The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) finalised the Telecom Airwaves Spectrum Refarming Framework draught on Tuesday in an effort to repurpose the available spectrum bands.
The government would be able to auction 300-400 MHz spectrum bands available with several departments thanks to the framework, which was created after collaboration with pertinent players. The ministry claims that certain frequency bands are currently underutilised.
The government had put surplus spectrum up for auction in 2021, charging $30 million for each megahertz (MHz). The government's goal is to raise billions of dollars by consolidating the spectrum used by the nation's various agencies and organisations.
Across the globe, communication service providers use airwave spectrum refarming to maximise the use of the current bands. It uses spectrum bands that were formerly allotted for older cellular services, such 2G mobile services, to support newer mobile technologies.
Syed Aminul Haque, the minister of information technology and telecommunications, stated in a statement: "Spectrum refarming is considered a powerful and innovative approach to manage the spectrum dynamically, in order to make it available for newer commercial applications, including 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), broadband wireless access, and digital broadcasting."
This framework was created with the growing demand for high-tech radio and cellular communication services in mind, he continued. The draught has been posted online at the ministry's request for organisations and people to provide feedback. After that, it will be submitted for approval to the federal cabinet.
The ministry anticipates that spectrum refarming will support both emerging technologies in the nation as well as help to increase the quality and coverage of mobile broadband services.
