‘Pak telecom authorities function transparently’
By: Muhammad Yasir
KARACHI: Pakistan’s telecom authorities and its functions are transparent, focused and operator’s friendly to spread information and communication technologies in the country, Lirenasia reported.
Pakistan handled the license renewal cleanly, eliminating uncertainty for the operators and realising enormous revenues for the exchequer, the regional telecom think tank reported while pointing out the regulatory framework and performance of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Pakistan conducted transparent auctions. Its USF (Universal Service Fund) company has succeeded in disbursing around 90 percent of the fund without favouring any operator, and supporting green technology as a bonus. Lirneasia compared Pakistan with India, saying India’s policy framework was inferior to that of Pakistan. It was a patched together series of compromises among various interest groups, especially those entrenched within BSNL/MTNL, the two telecom operators of India.
The country is entering to address the first licence renewals without a clearly stated principle in place as a matter of fact it has vacillated and sown the bitter harvest. “India’s Department of Telecommunications collects too much money in universal service levies, gave most of the money, especially in the early years, to BSNL, and is now unable to get rid of billions,” Lirenasia said.
However, India overtook Pakistan in mobile SIMs/100. Since 2004, India has been behind Pakistan on a key indicator, that is teledensity or mobile SIMs/100. Now finally, India has lagged Pakistan in the region with the country having highest teledensity. The loss of momentum for Pakistan started in 2008, whereas India was again ahead by 2011, it said.
Pakistan tele-density remained highest among the countries of South Asia till January 2011 with the modest annual growth continued in the last couple of years despite strict corrective measures and cutting-throat competition has slowed the industry’s telecommunication expansion. Its teledensity reached 66.8 percent by February 2011 but could not maintain its growth pace and status of highest teledensity of the region.
India’s teledensity reached 68.4 percent with number total users standing at 826.25 million in February 2011, Telecom Authority of India (TRAI) figures showed. Now, the number of telephone subscribers in India increased to 846.32 million at the end of March 2011 with status of highest teledensity among SAARC countries.
The Indian teledensity witnessed more than 2 percent growth on a monthly basis whereas Pakistan’s grew with less than one percent in the past six months.
India is pulling ahead because it is fundamentally a consultative, democratic government. The democracy cannot produce the clockwork efficiency that a well-functioning dictatorship can; but neither will it produce quasi-democratic dysfunction that follows the rare, brief interludes of efficient authoritarianism, the think tank added. The teledensity of Bangladesh stood at 45 percent with 71.5 million cellular phone users and 1028 thousands PSTN customers as per Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Commission.
Source: Daily Times
Date:7/26/2011
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