Settling for less: ‘Stop the 3G, 4G auctions’

Petitioner says PTA was currently evaluating the bids received and will announce those qualified by April 17.

LAHORE: A writ petition was filed in the Lahore Registry of the Supreme Court on Monday seeking directions to the government to stop the “illegal” auction of 3G and 4G technology spectrum, scheduled to be held in the coming few days. Barrister Zafarullah Khan, representing the Watan Party, said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority was currently evaluating the bids received and will announce those qualified by April 17. He said the demand was greater than the supply allocation expected through auction scheduled to be held on April 23. The petitioner said that the targeted revenue was $1.3 billion, approximately Rs126 billion – far less than the amount the government expected from the auction. He said the government had hoped that the revenue would help cut the 2013-2014 budget deficit. He said the PTA was going to sell or auction 3G and 4G licences together but was getting far less than what the governments of India and Iraq had received. He said Iraq got $1.2 billion from the auction of one 3G licence. He said the auction was being held in violation of PPRA’s rules and requested the court to direct the government to stop it.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2014.