The government has decided to revise the ‘Approved Settlement Rates’ (ASR) for transparent sharing of premium, being earned on incoming international telephonic traffic, after the cellular companies registered protest over the current mechanism and recent determinations of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Official documents, exclusively obtained by Business Recorder, show that the government would also incorporate changes in the prevalent regulations to effectively curb the menace of grey traffic, resulting in huge loss to the national exchequer.
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Blashphemous Facebook Page Banned in Pakistan [Updated]

After clear discrimination of Facebook for not banning blasphemous Fan Page, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom has directed PTA to ban Facebook Page in Pakistan, told us sources close to authority.

A reliable source, who is in direct contact with Secretary MoIT, told ProPakistani that ministry has issued the directive to PTA to ban said blasphemous content in the country.

Ministry of Information Technology directs PTA for banning any URL or whole of website in case of any inappropriate content available on it.

It is yet to be ascertained if the whole Facebook will be banned or just a single URL will be filtered. In both the situations, Step is inline with thousands of Facebook users and according to their urge of boycotting Facebook on May 20th.

It merits mentioning here that a Fan Page on Facebook is encouraging its members to draw Prophet Mohammad’s drawings (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa-aal-hi-Wasallam).

Despite thousands of requests, Facebook didn’t put this page down even it violated Facebook’s own terms of services.

Update: (3:14 PM – May 18, 2010) We have received confirmation from PTA that directive has been issued to all ISPs for blocking a single URL (of the particular Fan Page). Order was issued by Yawar Yasin, Director Enforcement PTA.

PTCL has confirmed the recipient of the order and said that specific URL is in process of being blocked throughout its network.

Update: (8:24 PM – May 18, 2010) Facebook fan page in question is still opening on various ISPs, however, reports are coming that specific URL is inaccessible on selected ISPs. Complete blackout is expected later tonight.

Source:- ProPakistani.pk

PTA Press Release

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued Show Cause Notice to initiate proceedings against M/s PTCL on showing poor quality of service, based on the results of the joint Quality of Service (QoS) Survey conducted recently by PTA.  PTA has given 30 days time to PTCL to submit the reply. Based on the outcome PTA, under the Telecom Act, reserves the right to proceed legally.

The QoS surveys is a regular activity of PTA and the objective is to ensure that the interests of the consumers of telecommunication services are duly safeguarded and that the licensees are providing the telecom services as per the service quality standards of the license.

PTA, from time to time, has been repeatedly informing PTCL about its poor QoS and PTCL was directed to improve the quality as per license conditions, however, no improvement made therein despite ample time provided to PTCL.  As a result, show cause notice has been served to initiate the proceedings against the licensee as per rules.

According to the details, survey was conducted across Pakistan including major and small cities and rural areas from August to October 2009 along with the PTCL representatives on a mutually agreed survey methodology. It may be mentioned that this is the first instance of PTCL being show caused on account of poor quality of service which clearly shows the PTA’s resolve for not compromising on sub-standard services to the telecom consumers.

Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said that ensuring quality services to consumers has always been priority to PTA. This is evident from the continuous surveys conducted by PTA for both mobile and fixed line sectors. The recent establishment of Consumer Protection Directorate, providing fast and easy complaint registration mechanism is another major step in protecting and safeguarding consumer interests.

Khurram A.Mehran

Director (PR)

Source:-

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (http://www.pta.gov.pk)

The cellular phone operators companies have added 2.367 million new subscribers on their respective networks in the first five months of the current fiscal year 2009-10 despite having witnessed correction of SIM data base in the recent months.

According to the latest statistics updated by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the overall cellular phone connections have raised to 96.7 million with the teledensity touching 59.03 percent by the end of November 2009.
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PTA Released Quality of Service (QoS) Report of All Mobile Operators in Pakistan

Pakistan Telecom Association (PTA) has released report of Quality services of mobile phone operators.   This report base on these factors

Results City wise

Service retain ability

Speech Quility

All mobile phone operators included in this report!

Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor, WaridTel, CMPak (Zong).

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In press release PTA in order to facilitate mobile users remove the condition of submitting CNIC copy which SIM data correction

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After the successful lunch of 668 service PTA start service online, now people of Pakistan can confirm online via internet how many sims register on their NIC,

MESSAGE of PTA

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has developed a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) information system to address associated risks on security and to ensure subscription regulations in cellular sector.

The objective of the project is to provide a consumer-based facility to mobile subscribers in Pakistan by which they would be able to find out the total number of SIM(s) registered against their respective CNIC number with each mobile operator.

To confirm sims online use this

http://www.pta.gov.pk/668/index.html

To confirm via SMS

send your nice number with out dashes to 668   charges RS 2+ tax

Daily Times Monitor

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

PTA to monitor all telecom, cyber traffic

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has drafted a plan to monitor all telecommunication traffic, including landlines, mobile services and emails, a private TV channel reported on Monday.

According to the channel, a code of conduct has been finalised and a draft had also been displayed on the PTA website. The PTA has also urged stakeholders to give recommendations by September 16. (Daily Times)

No plan to monitor phone calls, texts or emails: PTA

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not formed, nor does it intend to form any regulations to monitor telecom traffic including phones calls, e-mails and text messages.

Denying news reports detailing PTA’s plans to monitor all telecommunication traffic, a PTA spokesman said monitoring cyber and telecom traffic was never the PTA’s mandate. Hence, the question of curbing freedom of expression does not arise in this particular case, he said. The spokesman said the PTA, in its efforts to curb illegal telecommunication traffic (grey traffic) coming into Pakistan from abroad, had installed state-of-the-art filters. (Daily Times)