Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday hailed a “wonderful beginning” for Pakistan after the success of the recent 5G spectrum auction in which 480 megahertz (MHz) were sold for $507 million.

The government completed its spectrum auction in Islamabad last week. The three bidders — Zong, Jazz and Ufone — competed heavily for the 2,600MHz band, a key frequency range for 5G services. Zong acquired 110MHz, Ufone 180MHz and Jazz 190MHz during the auction.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday at which the licences for the spectrum were awarded, the premier called the acquisition of 5G spectrum a “milestone” for Pakistan in terms of industry, agriculture and technology.

He said that the whole programme was concluded “very transparently”, adding that legal challenges were the largest obstacle to the auction process as they had been in the past. In this regard, he thanked Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar for making the “utmost effort to end these legal challenges” and ensure full transparency.

Highlighting the recent sale of Pakistan International Airlines, PM Shehbaz also said that “all these transactions are being done with full transparency”.

He congratulated IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham Khan, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Hafeezur Rehman, and all those who had successfully brought the project to completion. He also congratulated the chief executive officers of the three bidders.

The prime minister expressed the hope that the spectrum would reach “all four corners of Pakistan”, in both cities and rural villages.

Addressing Zong CEO Huo Junli, he congratulated him on the spectrum acquisition, saying, “I am sure you will take it to the height of glory through your hard work and … untiring efforts.”

“China and Pakistan, as you know, are great friends,” PM Shehbaz said. “Our friendship is unique in this world, and it is growing by the day — rather, by the hour.”

He added that one of the manifestations of this friendship was modern technology and said, “I think today’s the time that we should now move faster, so that the youth of Pakistan is able to make use of the most modern technology.

“Whether it’s IT, whether it’s artificial intelligence; I think technology is the name of the game,” he concluded.

At the auction event last week, the IT minister had called the event “maybe one of the most important days in the history of Pakistan”.

She added that alongside 5G being introduced for the first time in Pakistan, the nation would also see an increase in the quality of 4G connectivity.

Later, while addressing a ceremony where the spectrum was released to the operators, she said that the auction had increased Pakistan’s spectrum capacity threefold, boosting it to over 7,500MHz. She

also said that the government was working to establish an AI Council to bring experienced professionals on board to guide the country’s AI policy and its development.