PTA to Open Financial Bids for 5G Consultancy Tomorrow

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will open financial bids for the 5G consultancy on October 3. Sources told ProPakistani that the ranking of the companies applying for the consultancy will be revealed once the financial bids are opened. While the lower financial bidder will be preferred, the final ranking will be based on both financial and technical bids. This process will determine which firm will assist in the rollout of 5G services in Pakistan. Five companies have submitted technical bids for the 5G consultancy: Aetha Consulting Limited, Detecon Consulting FZ-LLC, Frontier Economics Limited, KomKonsult (Private) Limited, and National Economic Research Associates Inc. The technical bids were opened earlier this month as part of PTA’s efforts to improve Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) in the country. The evaluation of both technical and financial bids will follow Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. The selected consultant firm will be tasked with preparing a comprehensive report on the launch of 5G in Pakistan. This report will be drafted in consultation with various stakeholders and will serve as the foundational document for the rollout of 5G services. According to PTA, the government has set a target to launch 5G services in Pakistan by April 2025, with the expectation of enhancing data speeds, connectivity, and economic opportunities across the country. Earlier this year, PTA invited applications for 5G consultancy after receiving approval from the Ministry of Finance. Following this, the authority issued Terms of Reference (ToRs) for hiring an international consultant to guide the 5G spectrum launch. Eleven firms submitted their expressions of interest (EOI) for the consultancy role, and in August 2024, PTA shortlisted 10 of these companies. One firm, JHK Construction, was excluded from the shortlist as it mistakenly submitted an EOI despite being a construction company. The remaining firms were assessed and shortlisted based on their ability to contribute to the government’s goal of releasing the IMT Spectrum for improved mobile broadband services in Pakistan.