Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
Logo
Agency overview
Formed	1994
Jurisdiction	Government of Pakistan
Agency executive	Dr. Mohammed Yaseen, Chairman
Website
www.pta.gov.pk

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is Pakistani government agency responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunications in Pakistan. Headquartered in Islamabad, PTA also has regional offices located in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad and Rawalpindi.

In June 2011, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported that overall cellular phone subscription has reached 107 million with increase of 2.7 million new numbers in the past two months.

History

The Pakistan Telecommunication Ordinance 1994, established the primary regulatory framework for the telecommunication industry including the establishment of an authority. Thereafter, Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act no XVII was promulgated in 1996 that aimed to reorganize the telecom sector of Pakistan. Under Telecom Reorganization Act 1996, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was established in January 1997 to regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems, and the provision of telecom services.

Functions

To regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and provision of telecommunication services in Pakistan. To receive and expeditiously dispose of applications for the use of radio-frequency spectrum. To promote and protect the interests of users of telecommunication services in Pakistan. To promote the availability of a wide range of high quality, efficient, cost effective and competitive telecommunication services throughout Pakistan. To promote rapid modernization of telecommunication systems and telecommunication services. To investigate and adjudicate on complaints and other claims made against licensees arising out of alleged contraventions of the provisions of this Act, the rules made and licenses issued there under and take action accordingly. To make recommendations to the Federal Government on policies with respect to international telecommunications, provision of support for participation in international meetings and agreements to be executed in relation to the routing of international traffic and accounting settlements.

Responsibilities of Authority

In exercising its functions and powers under the Act, the authority ensures:

Rights of licensees are duly protected. All of its decisions and determinations are made promptly, in an open equitable, non discriminatory, consistent and transparent manner. All applications made to it are disposed of expeditiously; The persons affected by its decisions or determination are given a due notice thereof and provided with an opportunity of being heard. It encourages, except subject to the exclusive right of the company in basic telephone service, fair competition in the telecommunication sector. The interest of users of telecommunication services are duly safeguarded and protected.

Licensing

PTA, has given number of Mobile, Fixed Line licenses to operators for services in Pakistan. Recently, PTA has completed the framework for 3G Mobile Phone Operations in Pakistan. The 3G is excepted to start in mid of 2008 in Pakistan. The 3G mobile licenses will have conditions for rollout obligations under which licensees will have to ensure 3G mobile services in metropolitan cities within 18 months of the grant of License. In this connection, licensees will require to provide performance bond to ensure the 3G mobile rollout obligation.

In 2011 PTA banned a number of "offensive" words

Controversy

On 14 November 2011, PTA distributed a list of 1,695 "obscene" words (1,109 in English and 586 in Urdu) to mobile network operators and gave them 7 days to mandatory implement SMS filtering. Many of the banned words were expletives or sexual slang, but the list included medical terms (such as "athlete's foot") and benign words (such as "Jesus" and "Budweiser"). Following widespread ridicule, particularly on social media, PTA backed down and promised more consultation on the final list of banned words.

PTA in collaboration with PTCL has also been surreptitiously blocking porn and other sites regarded as "undesirable" or "offensive". As of 01 Jan 2012, the block first detected in november remains in place. The block includes the popular music website Last.fm, for reasons unknown and unexplained. The block leads to a time out or redirects users to YouTube. Majority of the wired Pakistani society remains largely ignorant of this block, with no word forthcoming from PTA in explanation of their actions as of 4 Jan, 2012.(talk) 13:22, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

External links

• Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

• Pakistan: Leader in providing regulatory services on-line