The government plans to generate billions of dollars in revenue by centralising ‘spectrum’, available with different departments and organisations in the country, under the Spectrum ReFarming Framework. At present, local telecom companies are using 400 MHz. According to rough estimates, 300 MHz spectrum was available with different organisations which the government wanted to offer to telecom companies.
Officials stated that the government had auctioned spectrum in 2021 at a price of $30million per MHz and therefore could generate $9 billion by offering 300 MHz to different telecom companies. “The government will compensate the organisations and departments which had spectrum available to make their functioning smooth under the Spectrum Re-Farming Framework,” said sources. The government also plans to launch 5G technology in the coming months and therefore, may fetch better prices by centralising ‘spectrum data’.
Telecom companies in Pakistan are not utilising enough spectrum and, as a corrective measure, the government hopes to auction more spectrum in the near future. Meanwhile, the IT ministry in a statement said that “as per Section 8.5.2 of the Telecommunication Policy 2015, the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication is glad to share the first of its kind draft Framework for Frequency Spectrum Re-Farming prepared with recommendations from PTA, PEMRA and FAB. The draft has been uploaded on the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications website for open consultation.”
“In view of the increasing demand for radio communication services worldwide, Spectrum ReFarming is considered a powerful and innovative approach to manage the spectrum dynamically so as to make it available for newer applications such as 4G, 5G, broadband wireless access and digital broadcasting,” read the statement. “The framework shall facilitate in the effective utilisation of the available spectrum, better quality and coverage of mobile broadband services and additional revenues for the national exchequer,” explained the IT ministry. After the open consultation, the final draft shall be submitted to the Federal Cabinet for its final approval.
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