Road shows in Saudi Arabia, Qatar; bid price can only be met if a new bidder enters market. PHOTO: FILE
The federal government is trying to entice fresh bidders in order to maximise gains from the auction of the next generation network spectrum.
“The government has been holding road shows to attract fresh bidders for the auction of the advanced telecom spectrum… There is a strong possibility that a fresh bidder may participate in the auction,” Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman told The Express Tribune after a meeting of Spectrum Auction Advisory Supervisory Committee on Friday.
The meeting, which was chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, was briefed on the outcomes of recent road shows arranged in Qatar and Saudi Arabia by the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and officials of the IT ministry.
According to sources, the government is trying to reel in at least one fresh bidder for the upcoming auction due to the likelihood of collusion among existing telecom operators. They said the expected bid price of $1.2 billion to $2 billion could only be met if a new bidder entered the market.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2014.
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Maybe some of the current bidders are expected to die of old age before the auction ever takes place?