ISLAMABAD: After the issuance of the policy framework by the government, the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) on Friday announced that the spectrum auction will be held on Feb 26.

The telecom sector regulator unveiled an Inform­ation Memorandum (IM), which requires to hold the auction on the 47th day after issuance of the IM.

It clearly stated that the upcoming spectrum will be operative only in Pakistan and does not include AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The PTA has said that given the acquisition of Telenor Pakistan by PTCL, either PTCL, Ufone, or Telenor may participate in this auction process. The move will allow the other two companies — Zong and Jazz — to remain competitive in the market.

As the government has relaxed certain financial obligations for telcos under the policy framework, the Quality of Service (QoS) standards have been enhanced.

The QoS thresholds are defined in three phases, which are to be met for 90pc consumers.

PTA issues memorandum, outlining rules and coverage obligations

Phase 1 is Baseline Standards (2026-2028), and the initial QoS parameters to be achieved in Phase 1 include increasing the minimum downlink speed for 4G from the current 4 Mbps to 20 Mbps. The minimum downlink speed has to be 50 Mbps for 5G.

Phase 2, related to quality standards, will be from 2028-2030, where the minimum downlink speed will be 35 Mbps for 4G and 75 Mbps for 5G.

Phase 3 and 4 combined 2030-2035 is to reach the minimum downlink speed of 50 Mbps for 4G and 100 Mbps for 5G.

The PTA has set roll-out and coverage obligations, and the telcos must proportionately distribute 4G sites across urban and rural areas in each province.

During 2026-2028, the telcos have to focus on deploying advanced mobile technology in key urban centres and high-demand locations, and on addressing coverage gaps.

The rollout obligations include deploying advanced mobile technology across a minimum of 1,000 sites per year, with at least 20pc of these sites being completely new at new locations, that is, at least 200 new sites per year. The 4G sites to be proportionately distributed in urban and rural areas in each province. The 5G coverage must be made available in federal and provincial capitals.

For existing telcos, at least 10pc of the existing 4G/LTE sites in each city must be rolled out each year for the provision of 5G services in Federal and Provincial capitals. After 2028, 5G services must be available in 10 additional cities, with at least two cities from each province, and with at least 10pc of the existing 4G/LTE sites in each city.

Availability of 5G services at other hotspots, such as tourist areas and hospitals.

5G service provision in important locations, including universities, technology parks, industrial zones and major transit hubs, to be prioritised.The phase 4 (2032-2035) aims for comprehensive nationwide coverage, with the deployment of advanced mobile technology at 1,000 sites per year, and at least 20pc of these must be completely new sites at new locations. The 5G services will be extended to small cities.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2026