ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued 12 LDI licences, 73 Fixed Local Loop (FLL) licences besides holding an auction for spectrum for the grant of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) licences.

According to a press release on Thursday, during the auction, which continued for a week, 20 companies were declared successful for the grant of licences for various telecom regions. The auction of spectrum process generated investment to the tune of Rs14.453 billion.

This was for the first time in the annals of the telecom sector that auction of the radio frequency spectrum, a scarce natural resource, was held in the country. The auction of various frequency bands was a ticklish issue, which the PTA handled in a meticulous manner.

The authority has so far received no objection against the bidding process substantiating the fact that transparency was maintained at all stages of the auction. WLL is a modern technology and has proved very successful in many developing countries. It is expected that the introduction of the WLL service will greatly benefit rural and remote areas of the country.