Jazz, Zong and Ufone Qualify for Pakistan’s Upcoming 5G Spectrum Sale

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has cleared three telecom operators to participate in Pakistan’s upcoming NGMS and 5G spectrum auction, which is scheduled to begin on March 10, 2026.

The regulator confirmed that Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone), Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Jazz), and CMPak Limited (Zong) successfully completed the documentation process within the required deadline and submitted bank guarantees along with their applications.

PTA said the evaluation of applications was conducted in line with the requirements outlined in the Information Memorandum. The applications underwent technical and financial scrutiny before the final list of qualified bidders was issued on March 3.

No new telecom operator applied for the auction after the application deadline closed on February 27, according to the regulator. To prepare participants, PTA has scheduled a bidders’ seminar on March 4 and a mock auction session on March 5 before the final bidding round.

A total of 597.2 MHz of spectrum across six frequency bands will be offered during the auction. Mandatory bidding will take place for the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands to support the rollout of 5G services.

Additional spectrum bands available include 700 MHz for wider coverage, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz for strengthening network capacity, and 2300 MHz to expand data services. The government expects commercial 5G services to begin in major cities by mid 2026 through a phased rollout plan.