PM Nawaz Sharif to Award 3G & 4G Spectrum Licences

PM Nawaz Sharif to Award 3G & 4G Spectrum Licences

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will award 3G and 4G mobile spectrum licences to the successful mobile operating bidders on Thursday (22nd May, 2014) while deadline for free 3G services by different mobile companies will end tomorrow (23rd May, 2014).

Programs of the ceremony are:

Following the auction held by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in April, the government raised $902.82 million in the first auction for 3G mobile phone networks and $210 million for the 4G spectrum.

Winning mobile operators for 3G Licence include Mobilink, Telenor and Ufone, while ZonG was declared successful for both 3G and 4G Licenses.

According to the sources, ZonG has paid 100 % payment of license fee for 3G, 4G spectrums including 10 % of withholding tax, while Mobilink paid all amount of license fee of 3G spectrum. They also informed that Ufone and Telenor have paid 50 % of the license fee also with 10 % of withholding tax.

Giving details of payments by qualified bidders/cellular mobile operators (CMOs), a top seated official at telecommunication ministry also said that Mobilink has paid $300.9 million, Ufone and Telenor paid $73.75 million each while ZonG has paid $516.918.

Prime Minister Sharif previously directed the ministry of information technology to speed up the introduction process of both 3G and 4G technologies in Pakistan simultaneously to catch up with the rest of the world.

The award of these licenses will provide Rs 260 billion additional revenue to the exchequer and at the same time open up thousands of employment opportunities in the country.

It may be mentioned that mobile consumers, who were enjoying the befits of 3G spectrum from last 28 days without paying any bills, would no longer find free service from Friday as they will have to pay for subscribing a bucket to use the service.