The long-delayed spectrum auction, an important step to improve Pakistan’s telecom and digital sectors, is now expected to be completed by December 2025 on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
This timeline was shared during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Tuesday.
The Auction Supervisory Committee, led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, will meet on Monday to review recommendations from the consultant hired for the process. The consultant’s report will be presented in the meeting, and formal approval for the auction will follow. Officials have pledged to finish the process by the end of this year.
Senate Standing Committee on IT, chaired by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, met at the Parliament House to discuss issues in the telecom and digital sectors.
Frequency Allocation Board briefed the committee about its preparations, saying that key frequency bands have been aligned with global 5G standards. This includes clearing 30 MHz of spectrum and identifying more millimeter-wave bands in the 3 GHz and 24 GHz ranges, which are essential for launching next-generation internet services.
Committee members, however, expressed concern over delays caused by court cases and stay orders on some frequency bands. They said these legal issues are causing major economic losses and slowing down the development of Pakistan’s digital sector.
The Special Secretary of the IT Ministry assured the committee that the auction will move forward as planned, and all necessary steps are being taken to meet the December 2025 deadline. He stressed that the process is being carried out under the Prime Minister’s instructions to ensure it is transparent and efficient.
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