Row over ban on Internet telephony, PTA invites ISPs, PTCL to make presentation
KARACHI- The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has invited Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited and Internet service providers to prove their claims in favour of and against ban on Internet telephony, said a top PTA official October 16th, 2002.
“The Authority high ups met and decided to resolve the dispute which emerged after a ban on Internet telephony earlier this year, by inviting both the parties — Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) – on 15 October to make presentation on the issue to substantiate their claims”, the official said.
He said the Authority had sent a formal invitation in this regard to the PTCL and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK), the only representative body of the country’s 112 ISPs.
The telecoms regulator, put a stop earlier this year to Internet telephony by imposing a ban on 17 websites which facilitated calls to North America bypassing the PTCL.
The decision was followed by an announcement last week of decrease in rates for international calls. The Company brought down calling rates for Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, from 31.05-44.85 per minute to Rs25 per minute and decreased for the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Russia from 48.30 per minute to Rs39 per minute.
PTCL officials argue that under the Pakistan Telecommunication (Reorganisation) 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.”
The ban drew such uproar from the 112 ISPs of the country that the PTA was forced to rethink its decision. It held meetings and decided to invite both the parties to end the dispute, which is expected to be resolved in withdrawal of ban altogether. The PTA also closed down MSN voice chat channel last week. ISPAK claims the move has adversely hit the revenue generation of ISPs. The ISPAK, which is currently fighting against ban on Internet telephony is preparing to take up the voice chat channel issue with the Authority.
Source: The News
Date:10/17/2002
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