Pakistani officials said on July 28, 2011 that the government plans to release its first 3G licenses for mobile telecom services in October this year, Reuters reported. The Pakistani government aims to generate approximately US$1 billion through an open auction to be held in mid or late October. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is projected to report available 3G spectrum to the Ministry of Information Technology in August, and the number of licenses to be issued will depend on the availability of the spectrum.