In an official notification, the regulator said the changes were approved following consultations with stakeholders and form part of the pre-auction documentation finalisation process.

The PTA also announced that an information and briefing session for prospective applicants will be held on February 16, 2026.

According to the authority, the base price, rollout obligations, and licence fee terms and conditions have been retained in the final IM. However, key performance benchmarks have been revised under the updated framework.

Under the amendments, uplink speed requirements for premium services have been reduced from 25 per cent to 20 per cent of downlink speeds.

The performance assessment mechanism has also been shifted from minimum to median downlink speeds.

The notification said the revised IM and licence template clarify compliance requirements, auction procedures, and post-award operational obligations for prospective operators.

Phased quality of service standards

The final IM outlines three phases for quality of service (QoS) standards:

Phase 1 (2026-2028): Baseline Standards

• Median downlink speed: 20 Mbps (4G), 50 Mbps (5G)
• Uplink speed: 20% of downlink

Phase 2 (2028-2030): Enhanced Standards

• Median downlink speed: 35 Mbps (4G), 75 Mbps (5G)
• Uplink speed: 20% of downlink

Phase 3 and 4 (2030-2035): Premium Standards

• Median downlink speed: 50 Mbps (4G), 100 Mbps (5G)
• Uplink speed: 20% of downlink

Officials said the upcoming auction will cover multiple spectrum bands across low, mid, and high frequency ranges to support nationwide 5G deployment, enhance mobile broadband capacity, and enable advanced digital services.

The spectrum auction is scheduled for March 10, 2026, following earlier adjustments to allow for stakeholder consultations and documentation updates.