By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday declared a “wonderful beginning” for Pakistan after the country completed its first 5G spectrum auction, which raised $507 million and allocated 480 megahertz of airwaves to the three main mobile operators.
The government wrapped up the auction in Islamabad last week, with Zong, Jazz and Ufone locked in competition for the 2,600 MHz band widely seen as critical for rolling out fifth-generation services. Zong secured 110 MHz, Ufone took 180 MHz and Jazz walked away with 190 MHz, according to details released at a license-award ceremony in the capital.
Speaking at the event, Sharif described the spectrum acquisition as a “milestone” that would accelerate progress across industry, agriculture and technology. The entire process was conducted “very transparently,” he said, noting that legal challenges had been the biggest hurdle in past attempts. Sharif drew a parallel with another high-profile transaction, the recent sale of Pakistan International Airlines, telling the audience that “all these transactions are being done with full transparency.”
The prime minister congratulated Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham Khan, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Hafeezur Rehman and the chief executives of the three winning bidders for bringing the project to fruition. Turning directly to Zong chief executive Huo Junli, Sharif said he was confident the Chinese operator would “take it to the height of glory through your hard work and untiring efforts.”
He framed the deal within the broader China-Pakistan relationship, calling the two countries “great friends” whose “unique” bond “is growing by the day — rather, by the hour.” Modern technology, he added, is one of its clearest manifestations. “It’s time that we should now move faster, so that the youth of Pakistan is able to make use of the most modern technology,” Sharif said. “Whether it’s IT, whether it’s artificial intelligence; I think technology is the name of the game.”
The auction itself drew strong praise from Khawaja last week, when she described the day as “maybe one of the most important days in the history of Pakistan.” She noted that the launch of 5G would also lift the quality of existing 4G networks.
At Thursday’s license-release ceremony, the minister said the sale had tripled Pakistan’s overall spectrum capacity to more than 7,500 MHz. The government is now working to establish an AI Council that will bring in experienced professionals to help shape national policy and drive artificial-intelligence development, she added.
Sharif expressed hope that the new 5G spectrum would reach “all four corners of Pakistan,” from major cities to remote villages, helping narrow the digital divide that has long constrained economic growth in the South Asian nation of more than 240 million people.
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