ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Syed Aminul Haque Wednesday demanded heavier fines for telecom companies that fail to improve their quality of service.

While briefing the National Assembly Committee on IT and Telecom, the minister said telcos must change their attitude to improve services.

He sought bigger fines for operators who are unable to take the right steps in this regard.

Later in a conversation with reporters, Haque said the MoITT was working on social media rules on priority and the framework had reached the final stage. Relevant regulations for this purpose will soon be shared with the federal cabinet for approval, he added.

Regarding a query on the prevalence of anti-state and blasphemous content on social media, the minister said efforts were underway to block such content.

The minister further stated that everyone has the right to speak freely but within the boundaries of the rules and Constitution of Pakistan.

The committee was informed that TikTok would open its office in Pakistan soon.

The committee expressed serious concerns over the poor services of Telenor in Chitral.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the committee that two surveys were conducted in Chitral where the services of the company were below the standard.

The PTA issued show cause notice to the company for poor services and directed for improving it.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023