ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will hold an auction for 5G spectrum tomorrow, Tuesday, as the government prepares to launch next-generation mobile services in five major cities in bid to improve Internet speeds and connectivity, top officials said on Monday.

The development comes at a time of mounting pressure on Pakistan’s telecommunication networks and Internet service providers, with users and businesses frequently complaining of slow speeds and disruptions as a limited spectrum struggles to serve the South Asian nation of over 240 million.

Pakistan has more than 130 million broadband connections but access remains uneven, though its IT exports reached a record $3.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2024–25, up from $3.2 billion the previous year, marking an 18 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Pakistan Software Export Board.

The 5G spectrum auction will begin at 10am on Tuesday through an electronic system at the Pakistan Television headquarters, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) Director-General for Licensing Aamir Shahzad.

“In the first phase, six spectrum bands will be auctioned among mobile network operators Ufone, Zong and Jazz, followed by bidding for five additional bands until 4pm,” he said at a briefing in Islamabad.

PTA Chairman Hafeez-ur-Rehman said a mock trial had already been conducted and all three telecom operators had been briefed on the bidding process.

The auction will not follow an open bidding format as each spectrum band would be auctioned separately, according to officials. The government expects the launch of 5G services to improve digital connectivity without increasing costs for consumers.

“The introduction of 5G will not raise data prices and there will be no additional burden on consumers,” the PTA chairman said.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government was encouraging wider adoption of 5G-compatible devices in Pakistan.

“Our aim is that as many people as possible use 5G mobile phones,” she said, adding that about 95 percent of mobile phones in Pakistan are locally manufactured.

According to officials, 5G services will initially be rolled out in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, before expanding nationwide as the infrastructure develops.

Khawaja said Pakistan currently uses 274-megahertz spectrum which has been in use since 1987, and the upcoming auction will make a 600-megahertz spectrum available.

She said the auction would be conducted through specialized software and streamed live to ensure transparency.

PTA DG Licensing Shahzad said Pakistan currently has one of the lowest spectrum allocations in the region, and the government has prepared a nine-year plan for complete 5G rollout.

Under the plan, telecom operators will add around 3,000 new network sites each year, with initial 5G speeds expected to reach 50 megabits per second (Mbps).

PTA officials also said Pakistan currently offers some of the world’s cheapest mobile data services and assured that consumer protection would remain a priority.

Around 500,000 5G-enabled mobile phones have been produced in Pakistan in recent months, while five local manufacturers have already started producing more such devices, they added.