The Pakistani government has decided to hold an auction for 850-MHz spectrum before a separate auction for the 1800-MHz band.
Durung a high-level meeting chaired by finance minister Ishaq Dar, the government reviewed spectrum demand and a market assessment report prepared by international consultants, The Nationreported.
Based on these discussions it was determined that the 850-MHz auction will precede the 1800-MHz auction.
The government has projected that it will generate 65 billion rupees ($620.7 million) from the auction of 3G and 4G spectrum in the current financial year.
One license and block of spectrum will be reserved for prospective new market entrants, as part of the government's ongoing efforts to attract more competition into the mobile market.
At the meeting the government and regulators also agreed to expedite processes for making more spectrum available for mobile operators to accommodate ever-increasing demand.