The Government of Pakistan officially commenced the auction for 5G spectrum today, March 10, 2026, marking a pivotal transition in the country’s digital landscape. Inaugurated by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the process involves the three qualified telecom operators: Jazz, Zong, and Ufone. The auction offers approximately 600 MHz of spectrum across several bands, including the 700 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz frequencies. To ensure a robust rollout, the government has made it mandatory for each participant to acquire at least 100 MHz, a move designed to double the spectrum currently available in the national system and resolve persistent network congestion.
Beyond the technological upgrade, the government has introduced significant policy shifts to encourage investment, most notably the abolition of “Right of Way” charges for fiber deployment, which previously cost operators roughly Rs. 36,000 per kilometer. The initial phase of the rollout will target federal and provincial capitals—Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta—with services expected to go live within three to six months. While 5G takes center stage, the IT Ministry emphasized that a primary short-term goal remains enhancing 4G quality and coverage, with visible improvements for existing mobile users expected within the next four to five months.
