Turk Cell keen to take part in 3G auction
ISLAMABAD: The government might succeed in its efforts to enter a new player in the telecom sector as Turk Cell has showed keen interest in the forthcoming next generation spectrum auction and very soon its representatives will visit Pakistan for the purpose.
Turk Cell has showed its interest to invest in the telecom sector of Pakistan in a meeting with Pakistani delegation headed by Minister of State for IT Ms Anusha Rehman. The meeting was held during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Officials of the ministry say that the government is pursuing its efforts to maximise gains from the next generation spectrum auction and has set a target of more than $2 billion from the auction of 6 blocks available with it.
It is also pertinent to mention here that the government is exploring all possible options to make it sure that a new entrant comes in the market. Mainly the purpose is to ion among the bidders and maximise financial gains.
The government has reserved one block out of 6 only for the new entrant other than the already operating 5 companies in Pakistan. That does not mean that the new entrants cannot bid for the other 5 available blocks but the present players will not be able to bid for the reserved block.
In response to its efforts it has received first response in terms of interest taken by Turk Cell. During the meeting with Turk Cell Anusha Rehman assured them the commitment of the government regarding facilitating new investors. As per officials she also told them about the growth rate in telecom sector in Pakistan that was reported around 7 per cent over recent months.
As per an official statement issued by the Ministry of IT & Telecom, Anusha Rehman emphasised that 98pc of Pakistani population is still to be connected with broadband services (3G/4G/LTE) which indicates an enormous opportunity for the companies to invest in this area with a surety of decent returns.
Spectrum in 850 MHz band is made available for new entrants to provide them level playing field. Also, Ministry of IT has included additional spectrum in 1800 MHz band for auction for speeding up the proliferation of 4G services in Pakistan.
The Chairman, Turk Cell appreciated the vision and efforts of the Pakistani government for provision of latest technologies and services to the people of Pakistan. CEO, Turk Cell shared the initiatives which Turk Cell had undertaken to disseminate e-services in Turkey particularly in areas of e-health and e-education.
The Chairman Turk Cell considered Pakistan as a flourishing market offering a huge potential for investment in telecom sector. A high-level delegation of Turk Cell is expected to visit Pakistan to study the market more closely.
Minister of State for IT ensured him that the government and regulator (PTA) would support and facilitate the telecom industry. The Pakistani delegation included Minister of State for IT, Secretary IT, Chairman PTA, Member Telecom and Executive Director FAB.
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