ISLAMABAD ( BMZ REPORT )
Minister of State For Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman said Thursday that Telenor Pakistan Limited will be awarded license of Next Generation Mobile Service spectrum in 850MHz band.
Addressing a press conference along with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Syed Ismail Shah she said, “Since only one applicant Telenor has applied Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum in 850 Mhz band i.e UL 825-834MHs/Dl: 869- 879 Mhz on base price of US 395 dollar million in accordance with the schedule given in the Information Memorandum (IM). The license will be awarded to telenor within 30 days of the payment.”
She said that the application of Telenor was evaluated in accordance with the terms and conditions of the IM and found complete in all respect.
PTA has received a single bid from Telenor for NGMS spectrum auction in Pakistan by the deadline of June 1.
The Chairman said that PTA completed the procedure in an open and transparent manner, in line with the policy directive of the Ministry of IT & Telecom and rules of the PPRA.
The authority had set a base price for the auction at $395 million, 34% higher than the one set at $295 million for the previous successful spectrum auction held in 2014 he added.
The chairman said that Pakistan Mobile broadband percentage is now more than India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At the end of April 2016 mobile Broadband subscribers were 28.7 million.
He said the IM was prepared and publish on the PTA’s website followed by advertisement both in local and foreign print media, adding IM contained all the necessary details from submission of application to award of the license.