Pakistan is gearing up for a long-awaited 5G spectrum auction aiming to double the spectrum allocated to mobile players, but a number of obstacles stand in the way, Business Recorder reported.

Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government plans to hold the auction by the end of the year, subject to the resolution of pending matters, including the proposed acquisition of Telenor by Pakistan Telecommunication Co Ltd (PTCL) and ongoing spectrum litigation cases, the newspaper stated.

She said once a few hurdles are cleared and the sale moves ahead, the 5G rollout will start nationwide.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is expected to allocate spectrum in the 3500MHz, 2600MHz, 2300MHz and 700MHz bands.

The country’s operators are assigned 274MHz of spectrum, mostly in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands. Telenor Pakistan also holds 2x10MHz in the 850MHz and 2x15MHz in the 2100MHz bands.

Jazz and Zong ran limited 5G trials in early 2020 after securing test licences from the PTA.

The Competition Commission of Pakistan this week requested clarification from PTCL on matters related to its planned buyout of a 100 per cent stake in Telenor Pakistan, Business Recorder wrote.

PTCL first expressed interest in Telenor Pakistan back in 2023 and has faced regulatory hurdles.