Dr. Umar Saif, the Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, paid a courtesy call on Major General (Rtd.) Hafeez ur Rehman, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and other officials at the PTA headquarters.
Dr. Umar Saif got thorough briefings on PTA’s operations, ongoing initiatives, and general performance during the visit.
In addition, he spoke with officers and employees and performed inspections of different departments.
Chairman PTA Briefed Dr. Umar Saif About 5G Spectrum Auction Preparations
Sources claim that Major General (Rtd.) Hafeez ur Rehman briefed the Federal Minister on a variety of topics.
It includes the 5G spectrum auction, 3G and 4G penetration rates, mobile phone policy, cybersecurity precautions, and other issues.
The Federal Minister briefed by PTA Chairman that PTA is ready for a 5G auction and would begin working on 5G following the federal government’s policy instructions and the Frequency Allocation Board’s frequency allocation.
Following his visit to the offices of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Dr. Umar Saif shared his opinions on Twitter (X).
Wonderful to visit the offices of Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) to review the ongoing reforms of the telecom sector, accelerate spectrum auction and introduction of 5G in Pakistan, and prepare to launch instalments-based phones in Pakistan … pic.twitter.com/PIpv7gC5Ez
— Umar Saif (@umarsaif) December 29, 2023
Improvement of Telecom Industry
According to MoITT, the government pledged to take all necessary steps to improve the telecommunications industry during a meeting presided over by Dr. Umar Saif.
He gave the PTA instructions to expand national roaming services to include national urban areas and motorways in addition to coastal routes.
Moreover, he called for the implementation of a system that strengthens PTA’s role in advancing social projects and public interests, and he underlined the necessity of responding quickly to consumer concerns pertaining to telecom carriers.
Creation of Telecommunications Tribunal
In order to facilitate faster issue settlement, the Federal Minister emphasized the creation of a Telecommunications Tribunal as a cooperative forum for PTA, telecom companies, and customers.
In order to link the public with the digital world, he emphasized the critical role that digital facilities play.
Dr. Umar Saif emphasized that the State Bank of Pakistan should provide payment channels for OTT platform subscriptions, and that decisions pertaining to the public and national interest should be taken through the SBP forum as soon as possible.
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