The Ministry of Information Technology has announced that the auction for 5G spectrum in the country will take place next year. Meanwhile, the Standing Committee has requested details of all PTCL properties leased or rented out.
According to details, a meeting of the National Assembly's IT Committee, chaired by Syed Aminul Haq, was held. In a briefing, the Secretary of IT revealed that the 5G spectrum auction would occur next year, and a consultant has been hired to determine the number of licenses to be auctioned and which companies will receive spectrum.
The Secretary added that efforts are being made to obtain the licenses as soon as possible, with the goal of launching services in select areas quickly. Telecom companies have also started considering upgrading their equipment for 5G. During the meeting, committee member Dr. Mukhtar Bharth raised a question about how many properties PTCL has leased. He pointed out that petrol stations and plazas have been constructed on PTCL land. PTCL officials responded that 62% of PTCL’s shares are held by the government, while 26% are owned by the Etisalat Group. The Standing Committee has requested detailed information on all properties leased or rented by PTCL.
Committee member Barrister Gohar Ali expressed concern that the minutes from the previous meeting had not yet been provided, to which Chairman Aminul Haq assured him they would be shared shortly. The Secretary of IT stated that a consultant is being hired for the 5G auction and emphasized that 5G would succeed when the private sector invests. He noted that importing equipment for technical requirements will take time. Barrister Gohar Ali questioned when 5G would be available nationwide, but the Secretary of IT could not provide a fixed date, stating that the process would take time. Chairman Aminul Haq urged all efforts to be accelerated to launch 5G by next year.
Ministry officials also briefed the Standing Committee on the e-office initiative, reporting that following the Prime Minister's notice, implementation has been sped up. As of October 1st, no manual summaries will be sent to the Prime Minister from any ministry; only e-office summaries will be submitted. The CEO of the National IT Board informed the committee that the e-office system is operational in all ministries. Chairman Aminul Haq urged ministries to fully implement the e-office system as soon as possible.
PTCL officials briefed the committee that 62% of shares are held by the government and 26% by Etisalat Group. The group still owes the government $800 million from 2006, and a committee under the Finance Minister is working to resolve this issue.
Dr. Mukhtar Bharth questioned how many PTCL properties had been leased. PTCL officials stated that no property had been leased out, but Dr. Mukhtar Malik responded that petrol stations and plazas have been built on PTCL land. PTCL officials clarified that vacant properties had been rented out. Dr. Mukhtar Malik asked whether any advertisements had been placed for leasing these properties and if the government received profits from these rents. He also inquired how many PTCL assets had been rented out by the Etisalat Group after 2005. The Chairman of the Committee instructed that these details be provided in the next meeting, to which IT Ministry officials responded that a report from the Finance Minister's committee would be shared.
Committee member Zulfiqar Bhatti commented that neither the service for customers has improved nor revenue increased since PTCL's privatization. He noted that no one responds to complaints. Consequently, the committee requested details of all PTCL properties leased and rented out.
The Standing Committee has recommended PTCL to take measures to improve the quality of its services. Committee member Umair Niazi also pointed out the poor service quality of Ufone, to which Chairman Aminul Haq responded that PTCL must work on enhancing its standards and services.
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