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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has barred incumbent telecom operators from submitting zero or partial bids in the first round of the upcoming spectrum auction, warning that any failure to meet minimum bid requirements will result in disqualification and forfeiture of pre-bid deposits.
In a formal response to operators’ queries regarding the auction’s Information Memorandum (IM), the regulator said incumbents must submit bids for at least five lots in the 2600 MHz band and five lots in the 3500 MHz band in Round 1. The PTA clarified that a bid of zero—or bids below the minimum lot requirement in either band will invalidate the operator’s entire bid submission for the opening round.
The authority emphasized that while the IM describes minimum bid levels as quantity restrictions applicable to Round 1, these limits are mandatory and not optional. “A valid set of bids must include at least five lots at 2600 MHz and five lots at 3500 MHz for a bidder qualified as an incumbent,” the PTA said.
The regulator further warned that failure to submit a valid bid set in the first round will be treated as a zero bid across all lot categories, triggering full forfeiture of the pre-bid deposit and exclusion from subsequent participation in the auction.
Separately, the PTA outlined the pricing rule for later rounds, stating that bids submitted after Round 1 may fall between the Opening Price and the Clock Price, but all bid values must be in multiples of $1,000. The auction system, it added, will automatically block any bid that is not rounded to the nearest $1,000.
The latest clarifications signal a stricter regulatory posture ahead of the long-awaited auction, limiting the ability of incumbent operators to adopt tactical bidding strategies in the opening round and reinforcing the PTA’s stated intent to ensure only serious participation.
