National Assembly IT Committee Voices Concern Over Connectivity and LDI Issues
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication met to discuss ongoing connectivity issues and licensing disputes involving telecom operators. Federal Minister for IT, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, briefed the committee on government initiatives, including cybersecurity training programs for children.
Committee member Zulfiqar Ali raised concerns over the lack of mobile signals in his constituency. Responding to this, the CEO of the Universal Service Fund (USF) said the area’s connectivity project has already been approved, and implementation will begin soon.
Chairman PTA updated the committee about issues facing Long Distance and International (LDI) operators. He said Pakistan has 21 LDI companies, with 9 currently facing license-related disputes. Over 100 cases have gone to court in recent years.
“All these licenses are under renewal. Despite a meeting held a few weeks ago, no consensus has been reached,” the Chairman added.
Minister Shaza Fatima termed the matter complex and stated, “We cannot afford to waive even a single rupee of public money.” She proposed forming a subcommittee to hear from both the government and operators.
The committee accepted the suggestion and approved the formation of a subcommittee to review the license fee dispute.
Also read:
PTA Suspends New LDI License Applications Amid Market Saturation and Low Demand
Mobile Phone Taxes Portal
Find the PTA Taxes on All Phones on a Single Page using our Taxes Portal.
Note: Mobile phone tax rates and calculations fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), not the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
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