Pakistan is finally putting a firm date on its shift to next‑generation mobile connectivity, setting up a 5G spectrum auction in March in a bid to lift Internet speeds and attract fresh investment into its telecom sector. After years of delay, regulators are now treating the sale of next‑generation mobile services spectrum as a central plank of the country’s digital ambitions. The stakes are high, from revenue for the state to the quality of everyday connectivity for tens of millions of users.
The decision comes as regional peers push ahead with their own 5G rollouts, raising pressure on Islamabad to move from planning to execution. By locking in a March auction window and spelling out the bands on offer, Pakistan is signalling that it wants operators, investors and consumers to start preparing for a faster, more data‑intensive future.
From repeated delays to a fixed March auction window
For years, Pakistan’s move to next‑generation mobile services has been defined more by postponements than progress, with the long‑promised sale of 5G spectrum slipping from one tentative date to another. Officials now say that cycle is ending, with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, or PTA, and other decision makers converging on a March auction that will finally put 5G‑capable airwaves in the hands of operators. Earlier this year, reports described how Pakistan’s long‑delayed auction for next‑generation mobile services, referred to as NGMS, had been rescheduled for March 1, underscoring how central NGMS has become to the country’s connectivity roadmap, as highlighted in one detailed NGMS update.
That initial March 1 target has since evolved into a more specific mid‑month schedule, as the government refined the process and consulted operators. The Spectrum Advisory Committee, referred to as The Spectrum Advisory Committee and SAC in official language, has now locked March 10 for the auction of next‑generation mobile, or IMT, spectrum and 5G, setting out a clear sequence of pre‑auction milestones from ISLAMABAD to guide bidders through the process, according to a detailed SAC schedule. In parallel, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has confirmed that it will hold the auction for next‑generation mobile services spectrum on March 10, reinforcing that the regulator, identified explicitly as Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and PTA, is now committed to that date for the 5G sale, as set out in a recent PTA announcement.
What exactly is on the block, and how much money is at stake?
Beyond the headline date, the auction’s design reveals how Pakistan is trying to balance revenue needs with the goal of widespread 5G coverage. Regulators have confirmed that the sale will span a broad range of frequencies, with the PTA eyeing a minimum $630 m in proceeds and planning to auction spectrum in the 700 to 3500 MHz range, a mix that can support both wide‑area coverage and dense urban capacity, according to a comprehensive auction guide. The same planning documents spell out that the government is targeting at least $630 million in revenue from the sale, a figure that will be closely watched by fiscal planners and investors alike, as detailed in a follow‑up 5G plan.
Officials are also framing the auction as a key source of non‑tax income at a time when Pakistan’s public finances are under strain. The Spectrum Advisory Committee has estimated that the sale of IMT spectrum could generate around USD630.4m in non‑tax revenue, a projection that underscores why the March 10 auction date from ISLAMABAD has become such a political and economic priority, as laid out in the SAC estimate. For operators, the breadth of spectrum on offer, from low‑band 700 MHz to higher 3500 MHz frequencies, will shape not only how much they bid but also the kind of 5G services they can roll out, from rural broadband to dense city networks.
Regulators, committees and the politics of timing
Getting to this point has required a complex choreography between regulators and advisory bodies, each with its own mandate and political sensitivities. The Auction Advisory Committee, referred to explicitly as The Auction Advisory Committee in official communications, has played a central role in deciding when Pakistan should finally hold its 5G spectrum auction, ultimately opting for a March date after weighing industry feedback and technical readiness, as described in a detailed account that credits the committee’s decision to hold Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction in March and notes that the story was By Jehangir Nasir Published Jan, with the information that key documents would be published on February 13, 2026, in a regulatory briefing. In parallel, the Spectrum Advisory Committee has been responsible for locking in March 10 as the auction day for IMT spectrum and 5G, setting out a series of staggered pre‑auction milestones that operators must meet, as spelled out in the SAC framework.
The PTA has been the public face of these decisions, using official statements from ISLAMABAD to reassure operators that the timeline is now fixed and that they will have adequate time to prepare their bids and financing. One detailed report from ISLAMABAD noted that the confirmed March 10 schedule would give telecom operators enough runway to get ready, quoting a PTA news release that framed the auction as a major step for Pakistan and referring to the regulator as The Pakist in the context of its institutional role, as captured in a PTA timeline. Another account from ISLAMABAD described how Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction schedule had been finalised after extensive regulatory coordination and stakeholder consultations, again highlighting The Pakist as a central institutional actor in the process, as detailed in a finalised schedule.
What 5G could mean for Pakistan’s Internet speeds and digital economy
Behind the technical jargon and committee acronyms lies a simple promise for users: faster, more reliable Internet on their phones and connected devices. Pakistan has scheduled its 5G auction in the expectation that next‑generation networks will sharply improve InternetSpeed for consumers and businesses, a point that has been emphasised in public messaging that links the sale to a broader TechFuture narrative for the country, as described in a widely shared 5G scheduling. Earlier commentary on Pakistan’s long‑delayed NGMS auction has stressed that moving ahead with 5G is not just about catching up with global trends but also about giving local developers, from ride‑hailing apps like Careem to fintech platforms, the low‑latency connectivity they need to innovate, a theme that surfaced in coverage of Pakistan’s long‑delayed spectrum auction for next‑generation mobile services and NGMS, as noted in a detailed NGMS overview.
The economic stakes go beyond app performance. Analysts argue that a robust 5G rollout could support everything from precision agriculture in Punjab to smart‑grid management in Karachi, provided operators can afford to invest in dense networks once they secure spectrum in the 700 and 3500 MHz bands. One report from ISLAMABAD framed the March 10 auction as an important step towards the introduction of 5G services in Pakistan, noting that the move would help the country keep pace with regional peers and describing how the sale would open the door to new industrial and consumer use cases, as set out in a 5G milestone. Another widely circulated update pointed out that Pakistan’s long‑awaited 5G spectrum auction had been officially pushed to March 10, 2026, by the Pakistan Telecommunicati regulator, underscoring how the finalised date is meant to unlock a wave of investment and innovation once the airwaves are assigned, as highlighted in a 5G timing.
