The rapid increase in the use of what have come to be called mobile phones obviously means less and less use of what PTCL terms as land phones. As a consequence PTCL must have been facing a loss of income in the case of its land phone facility. How they could compensate themselves for this loss, they have hit upon the idea of a veiled enhancement of line rent.
Telephone subscribers have come to know to their surprise that as of December 1, 2007 they are liable to be billed an extra Rs 199 on account of the Pakistan package facility begun to be provided on their phones. It is explained that this facility enables subscribers to make free calls to anywhere in Pakistan at any time and for any length of time. Sounds too good to be true knowing the state of maintenance of telephone lines in our cities, and between cities.
Would it not have been the preferred course for PTCL to give some advance publicity to the novel facility it would be providing subscribers from December 1? It should have been advertised that subscribers who did not need this facility should inform PTCL accordingly and their phones would not be connected to the facility.
What has been done instead is to connect every phone to the facility and require that subscribers who did not want it should contact their (PTCL's) No 1236. This enables PTCL to make considerable extra income totally at the expenses of subscribers. The facility is admittedly the need of businessmen and their businesses do not need it at a fixed Rs 199 per month. It should be welcome to them without any consideration of cost.
Apparently, PTCL's object is to raise an extra Rs 199 from every telephone subscriber monthly. This is the same as raising line rent. Subscribers will now be having to pay a fixed monthly charge of Rs 374 as against the present 174 by way of line rent.
No doubt it has been publicised that those not wanting to have the Pakistan package facility can phone up No 1236 and obtain disconnection. By doing this publicising post facto in the first week of December PTCL benefits in more than one way. For instance not many subscribers would have read the concerned advertisement particularly the option in fine print that those not wanting the new facility could get themselves rid of the same by a phone call.
PTCL's income from a phone call each from millions of subscribers could be imagined. That is why the number provided for making the call in this connection is not stated to be toll free.
Additionally, if their advertisement escapes notice, as it is bound to do of majority of subscribers, and there is no call from such subscribers there accrues to PTCL an income of Rs 199 not only for the month of December but for every month after also.
Incidentally, those subscribers who have sought to call PTCL's No 1236 have found it mostly engaged and have not been able to enlist their request for disconnection from Pakistan package facility.
In this way the largest number of subscribers are bound to be obliged to be on the facility even against their will. In fairness a time of a month or so should be allowed to indicate and convey to the PTCL a subscriber's desire not to avail the Pakistan package facility besides this the No 1236 should be made toll free.