30-Year Spectrum Dispute Blocks 4G and 5G Rollout in Pakistan
Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad: Pakistan’s long-delayed rollout of advanced 4G and 5G mobile services has been paralyzed by a 30-year-old legal dispute over a critical 140 MHz spectrum block, officials disclosed during a Senate Standing Committee briefing on Information Technology and Telecommunication. The unresolved litigation, which began in 1995, has left the country’s digital future hostage and continues to cripple mobile service quality nationwide.

Officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of IT called the spectrum the “motorway” for next-generation connectivity. They warned that without its release for auction, data networks will remain severely congested, with users facing what they described as “100% data choking.” The lack of spectrum availability was cited as the direct cause of Pakistan’s poor mobile internet quality.

The dispute centers on Sun TV, also a company owned by businessman Akeel Kareem Dhedhi. Despite decades of legal wrangling in district courts, high courts, and the Supreme Court, the case remains unresolved. Committee members condemned what they described as “forum hunting,” where the case has repeatedly shifted between courts without a final judgment.

In a shocking disclosure, a legal expert told the committee that there is no current stay order preventing the government from auctioning the spectrum. However, officials admitted that fear of future litigation by the claimant continues to block decisive action. The inaction was labeled as “criminal negligence” by senators, who said the deadlock has already cost Pakistan billions of dollars in lost opportunities and investments.

Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, chairing the committee, directed that the Attorney General for Pakistan, along with senior officials from the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and PEMRA, be summoned to the next meeting. She stressed that immediate steps must be taken to resolve the impasse, urging the government to prioritize the issue as a matter of national digital security and economic growth.

News Link : Decades-Long Spectrum Dispute Delays Pakistan 4G and 5G – Peak Point