PTA may withdraw ban on Internet telephony
KARACHI- Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is likely to withdraw this week a ban it had imposed on Internet telephony at the outset of the year, in the wake of strong backlash from the country’s 112 Internet service providers, official sources said on 15, October 2002.
“We have been discussing the matter for quite long. Final decision in this regard is expected on 16, October 2002”, Nasim A Vohra, Director General Enforcement, PTA said. The Authority high ups met on 15, October 2002 and discussed the issue but could not reach final decision, he informed.
Earlier this year, the telecoms regulator put a stop to Internet telephony by imposing a ban on 17 websites, which facilitated calls to North America bypassing the Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL).
PTCL officials argue that under the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act 1996, basic telephone services were the prerogative of the phone utility.
The Act declares that “basic telephone services mean the provision of any telecommunications service, which consists of two-way live voice telephone service in digital form or otherwise over any fixed switched network or between base stations or switches or modes of any public mobile switched network; real-time transmission or reception of facsimile images over a public fixed switched network; international telephony service; and the lease of circuits for the provisions of the services specified.”
Some 112 ISPs in the country lodged strong protest with the PTA against the decision forcing the Authority to go for a review of the decision.
Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK), the only representative body of the country’s 112 ISPs, raised the issue in its meetings with Federal Minister for Science and Technology and Chairman PTA.
When asked about the closure of voice chat channels, he said the issue would be taken up in future meetings.
The PTA last week closed down MSN voice chat channel. ISPAK claims the move has adversely hit the revenue generation of ISPs.
Source: The News
Date:10/16/2002
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
