I am pleased to know that Business Recorder is bringing out a special issue on the occasion of World Telecom Day. The preceding year has been yet another landmark in terms of phenomenal growth witnessed in the telecom sector of the country along with a number of new initiatives taken by the Authority towards provision of consumer- oriented services.
Keeping up to its mission and commitment, PTA as the regulator of the sector has been successfully able to maintain the accelerated growth patterns in the sector both in terms of having more people brought under the umbrella of telecom services with a reasonable range of choice of quality and affordable telecom services but also, that the sector witnessed continued inflow of valuable source of FDI generating economic activity in the country.
I am particularly pleased to share with you the success story of the mobile sector. Today mobile subscribers have crossed the 56 million mark with the country's total teledensity at around 40.17%. With the recent launch of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service to the mobile subscriber, and the entry of ChinaMobile, a prestigious Telecom player to our mobile market, we are expecting that the mobile subscriber base as well as the quality of service would further be enhanced.
This year PTA also launched the Rabta Ghar Scheme for the unemployed youth of the rural areas of the country with an aim to provide latest telecommunication facilities to the rural communities under one roof while at the same time generating employment for the educated youth of these areas. The successful introduction of the System to block stolen or snatched mobile handsets through their IMEI number is another step in protecting consumers' interests.
In the near future, PTA plans to expand the scope of Deregulation of the telecom sector to the fixed line Telephony in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Northern Areas. Deregulation of the cellular mobile sector has already taken place in these areas with the award of permanent licenses to the country's mobile operators.
As a regulator I want to assure that the Authority would continue with its endeavours to sustain a level playing field for all telecom investors. The Authority also reiterates its commitment to encourage healthy competition with an aim of introducing cutting edge telecom related technologies in the country. We also stand by our goal of protecting consumer interests and directing the fruits of a thriving telecom industry to the people of Pakistan.
I congratulate your team for bringing out this special issue that aims at highlighting issues confronting the fastest growing sector of the country.