Snags in IP whitelisting process identified: ISPAK accuses PTA of protecting certain interests

The Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK), while identifying bottlenecks in the IP whitelisting process has accused the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) of protecting certain interests and requested suspension of the process.

The association has written a letter to Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa (retired), chairman PTA, while stating that the recent blocking of the IP addresses by the PTA's Web Management System (WMS) has created havoc in Pakistani IT, BPO, and call center industry. Broadband operators are also partners in this suffering as they serve these customers and interact with the PTA for cumbersome, bureaucratic and time-consuming whitelisting process.

Many BPOs and call centers have lost their foreign contracts and have started laying off their staff. The PTA issued IP whitelisting regulations without consulting broadband operators and the IT industry.

A limited consultation was carried out mainly with long distance international (LDIs) operators, on who are drivers and financiers of the WMS. The LDIs are direct beneficiary of this system and instead of implementing a balanced approach, whole downstream IT Industry and internet users at large have been made hostage to their profits.

Consultation with beneficiaries without involvement of victims is actually no consultation at all. We have already brought this to the notice of the PTA in May 2019 but no action was taken.

Protection of internet users' interests is also a prime obligation of the PTA and these key stakeholders have been totally ignored and sidelined in this process. Current process of the PTA for whitelisting of the IP addresses for video conferencing, virtual private networks (VPNs) and VOIP requires more than 10 documents submission by the customers through broadband providers and takes 7-15 days processing by the PTA.

It is unthinkable that any business in a fast paced world of IT, can wait for this long. Before IP blocking, the PTA should have been proactive to implement an online portal to address whitelisting requests within an hour. The PTA's fee has to be submitted by the operator in form of demand draft or pay order, which requires a lot of manual work and running around.

No one gave a thought that in today's world of e-payments, an efficient system could have been easily implemented by the PTA to facilitate the industry. Media reports mentioned that $30 million were spent on installing the WMS.

Additional investment of few thousand dollars in an online portal could have prevented this havoc and loss of business and reputation to IT industry and country's global branding.

In current situation, when Pakistan fights coronavirus and countries are enforcing work from home, remote workers management, education and meetings by video conferencing etc., the PTA is working backwards to block IP addresses to protect certain interest groups.

The ISPAK requested that the IP blocking may kindly be suspended for three months and only be resumed after a broad-based consultative process and implementation of an online portal by the PTA, which should guarantee processing and approval of requests within 60 minutes.

The PTA has stated that it is continuously taking measures to curb grey telephony, which includes raids on illegal telecom set ups and whitelisting of internet protocols (IP) used to relay legitimate voice traffic. To safeguard the legitimate voice communication, the PTA has issued IP Whitelisting Regulations (Formerly IP whitelisting SoP).

IP addresses being used by the PTA Long Distance and International (LDI) licensees and the PSEB registered call centers are registered (whitelisted) to ensure their uninterrupted voice operations. In this regard, besides the PTA, the LDI licensees, over 600 PSEB registered call centers have so far, got their IP addresses whitelisted through the PTA.

The PTA has already intimated its licensees to ensure that only whitelisted IPs are used for commercial voice services by them and their customers. The IP addresses, which are not registered, face periodic degradation for commercial voice services.

Besides interruption of services, the PTA also reserves the right to initiate further necessary action against the offenders as per the legal provisions. Users with legitimate voice operations are required to ensure that they only use whitelisted IPs. As per whitelisting procedure, they should approach their internet service provider for initiating whitelisting process with the PTA.