Pakistan Launches 5G Spectrum Auction to Boost Digital Economy

The government of Pakistan has officially launched the auction process for the country’s 5G spectrum, marking a major step toward improving digital connectivity.

According to reports, the auction ceremony in Islamabad was attended by Muhammad Aurangzeb, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Attaullah Tarar, and Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Hafeez ur Rehman. During the event, the PTA offered **600 MHz of spectrum** for auction.

The first round of the 5G spectrum auction is scheduled to run for **60 minutes**, with three eligible telecom companies participating in the bidding process.

Speaking at the event, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the government’s efforts to conduct the 5G auction had finally succeeded and that a complete ecosystem had been prepared for its rollout.

He added that Pakistan is moving toward emerging technology sectors such as Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, noting that the spectrum auction would help increase IT exports and improve connectivity across the country.

Meanwhile, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that until now Pakistan had been operating on only **274 MHz of spectrum**, while the current auction represents the **largest spectrum auction in the country’s history**.

She also stated that improvements in 4G services would soon become visible, while **5G services are expected to become available in major cities within the next six months**.

The minister added that Shehbaz Sharif regularly chairs meetings on the digital economy every two weeks and is personally leading the **Digital Nation Pakistan** vision. She also acknowledged the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in freeing up and making spectrum available for the auction.