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ISLAMABAD, Sep 08 (APP):Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA, Julian Gorman Monday said spectrum policy forms the foundation of economic development and is essential to fuel Pakistan’s digital ambitions.
Briefing on Pakistan’s upcoming spectrum auction, he said the process could play a pivotal role in advancing the country’s vision of becoming a digital nation.
Gorman stressed that spectrum policy underpins economic growth and aligns with Pakistan’s broader economic vision—shifting from stabilization towards sustainable, export-led development.
He pointed out that information technology and telecom had been identified as low-hanging fruit for exports and job creation, targeting $25 billion by 2030.
Calling spectrum a scarce national resource, he said it was vital to maximize its benefits for society, the economy, and digital transformation. “A cashless Pakistan and digitized governance systems rely on ubiquitous, high-quality mobile connectivity,” he noted, adding that AI-enabled governance and digital public services cannot scale without affordable spectrum.
He emphasized that low-band spectrum is the cornerstone of digital equality, driving broad and affordable connectivity. Additional spectrum, he said, would improve internet quality in Pakistan, which currently lags in available data speeds, ranking 98th out of 104 countries globally.
Gorman cautioned that delaying spectrum allocation could cost the economy between $1.8 billion and $4.3 billion over the next five years.
He also highlighted that Pakistan faces one of the highest spectrum costs worldwide, accounting for about 20 percent of operators’ revenues—an issue that negatively impacts both coverage and internet speeds.
“Every 10 percentage-point increase in the spectrum cost-to-revenue ratio reduces 4G and 5G coverage by up to six percentage points and lowers average mobile internet speeds by as much as 8 percent,” he said.
Underscoring that insufficient spectrum reduces productivity and affordability of mobile services, directly affecting users and businesses, he urged the government to ensure sustainable investment in network expansion.
For this, Gorman proposed a balanced approach: resolving outstanding legal, regulatory, and fiscal issues; setting conservative reserve prices lower than previous auctions; denominating spectrum fees in Pakistani rupees to mitigate currency fluctuation risks; offering flexible payment options with affordable upfront fees; deducting licence obligation costs from spectrum fees; and committing to a transparent spectrum roadmap to support long-term planning.
He said that implementing these measures would not only strengthen Pakistan’s digital infrastructure but also unlock significant economic benefits for the country.