Pakistan telecom sector received significant foreign investment amounting to US $9 billion during the last three years while another US $4 billion investment is expected during the next 3-4 years. Chairman PTA Shahzada Alam disclosed this while briefing newsmen during 26th meeting of the Asia Pacific GSM Association, here on Monday.
The cellular subscribers have crossed benchmark of 50 million with 1.5 million new subscribers being added every month, he added. 'We can see Pakistan taking lead by being the first country in South Asia to have implemented the mobile number portability (MNP) facility. The mobile phone number portability system recently launched cost Rs 5-6 billion to the cell-phone operators for upgradation of their system while PTA did not spend even a single penny on launching of MNP facility', he maintained.
He further disclosed that so far only 3-percent of the users have availed the new facility while we expect 1.5 to 2 percent total shift in this regard. The International Telecom Union has selected Pakistan for setting up of a centre of excellence to impart technical training, he added.
To a question, PTA chairman said that issuance of cell phone Sims without national identity cards by the private vendors has become serious problem and PTA would take action against the delinquents. We are issuing warning to the mobile phone operators to observe prescribed rules and regulations in this regard, he maintained. To another question, he said that PTA had set up a consortium of mobile phone operators to review MNP system and a company has also been established to regulate the MNP affairs.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman GSM Association of Pakistan, Mehboob Chaudhry said that GSM operators are present in 217 territories and countries and the association monitor telecom indicators of these countries to process their analyses on the status of a country's telecom sector, regulatory framework and quality in the GSM framework.
CEO Warid Telecom Hamid Farooq while appreciating the government's policies said: "We have more than 50 million GSM subscribers in Pakistan with a growth rate of 170 percent for the year 2006".
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