Rashid Khan, the CEO of Pakistan’s largest mobile operator Mobilink, told local media that his company will take part in the country’s upcoming 3G auction.
Scheduled for 29 March, the auction will see a total of three 3G licences being awarded….
Rashid Khan, the CEO of Pakistan’s largest mobile operator Mobilink, told local media that his company will take part in the country’s upcoming 3G auction.
Scheduled for 29 March, the auction will see a total of three 3G licences being awarded. The base price for the frequencies is US$210m, and the duration of a licence is 15 years.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that any bidder could win a maximum of two blocks but that new entrants would only be able to start services after March 2013.
According to local newspaper The Express Tribune, the government expects to raise approximately Rs75bn (US$830m) from this 3G auction as well as from the dormant Instaphone licence, which is in the 800MHz band.
The base price for the Instaphone licence is US$155m and its duration is eight years.
In 2008, the PTA reportedly decided to terminate Instaphone’s licence after the latter failed to pay outstanding dues.
Pakistan’s 3G auction has long been awaited after facing several regulatory delays.
