PTCL allows ISPs alternate connection
KARACHI- The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has allowed the internet service providers an alternate connection to Fibre Link Around Globe (FLAG) following growing complaints of their coming under Denial of Service attacks due to some problems in the SingTel to which they are currently linked.
The decision came at the end of hours-long meeting between PTCL high ups and representatives of ISPs in Islamabad on April 15, 2003. All the 72 internet service providers (ISPs) use SingTel bandwidth, which is causing them to suffer Denial of Service (DoS) problem for almost a month now.
“PTCL has allowed shifting ISPs connection from SingTel to FLAG without any connection and monthly security or advance charges. The monthly advance or security charges already paid by ISPs would be adjusted against the FLAG bandwidth,” said a PTCL source.
He said as a makeshift arrangement no one time connection charges will be imposed on ISPs who want to shift their circuits from SingTel to FLAG. “This would be a one time relief to ISPs keeping in view the problems they have been facing in the existing bandwidth. PTCL would forward the case for adjustment of connection charges to the PTCL board for approval,” he added.
However, ISPs are willing to pay these charges in case PTCL board turns down the proposal. ISPAK, the representative body of ISPs will submit a list of ISPs with details of their locations and bandwidth required to PTCL to get connectivity to FLAG at the earliest.
FLAG is an undersea cable, project of a consortium comprising several European, Asian and Gulf States. Pakistan is connected to FLAG at Fujeirah, a point near Dubai. “PTCL would soon notify ISPs of the decision and seek applications from them those who want to switch over to FLAG. The company would finalise the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and present it to PTCL board for final approval,” added the source.
“The arrangement likens to water pipeline. When someone with two water pipelines have problems in one of the lines he is using, what should he do? Very obviously, he will switch over to the other line. This is exactly what PTCL has done after experiencing a month long crisis (caused by DoS),” he said.
Pakistan’s telecom system has been facing crisis like situation due to DoS problem for almost a month, much to the frustration of ISPs, which ultimately pass it on to internet browsers. Frequency of DoS attacks has increased and now they occur almost on a daily basis adversely effecting the internet data traffic of the whole country. On April 4 the country experienced the worst crisis when its connection with outside world suffered a sudden suspension for over 12 hours due to damages to PTCL’s fibre link SingTel.
Source: The News
Date:4/16/2003
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