Islamabad: Pakistan Tuesday carried out an auction of 5G spectrum, marking a milestone in the country’s digital development.
The three bidders, including Zong, Jazz and Ufone, competed at 2600 megahertz for the key frequency band needed for the 5G service.
Zong acquired 110MHz, Ufone 180MHz and Jazz 190MHz during the auction, a total of 480 megahertz sold for USD 507 million at the end of the third round of bidding.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and senior officials were present at the launch of the bidding process.
Aurangzeb thanked all the members of the spectrum committee and gave credit to the IT minister for ensuring the continuity of the IT policy, resulting in the spectrum auction despite changing administrations.
“I’ve always said digital is not an end in itself; it’s a means to an end. Faster, cheaper, better – it’s as simple as that,” he said.
He expressed his belief that the greater spectrum and better connectivity would help the country in terms of a “seamless transition as we negotiate the current oil crisis”.
IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja called the auction one of the most important days in the history of Pakistan, adding that alongside 5G being introduced for the first time in Pakistan, the nation would also see an increase in the quality of 4G connectivity.
She said the internet formed the foundation of every aspect of life, “from personal life to economy, agriculture, industry, all the way to national security … a fast, reliable internet that is available to every Pakistani citizen has become a foundational requirement for us”.
Earlier, she told the media at a background briefing that efforts had been made to ensure that all three stakeholders benefited from the spectrum auction, adding that mock exercises were done with all three participants.
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