Pakistan parliamentary committee to summon operators over connection quality
In Pakistan, the parliamentary committee on information technology and telecommunications has decided to summon representatives of mobile operators over persistent problems with the quality of mobile communications and the internet. As Dawn reports, the companies are to explain the state of their networks at the next meeting.
Committee Chairman Aminul Haq said that subscribers have to dial a number three times to make a call. He also criticized the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), noting that the regulator had sent operators requests for explanations and warnings but imposed insufficient fines.
Fines and court challenges
The PTA said it continuously monitors the quality of mobile and internet services and conducts studies in cities. Operators are given 30 days to improve the quality of networks and services, while the maximum fine the regulator can impose is 350 million Pakistani rupees.
Authority representatives added that operators often secure court suspensions of penalties. Several cases are pending before courts, and decisions of the Telecommunications Tribunal have also been challenged.
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The PTA claims that service quality improves after the launch of 5G. According to a representative of the authority, the number of 5G sites in Karachi has increased to 279. The committee instructed the PTA to provide data on fines imposed on operators and the amounts actually collected.
Talks regarding Apple
Separately, the committee discussed Apple's possible entry into Pakistan's manufacturing market. Engineering Development Board CEO Hammad Mansoor said that negotiations with the technology company are ongoing. According to him, the possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Apple CEO John Ternus is also being explored during the Pakistani prime minister's upcoming trip to the United States.
Mansoor also said that an Apple store has already opened in Pakistan and expressed hope that the company would enter local manufacturing. According to his data, 37 companies manufacture phones in the country, while total local output has exceeded 35 million devices. The committee instructed the IT Ministry and the PTA to continue work to attract Apple.
Electricity for telecom infrastructure
The committee also considered the issue of electricity supply for telecommunications infrastructure. The IT Ministry is requesting uninterrupted power supply for mobile towers and an industrial electricity tariff for the telecommunications industry. At the same time, the Nepra regulator refused to apply such a tariff, so the committee decided to summon representatives of Nepra and the energy ministry to discuss the matter.
