Islamabad: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has approved 3G policy in principle on Wednesday and directed the cabinet committee to bring the policy before the Cabinet meeting for its final approval.
He was presiding a meeting on 3G and Grey traffic and Additional Spectrum auction for Wireless Local Loop here at PM House.
Ministry of Information Technology gave a presentation on recommendations formulated by cabinet committee comprising Dr.Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Finance, Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power, and Mr. Ghos Baksh Mehr, Minister for Privatization and Dr. Asim Hussain, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources.
It was decided in the meeting that 3 blocks of 10 MHs each out of available 3G spectrums would be immediately offered for auction and existing operators can participate in this round as well.
It was also decided that more spectrum would be made available for 3/4 G services and offered for auction with the provision that winners of such auction will be amended licences and allocated frequencies will be able to start their services after by March 2013.
New players will also be invited but with provision but if new player is successful in bid then they would be eligible to resume operation only after March 2013 when moratorium on new licensing as per previous cabinet committee decision would expire.
In order to ensure professionalism and transparency, it was also decided that a committee of Public Sector stakeholders including representatives from Ministries of Finance, Information Technology, PTA and representative of Frequency Allocation Board would supervise auction process. PTA would devise an appropriate methodology to conduct varying component of this auction as decided under the supervision of the Committee.
Instaphone License To Be Offered to New Operator
The Cabinet committee recommendations pertain to the auction of 3G frequencies and defunct instaphone Licence along with allocated frequency simultaneously but in quick succession.
To encourage competition, new international players as well as existing operators would also be invited for instaphpne licence auction being the sixth of the existing licencee in the country and not a new licencee.
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