The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has selected NERA, a leading United States-based international consultancy firm, to provide consultancy services for the Government of Pakistan’s upcoming spectrum auction.
This auction aims to enhance Next Generation Mobile Broadband Services in the country. NERA, which ranked among the top two companies in technical evaluations and offered the lowest financial bid of $0.750 million, has been issued a letter of intent (LOI) by the PTA. The firm must respond within seven working days to assist in planning the 5G spectrum auction, scheduled for completion by April 2025.
NERA, headquartered in the US with offices in Europe and the Far East, is renowned for its economic and commercial modeling expertise for the telecom industry and government organizations, particularly in spectrum evaluation. Although Aetha Consulting Limited matched NERA in technical bids, NERA’s financial bid was the most competitive.
The selection process involved five international consultancy firms, all of which qualified in technical evaluations. The financial bids were opened on October 3, 2024, and after thorough due diligence and adherence to PPRA guidelines, no objections were raised against NERA’s technical and financial evaluations. Consequently, the PTA proceeded to issue the LOI to NERA.
The consultancy firms that submitted bids included Aetha Consulting Limited, Detecon Consulting FZ-LLC, Frontier Economics Limited, KomKonsult (Private) Limited, and National Economic Research Associates Inc. The chosen consultant will advise on policy actions and reforms to boost infrastructure investment, broadband proliferation, and sector sustainability and growth.
NERA’s responsibilities will include comparing Pakistan’s current cellular/IMT spectrum assignments with regional practices, identifying gaps, and suggesting a phased auction of paired spectrum in the 700 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz bands, as well as unpaired spectrum in the 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz bands.
Additionally, NERA will determine the per MHz spectrum price for these bands in both USD and PKR, with future projections for the next three years. This will involve using demand and supply-side models and exploring innovative payment options, such as flexible installment plans. The firm will also provide a report on the valuation of the spectrum, including base prices and future projections for the next three years.
