5G spectrum auction expected next year

Government to roll out 5G services by 2023, says PTA chairman

ISLAMABAD:

 

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa has said the government has kicked off the auction process of the 5G spectrum on the recommendation of the advisory committee formed by the government.

The process is expected to conclude by the end of this year or early next year and services will be rolled out subsequently.

He shared the updates pertaining to the much-awaited auction of the unused spectrum while briefing the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication under the chairmanship of Senator Kauda Babar.

The PTA chairman informed the panel all the rules and regulations have been laid down ahead of the spectrum auction, he said.

“Talks are underway with StarLink regarding the provision of cheap internet through satellite, he told the Senate committee, adding that StarLink has also registered a company in the country with the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

“As soon as regulatory issues are settled, StarLink will launch its service, which will provide cheap internet access, especially to people living in remote areas.”

Also read: Incentives under study for 5G auction

The government has formed an advisory committee for the auction of 25 GHz spectrum purchased by the three major companies, he said, adding that auctioned two blocks in 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz for improving the quality of services in AJK and Gilgit Baltistan.

“At the time of auction of 5G spectrum, aviation areas will be taken into consideration. This problem has also been solved in the United States. In the United States, because of C-band, aviation was facing problems. We are solving the problems of C-band.”

The spectrum is in the 1800 and 2100 MHz bands typically used by operators for 4G LTE (long-term evolution) networks that offer faster video streaming and Internet downloads.

The technology will place Pakistan among a legion of emerging market countries such as Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, India and Sri Lanka.

The senate meeting also reviewed the National Information Technology Board (NITB) Act 2022.

The representatives of the ministry of information technology and the NITB said that the purpose of the proposed bill was to make the NITB an autonomous body in order to make the institution more efficient.

The officials said that being a subsidiary, NITB often faces financial delays, which is hurting the fast-growing sector, especially IT.

Senator Dr Shehzad Waseem asked the officials as to how making NITB an autonomous body would benefit the country. Responding to this, the ministry officials said that NITB has been successfully providing quality IT services to the government of Pakistan including e-office, NCOC application and others.

They further said that NITB was also working on human resource development.

However, they shared that before embarking on any project, one has to go through a long process to get PSDP grants which are not suitable for a field like IT. Therefore, making it an autonomous body will eliminate unnecessary delays as well as improve the decision-making process.