Telecommunications in Pakistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Telecommunications in Pakistan describes the overall environment for the growing mobile
telecommunications, telephone, and Internet markets in Pakistan.
In 2008 Pakistan was the worlds third fastest growing telecommunications market. Pakistan's
telecom infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into fixed-line
and mobile networks; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network
growth.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1Regulatory environment
o 1.1Perception survey
2Mobile telecommunications
o 2.1Subscriber base
o 2.2SMS
3Fixed-line telephones
4See also
5References
6External links

Regulatory environment[edit]
Active and anticipated submarine communications cables servicing Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and India.

TWA-1 telecommunications cablelinking the United Arab Emirates,Oman, and Pakistan.

The Telecommunications Ordinance of 1994 created the Pakistan Telecommunication

Authority (PTA), Pakistan's first independent telecommunications regulator, and the Pakistan
Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL), a state-owned monopoly.[2]
Due to a lack of competition, local telephone call rates were high and international call rates were
even higher. During the 1990s, a call toUnited States cost $5 per minute (300PkRs per minute),
which was not affordable for most of the population. In addition customer servicewas poor; fixing a
problem might take 10 to 15 days. Despite this, consumers had to stick with PTCL, as they had no
other options.
This prompted the government to take a series of actions to improve the service by opening the
telecommunications market.[3] This was critical, but required a fine balance because opening the
market and preserving PTCL were both important for the government.
In July 2003 the government introduced a Deregulation Policy for the Telecommunication
Sector,[4] which allowed and encouraged foreign companies to invest in the Pakistani
telecommunications market.[2] The centerpiece of the deregulation was the establishment of two
categories of basic services licenses: Local loop (LL), for fixed line telecommunication within the 14
PTCL regions, and Long-distance and International (LDI), for connectivity between regions. Two
sets of criteria set by the regulatory authorities must be met before an operator is allowed to start
operation: one for the issuance of a license and another for the maintenance of service quality.

In 2006, Etisalat International Pakistan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emirates Telecommunications

Corporation, purchased a 26% stake in PTCL and assumed management control of the company.[5]
Pakistan's telecommunications infrastructure includes: Microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, cellular, and satellitenetworks. International links include: landing points for the SEA-MEWE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems (*AMK) that provide links to Asia, the Middle
East, and Europe; 3 Intelsat satellite earth stations (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3
operational international gateway exchanges (2 at Karachi and 1 at Islamabad); and microwave
radio relay to neighboring countries.[6]
*AMK : Now IMEWE of PTCL and TWA-1 of Transworld (Private Operator) also successfully working
in Karachi, Pakistan.