'Pakistan has lowest spectrum in region'

GSMA calls spectrum cost unsustainable that threatens development of mobile services


Zafar Bhutta January 30, 2025

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ISLAMABAD:

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has criticised Pakistan over its spectrum policy, saying that the country has the lowest spectrum in Asia-Pacific and the rising cost of spectrum is unsustainable that poses threat to the development of mobile services.

GSMA has issued a paper which highlights that mobile network infrastructure is crucial for Pakistan's digital transformation, serving as the backbone for wide-reaching connectivity and socio-economic growth, whereas countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia have more spectrum compared to Pakistan.

It said while 'Digital Pakistan' was the government's flagship initiative, launched in 2018, to enhance digital infrastructure and enable rapid delivery of innovative digital services, Pakistan faced several challenges that threatened the sustainability and growth of mobile infrastructure.

An analysis of GSMA Intelligence showed that if spectrum had been fully assigned in previous auctions, additional benefits of $300 million, or Rs80 billion, would have been realised in the national economy.

The GSMA paper referred to past auctions in Pakistan that resulted in unsold spectrum, like in 2014 and in 2021, leading to reduced spectrum supply for mobile operators. "This has contributed to slower 4G rollout and adoption," it added.

Pakistan's upcoming spectrum auction should focus on enhancing digital infrastructure rather than maximising government revenue. It added that 600 MHz, which was set to be made available in the upcoming auction, including over 500 MHz in core mid-bands such as 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz, would be essential for addressing the current shortfall.

It pointed out that excessive spectrum pricing had serious consequences for the industry and consumers, and referred to the study of GSMA Intelligence and others that said there was a causal link between high spectrum prices and slower mobile data speeds, worse coverage and slower rollout.

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