ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will hold an auction for 5G spectrum tomorrow, Tuesday, as the government prepares to launch next-generation mobile services in five major cities in bid to improve Internet speeds and connectivity, top officials said on Monday.
The development comes at a time of mounting pressure on Pakistan’s telecommunication networks and Internet service providers, with users and businesses frequently complaining of slow speeds and disruptions as a limited spectrum struggles to serve the South Asian nation of over 240 million.
Pakistan has more than 130 million broadband connections but access remains uneven, though its IT exports reached a record $3.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2024–25, up from $3.2 billion the previous year, marking an 18 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Pakistan Software Export Board.
The 5G spectrum auction will begin at 10am on Tuesday through an electronic system at the Pakistan Television headquarters, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) Director-General for Licensing Aamir Shahzad.
“In the first phase, six spectrum bands will be auctioned among mobile network operators Ufone, Zong and Jazz, followed by bidding for five additional bands until 4pm,” he said at a briefing in Islamabad.
