Islamabad: The National Assembly was briefed on key developments today, including the upcoming auction of additional spectrum and efforts to mitigate online financial fraud.

During the session, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced the commencement of the process for releasing additional spectrum. The Frequency Allocation Board is set to make available 567 Mega Hertz of additional spectrum across multiple bands, marking an increase of more than 200 percent compared to the current spectrum.

Minister Khawaja highlighted the rapid growth of Pakistan’s cellular network, with mobile subscribers now reaching 193.4 million and an average monthly data usage of 8.5 GB per subscriber. This expansion underscores the need for increased spectrum availability to support the burgeoning demand.

In response to inquiries, Minister for Climate Change and Environment Coordination Musadik Masood Malik indicated that the recent reduction in electricity prices is expected to bolster exports, create job opportunities, and stimulate the industrial sector.

Additionally, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addressed concerns over cybercrime, informing the assembly that the cybercrime agency is actively working to prevent online financial fraud. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has processed 604 URLs related to financial fraud for blocking.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar assured the assembly of a consensus-based resolution to canal issues. He emphasized that the matter should be resolved on technical grounds in accordance with the Constitution and the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reassured that no portion of Sindh’s water share would be diverted to other provinces and that any decisions would involve consultation with the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership.

The assembly session was adjourned and is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday at 4 p.m.