Government to monitor telecom traffic

The government has decided to have complete check on the telecommunication traffic by monitoring landline calls, wireless local loop interaction, cellular phones calls/SMS and e-mails to avert any subversive activity through obnoxious and unwanted communication.
The government has asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to amend the existing law promulgated in 2008, bringing this under the preview of the constitution, sources in Interior Ministry told Business Recorder on Tuesday. The PTA has drafted 'Monitoring and Reconciliation of Telephony Traffic Regulations, 2009' and after thorough study by both PTA and Interior Ministry the draft was sent to telecommunication industry for their input on the law, which must reach the ministry before September 16, 2009, sources said.
The law was formulated to check terrorist activities, movement of arms and ammunition and drugs along with incidents of kidnapping, and to bring other crimes under control, Interior Ministry sources said. They said that a few months back Interior Minister Rehman Malik had announced to evolve a system to monitor telecom traffic with special emphasis on SMS frequency. But Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani asked the Ministry and PTA to stop such exercises, adding that there was no need of telecom traffic monitoring.
However, as per proposed law, all telecom service providers will install the system on their own to make it possible for the authority to monitor telephony traffic, the proposed draft reads, adding that such a monitoring system should have at least the capability to monitor, control, measure and record traffic in real-time; capability for complete signalling record, but not limited to billing; capability to accurately measure the quality of service; a complete list of the Pakistani customers; and complete details of capacity leased by the licensee(s) to their customers, the draft reads.
Once regulated, this monitoring system will enable PTA to check and analyse voice and data traffic flowing in and out of a network in the country. On the other hand, it is learnt that the telecom companies are not happy with the situation. When contacted by this scribe a well-known cellular company executive refused to comment on the issue.
However, he expressed reservations on installation of additional system at the cost of cell phone companies for multiple reasons. Meanwhile, according to the statement issued by PTA, the Authority has neither formed any regulations nor intends to monitor any personal communication including mobile phones, e-mails and SMS.
The spokesperson clarified that it was never a mandate of PTA to monitor landline telephones, mobile phones, e-mails and SMS. Hence the question of usurping freedom of expression does not arise. In fact, PTA in its efforts to curb illegal telecom traffic (grey traffic) coming into Pakistan from outside through illegal means, has installed a latest technical system. Through this system, all telecom traffic going out of Pakistan and coming from abroad are registered to ensure use of authorised means to carry out this business, to control illegal telecom traffic, billing verification and quality of service as required under the law.
PTA during past few months has seized a number of illegal exchanges and apprehended persons including foreigners involved in this business. These illegal systems were causing billions of rupees losses to the government. Thus by raiding such places PTA performed its legal and national duty which might have harmed the interests of a few individuals filing concocted stories in the media. Last year, PTA saved 1.17 billion minutes (calls) amounting to $94 million.
To make this system more effective, PTA has recently formulated draft of 'Monitoring and Reconciliation of Telephony Traffic Regulation 2009'. These regulations were originally formed and notified in November 2008 and now a few amendments have been proposed to enhance the scope of these regulations under the law.
The proposed regulations are aimed at checking international calls to curb the illegal telecom traffic coming from Pakistan. PTA has put the draft of proposed regulations on its website to seek comments of all concerned to make these regulations comprehensive and acceptable to all.