zong) and PMCL (Jazz) for the 1,800 MHz band.

The electronic auction went up to 18 rounds and was concluded by declaring Zong as the winner of 10 MHz (2 blocks of 5 MHz) in 1,800 MHz band against the price of $14.398 million.

The communique further added that the spectrum sold in the 1,800 MHz band was 85 per cent of the total offered spectrum in the said band for AJK and G-B.

Furthermore, Telenor, Ufone and Zong have also won 1.2 MHz in 1,800 MHz band.

Telenor Pakistan was declared a winner in the 2,100 MHz band for a spectrum of 15 MHz against the set base price, the press release added. The spectrum sold in 2100 MHz band is 50 pc of the total offered spectrum in the said band, it said.

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The total revenue generated from this spectrum auction process for AJK & GB stood at over $30 million.

“PTA completed the auction process with the assistance of internationally reputed consultant JV Telconet / Frontier Economics who was on-board since April 2021, and conducted thorough consultation with cellular industry and other stakeholders,” the press release stated, adding that the federal government constituted an Auction Advisory Committee in October 2020 under the chairmanship of (then) finance minister.

The Policy Directive was issued on August 11, 2021 under which the PTA initiated the process for fair and transparent spectrum auction process ensuring consumer interests, the communique stated.

It concluded that the addition of the spectrum would help Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) to provide better data and voice services in the two regions currently being focused on the promotion of tourism.