PTA all set to streamline its ‘Type Approval’ process

PTA all set to streamline its ‘Type Approval’ process

Pakistan has witnessed a massive surge in mobile penetration in the recent years, this potential into mobile industry encouraged international as well as local players to emerge and launch their own brand. Pakistan now has a number of these branded names working in Pakistan.

This profound development in mobile industry and entry of new smartphones and players into mobile market has raised concerns of identity, safety and quality of these devices in the industry, which led PTA to streamline its type approval process as the process was causing delays in the clearance of shipments from customs. The delay in shipment of devices besides inconvenience has resulted in billions of stuck investment by the importers and distributors.

PTA type approval is the mechanism by which particular equipment is approved for general sale and is suitable to connect with a specific public telecommunication network. It is the mechanism by which individuals and businesses are protected from any illegal or any unreasonable dealings.

It may be noted that granting of type approval to telecom equipment is simply to make sure that the equipment conforms to defined standards and requirements. Type approval serves the purpose of registering and approving the mobile devices that are going to be in market after the approval. Other than all this, it’s most important purpose is to maintain consumer rights of the quality and safety of the equipment.

All the distributors and the stakeholders are invited by PTA for a consultative process and a meeting is scheduled on 10th June, 2014, where they could discuss all the major issues that OEM’s/ Distributors were facing in current type approval process.

Over the months, many suggestions have been made for possible streamlining reforms in the type approval process of PTA. Recently, all the distributors and the stakeholders are invited by PTA for a consultative process and a meeting is scheduled on 10th June, 2014, where they could discuss all the major issues that OEM’s/ Distributors were facing in current type approval process.

The purpose of the meeting is not only to consider practical ways of streamlining the process of device testing, but many other agendas items will also be the part of the meeting, i.e. how to curb illegal/smuggled devices, whether type approval process should be the same for all devices? advertising accurate and fair features of the device, etc.

We can hope that these meetings will help the type approval process in getting more streamlined, speedy and cost-effective for the industry to grow.