All Five Foreign Consultants Qualified for 5G Auction in Pakistan

The government of Pakistan has qualified five international consultants in the technical bids for consultancy services related to the 5G spectrum auction and the release of IMT Spectrum aimed at enhancing Next Generation Mobile Broadband Services in the country.

• Consultants Qualified: The five firms that qualified include:

1. Aetha Consulting Limited
2. Detecon Consulting FZ-LLC
3. Frontier Economics Limited
4. Kom Konsult (Private) Limited
5. National Economic Research Associates Inc.

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• Financial Bids Opening: The financial bids for these firms will be opened on October 3, 2024. The government plans to complete the 5G spectrum auction by April 2025.
• Evaluation Process: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) evaluated the technical bids following the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. Initially, 11 international consultants submitted expressions of interest (EOI), but only 10 were short-listed after the JHK Construction company was dropped due to submitting their EOI by mistake.

Consultant Responsibilities:

The selected consultants will provide guidance on several key aspects, including:

1. Policy Actions and Reforms: Advising on needed reforms to increase infrastructure investment, promote broadband proliferation, and ensure business sustainability and growth.
2. Comparative Analysis: Comparing Pakistan’s current cellular/IMT spectrum assignments with regional practices to identify gaps and suggest a phased auction for paired spectrum in the 700 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz bands, as well as unpaired spectrum in the 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz bands.
3. Spectrum Pricing: Determining the per MHz spectrum price in both USD and PKR with future projections for the next three years. This includes innovative payment options such as flexible or dynamic installment plans.
4. Health and Safety Standards: Recommending measures based on international standards to limit human exposure to electromagnetic fields and mitigate health hazards associated with denser 5G networks.
5. Spectrum Valuation Report: Providing a report on the valuation of spectrum, including base prices in both currencies for paired and unpaired spectrum bands, along with future projections for the next three years.

This initiative is crucial for Pakistan’s telecommunications landscape, as it seeks to improve mobile broadband services and prepare for the rollout of 5G technology across the country.