The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has offered comprehensive clarifications regarding the assignment phase, pricing structure, bidder responsibilities, and information transparency in response to new inquiries from mobile operators concerning the Information Memorandum (IM) for the forthcoming spectrum auction.
In its written responses, the PTA clarified that the assignment stage determines prices that are additional to allocation-stage prices, with opening prices for all assignment positions set at zero. A bid at the assignment stage represents a binding commitment to pay the bid price for a specific position within the band, while the pricing and activity rules remain the same as those applied during the allocation stage. The increment schedule for assignment rounds will be communicated to qualified bidders ahead of time.
On bid structure, the regulator said that bidders can only request a switch into one position per round, and any request to change position within a band must be made through a decrease bid for the current position and an increase bid for the desired position, mirroring the allocation-stage process. Bid prices must fall between the opening price and the clock price for that round.
Clarifying a key industry concern, the PTA confirmed that in bands such as 2600 MHz, the assignment stage will consist of three categories: bottom, middle and top, with one lot in each category, regardless of differing spectrum quantities held by bidders. Importantly, the winner of the middle position will not know the exact frequencies in advance, as these depend on which bidder secures the bottom position.
At the application stage, the PTA said no indicative demand for specific bands or quantities is required. However, submission of the formal application along with the pre-bid deposit constitutes a commitment of a minimum of 50 MHz each in the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands.
Rejecting proposals for post-auction rationalisation, the PTA ruled out any trading window to allow bidders to adjust spectrum holdings before the assignment stage, stating that such a feature is not part of the auction design.
On transparency, the authority said the Electronic Auction System (EAS) will allow bidders to download round results in CSV format, including historic data, which can be opened in Excel. After each round except the final one, bidders will be able to see their processed quantities and prices, aggregate and excess demand by category, and opening and clock prices for the next round.
The PTA also confirmed that each bidder will have two extension rights, correcting an inconsistency in the glossary that will be addressed in the final IM.
The regulator said all clarifications will be further explained during the Information Session on February 16, the Bidder Seminar on March 4, and the Mock Auction on March 5, as it moves to firm up the framework for Pakistan’s long-awaited spectrum auction.