Overview
- The cabinet will consider the ECC-endorsed plan next, after which the PTA is due to issue an information memorandum and open stakeholder consultations.
- Ministers described the sale as Pakistan’s largest spectrum auction, guided by a NERA study proposing about 606 MHz across the 700, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2600 and 3500 MHz bands.
- The government is targeting completion by late January or the first week of February 2026, with operators expected to activate services within four to six months of allocation.
- Pakistan currently operates with about 274 MHz for a population of roughly 240 million, a shortfall officials say has produced congestion and subpar speeds.
- The initiative is tied to the Digital Pakistan/Connect 2030 agenda, which aims to deliver minimum user connectivity of 100 Mbps over the next five years.