ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) accepted Warid Telecom’s plea to permit it to launch 4G services in the country.
The PTA had held auctions for 3G and 4G network licences on April 23 - a process in which Warid did not participate in. The bids of four mobile operators of Pakistan qualified for the auction of 3G and 4G namely Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone and Zong.
Warid had previously already obtained a spectrum that would allow the roll-out of 4G. The company's existing licence, which was acquired in 2004, is also technology neutral.
While Warid planned to launch 4G LTE (long-term evolution) to compete with the 3G/4G licence-holders, the PTA had insisted that the company needed permission from the regulator for the introduction of the new service.
It was earlier expected that PTA may withhold Warid's request for permission to go for the launch of 4G (LTE) considering the interests of other cellular companies who bought the (3G/4G) licences for $1.12 billion.
Zong and other cellular companies have serious reservations over this decision by the PTA, as they paid heavily during the bid and also invested their time.
Reacting to the announcement, Zong held a press conference and lashed out at PTA's decision. While Zong would require at least a year to offer a complete new array of services to its customers, Warid could easily launch its service within months after the PTA’s permission.
Read more here : PTA-Warid row over 4G LTE