The business community has strongly criticised the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited for making unprecedented increase of 421 percent in the charges of universal access numbers (UAN). The PTCL changed the tariff rate for the UAN number subscribers without any intimation to the customers while no advertisement was given in the national press to publicise the tariff increase move.
The company enormously and absurdly increased the charges from Rs 3623 to Rs 18,876 per quarter, which is absolutely an impediment for smooth operation of any business organisation under the prevailing circumstances, said Zonal Member of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kh. Khawar Rashid while talking to Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
He termed the tariff increase an unethical and unlawful business practice that PTCL has carried out and this shall only result in an increase in their outstanding bills. No one would agree to pay such huge amount on account of UAN numbers, particularly when other charges are being made cheaper, he said and added the PTCL would earn a hefty amount from the subscribers.
The PTCL sources, on contact, said that the UAN service was commenced about 13 years back in 1995 and since then the company had not increased a single penny in the tariff. On the contrary, during last 13 years, the inflation has been substantially increased, rupee depreciated against the dollar, while electricity, petroleum and diesel prices had gone up in recent past.
Because of severe load shedding, every PTCL exchange had to install diesel generator to overcome the power shortage issue that added additional financial burden on the company, the sources said. The UAN service had remained severely under priced and the company had no option to either terminate the service or increase the tariff. It had become necessary to upwardly revise the UAN charges to meet the rising cost.
PTCL is still providing this service at cheaper level as compared to regional countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India provides the same service at Rs 5000, Nepal Rs 9,000 while Bangladesh charges Rs 4000 per month, the sources claimed. About prior intimation to the consumer, the sources said that currently the users of UAN numbers are in thousands and the company had issued memo to the all the major subscribers.
To a question, the sources said the company does not need any approval from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for increasing tariff, however, the company had consulted the PTA officials in this regard prior to increase effective from October 1, 2008.
The sources further disclosed the PTA whose role should have been restricted to only regulate the telecom service providers in the country, is indulged in the business. It has retained all attractive UAN numbers with itself including 111, 0800, 0900 and selling one number at a cost of Rs 300,000-Rs 400,000, the sources maintained.
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