ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken a significant step toward next-generation connectivity with a long-awaited spectrum auction aimed at enabling 5G services and strengthening the country’s digital economy.
The ceremony was attended by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Hafeez Ur Rehman and several parliamentarians.
While Addressing participants of the auction ceremony, Aurangzeb stated the New Generation Mobile Services spectrum process marked the culmination of nearly eighteen months of consultations and policy work undertaken by a government spectrum committee. The country’s telecom regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, is organising the auction process.
The Minister said the committee had worked to develop a balanced framework designed to optimise public revenue and encourage long-term investment in the telecommunications sector. The IT and Telecom sector remains a key pillar of Pakistan’s digital transformation strategy.
The groundwork for the spectrum auction was initiated in 2021, the minister said, adding that continuity in policy direction across successive governments played a crucial role in bringing the initiative to completion.
“Digital development is not an end in itself but a means to achieve broader economic and social progress,” he said, emphasising that improved connectivity would enable faster, cheaper and more reliable services for businesses and consumers alike.
The development comes at a time when countries across Asia, Europe and North America are rapidly deploying 5G networks to support data‑intensive technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to autonomous systems and cloud computing.
Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous country with more than 190 million mobile subscribers, has been seeking to expand its digital infrastructure to remain competitive in the global technology landscape.
Industry analysts say the transition toward 5G networks could significantly strengthen Pakistan’s growing information technology and IT‑enabled services sector, which has emerged as one of the country’s fastest-expanding export industries.
According to government and industry estimates, Pakistan’s IT and IT‑enabled services exports have risen steadily over the past decade, supported by a large pool of software engineers, a rapidly expanding freelance workforce and increasing participation in global digital marketplaces.
Officials say improved digital infrastructure could help the country capitalise on this momentum by enabling high‑speed connectivity for technology firms, start‑ups and remote workers.
Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of creating an enabling ecosystem that allows the private sector to drive innovation and growth. The government’s role is primarily to provide policy stability, regulatory clarity and the digital infrastructure required for modern economic activity, he added.
He recalled several initiatives intended to support Pakistan’s digital transition, such as facilitating freelancers, expanding broadband coverage and digitising government payment systems.
The finance minister also said the introduction of 5G-capable networks would enable research and development in artificial intelligence, blockchain applications and Web 3.0 platforms. All these services increasingly rely on high-capacity, low-latency networks.
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan entered the 3G and 4G era during the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif between 2014 and 2016. Since then, no major spectrum auction has been held, which has caused problems with internet quality and user experience.
Shaza Fatima said the auction would not only introduce 5G services but also improve the quality and capacity of existing 4G networks.
She said fast, reliable and affordable internet had become a basic need for citizens, adding that digital connectivity now played an important role in sectors such as the economy, agriculture, industry and national security.
The minister said the government had also removed right-of-way charges for telecom infrastructure to speed up the expansion of fiber networks across the country.
She added that a national fiberization plan would soon be launched to help telecom companies expand their infrastructure after acquiring spectrum.
She said the auction framework was prepared after consultations with several institutions, including the Spectrum Advisory Committee, the Ministry of Finance, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Frequency Allocation Board.
According to the minister, international telecom organisations appreciated Pakistan’s auction framework. She said positive feedback was received during discussions at the Mobile World Congress, where some countries praised the arrangements.
Observers note that faster connectivity could also transform sectors beyond technology, including education, healthcare, agriculture and financial services, through the expansion of telemedicine, digital classrooms, smart farming systems and mobile banking.
Also read:Trump, Putin hold talks on Iran conflict, Ukraine war and global energy crisis
