ISLAMABAD ( MEDIA )
Pakistan’s telecoms regulator could finally auction off the country’s long delayed 3G licenses next March, and will permit the use of 4G services at the same time.
The government has been announcing and canceling 3G license auctions since at least August 2009 though.
The PTA’s Chairman Syed Ismail Shah told international media that the regulator has hired a consultancy to advise it on how to proceed with the auction.
“The licenses will be technology neutral and will be offered through an open bidding,” Shah said. “It will not only be for 3G, they can introduce any other advance technology including 4G.”
The auction is expected to raise between US$1.2 to US$2 billion for the government, according to a previous budget statement.
Some 30Mhz of spectrum will be offered, which is likely to restrict the number of winning networks, and could push up the price in a competitive auction.