PTA Hints at Making Off-net Calls Cheaper

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has hinted at making off-net calls further cheaper by reviewing Mobile Termination Rate (MTR), official documents revealed. The MTR plays a vital role in protecting smaller players and automatically rationalising retail tariffs. The changing market structure of the cellular segment in Pakistan required a review of the current MTR at Re 0.90 per minute.

PTA Hints at Making Off-net Calls Cheaper

Previously, PTA reduced the MTR for all types of calls from Re 0.90 to Re 0.80 from January 1, 2019. The rate has further been reduced to Re 0.70 in 2020. Now, to provide more relief to the customers, the MTR will be further reviewed in line with international best practices.

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The MTR is basically the amount that the receiving operator must charge when a call is made to another network. The MTR of Re 0.90 per minute was determined in 2010 and no operator could charge less than this rate.

PTA has also asked all the stakeholders for their input in revising the MTR. Subsequently, the MTR will be reviewed in the coming years in line with the international best practices. It is expected that the revised MTR will help to keep tariffs low for consumers.

The documents further revealed that the PTA carries out a regular exercise to verify and check whether Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) are charging their customers’ retail tariffs according to advertised rates or not.

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Source: Business Recorder