Page 54 - SAMENA Trends - August-September 2025

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Pakistan Accelerates Spectrum Auction

The government has accelerated work directives issued by the federal government. law and justice. The advisory committee
on spectrum auction for expanding Consequently, paired spectrum in the comprised the federal minister for finance
the telecommunication network and 1,800/2,100 MHz band, 1,800 MHz band and revenue (chairman), federal minister/
introducing 5G technology by changing and 850 MHz band was auctioned and minister of state/SAPM on IT and telecom,
the composition of a high-level advisory assigned to cellular mobile operators. The federal minister/minister of state/SAPM on
committee tasked with overseeing the division stressed that it had since been industries and production, federal minister/
auction. The Ministry of Information decided that the auction for the release minister of state/SAPM on law and justice,
Technology and Telecommunication of more spectrum would be held under secretary Finance Division, secretary
briefed the Economic Coordination the oversight of an advisory committee IT and Telecom Division, secretary Law
Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, in a constituted by the prime minister/federal and Justice Division, chairman Pakistan
recent meeting, that optimum utilization cabinet. It informed the committee that Telecommunication Authority, executive
of the available frequency spectrum was after approval of the ECC and the cabinet, director Frequency Allocation Board,
critical for expansion of the telecom the advisory committee for the release director general (tech) ISI (co-opted
network, improvement in tele-density and of unsold IMT spectrum was notified on member of the committee), member
quality of mobile broadband services, November 6, 2023 and was subsequently (telecom) Ministry of IT and Telecom
including facilitating the 5G road map. revised on June 28, 2024. It shared that the (secretary), and any other member that may
It may be noted that the current use of Ministry of Industries and Production had be co-opted with permission of the chair.
International Mobile Telecommunications approached the IT and telecom ministry The ECC was apprised by the IT division
(IMT) frequency spectrum for commercial with the request to include the special regarding the revision in composition
cellular services in the country in 700 MHz, assistant to prime minister (SAPM) on of the advisory committee. The ECC
2,300 MHz, 2,600 MHz and 3,500 MHz industries in the advisory committee. In considered a summary submitted by the
bands is significantly lower vis-a-vis global order to avoid any such issue in future, the Ministry of IT and Telecom titled "Revision
practices. The IT and Telecom Division IT division proposed that the composition in Composition of Advisory Committee on
told the cabinet committee that spectrum of the committee might be revised by Release of IMT Spectrum for Improvement
auctions for Next Generation Mobile including the SAPM and the minister of of Next Generation Mobile Broadband
Services (NGMS) had been conducted in state along with federal ministers of IT and Services in Pakistan" and approved the
2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021 under the policy telecom, industries and production and proposal. The GSMA noted that despite
Pakistan's digital ambitions and talent, the
country risked falling behind in the region
if urgent telecom policy reforms were not
introduced. Without reform, investors might
leave and citizens would suffer, it warned.
At the GSMA Digital Nation Summit 2025,
GSMA Head of Asia-Pacific Julian Gorman
identified three key obstacles to Pakistan's
digital growth: high taxes, limited spectrum
and policy inconsistencies. Speaking to
media after the summit, Gorman said
reducing telecom taxation was possible,
even under International Monetary Fund
(IMF) programs, citing Argentina as
an example. "If urgent reforms are not
implemented, investors will move to other
countries," he said. "Freelancers in Pakistan
may also lose their livelihoods if they don't
have adequate internet and electricity." He
also said the demand for spectrum had
grown and urged the government to close
the gap in spectrum usage and availability.
Gorman expressed concern over Pakistan's
slow pace of digitalization, saying "we
are reaching a critical point as artificial
intelligence and other technologies are
evolving rapidly across the world".

54 AUG-SEP 2025