The government's broadband policy announced in November 2004 has unable to attract potential investment and failed to increase its usage across the country.
Sources in the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) told Business Recorder on Monday, the broadband policy is still not effective due to non-user-friendly environment and higher tariff prices.
The broadband connection is still unaffordable in the country. For example, the STM-1 tariffs for international connection is $76,000, where as for Karachi-Islamabad, it is $123,500.
Similarly, for bulk purchasers, the broadband rates are much higher. In the revised tariff, the international DS3 tariff is mentioned as $31,348 per month and with the same tariff structure the pricing for the STM-1 should have been $62,696 per month.
But the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has fixed it at $76,000. In other words, the bulk purchaser has been put to a disadvantage of about $13,304 per month.
When contacted, Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) president Ansarul Haq told Business Recorder use of broadband connection in Pakistan is one of the lowest in the region.
He pointed out in Pakistan, the number of Internet users is already very low compared to other countries, but the number of broadband users is even lower.
In Pakistan, there are only 2.5 million Internet users against 6 million users in India and 100 million in China. Whereas broadband users in India are more than 6 percent of total Internet users, in China, 45 percent and in Pakistan their number is less than one percent of the total Internet users.
He said when broadband penetrates, it can cause high PC penetration with high computer literacy, large number of broadband cyber-cafe for experience games and video.
For growth of broadband in Pakistan, he said, the cost of 100kbnps bandwidth should be less than one percent of average monthly income of users. For this, he said, strong government commitment is essential.
He criticised PTCL policies and said they are the main impediment in growth of broadband connection in Pakistan.
In the agreement for a DSL connection, the PTCL put very stringent obligations on users of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), which make the connection unattractive for a common user.
For example, he said, any type of voice, speech, fax and use of compression equipment on DSL system is strictly prohibited. "Then what is the purpose of getting high speed DSL connection," he asked.
He suggested the government should create an enabling environment for private sector including private data gateway. Pakistan should be made a part of the global information society, he added.
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