Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman, Dr Muhammad Yaseen has said that overall slowdown of economic progress across the globe has affected the target of 110 million mobile phone subscribers by 2010, reported The Nation.
Dr Yaseen confirmed the news of some newspaper which reported that shortfall is certainly not due to the saturation of cell phone subscribers’ market. While discussing the key industry issues, he informed that although the broadband market has improved manifold yet there is a great potentiality to enhance some concrete efforts are required in terms of reducing the cost of the computers and customer premises equipments.
“I believe we have done great in the last four/five years and achieved the most important ingredients of deregulation which is a state of the art infrastructure and low cost access to services,” Chairman PTA said.
However, it is next stage which has to be achieved where the infrastructure shall contribute to poverty alleviation in the developing countries like Pakistan.
The PTA chairman said that after deregulation, the telecom sector was making progress. The sector had been providing basic services to 95 per cent to its consumers, having innovative offers & value-added services. The penetration of the telecom sector in the broadband field was not up to the expectations, he added.
Regulation Authority and governmental policies have played the vital role and now the businesses and entrepreneurships need to contribute by using the ICT services of communication and internet. This availability of Low cost ICT should now assist the communities to obtain the access to public services like health, education, agriculture, information and Electronic funds transfer so as to bring the grand revolution in Pakistan.
He said the third generation mobile service will soon be available in the country, as the policy-making process for 3G mobile licensing is under way and the service is likely to be launched within the next five months.
Dr Yaseen said that no unregistered SIM was now operating in the country currently. During the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority campaign, almost 11 million unregistered mobile phone SIMs were blocked.
Highlighting the flexibility in the existing telecom policy that caused a rapid change and revolutionary advancements, he called for an immediate response to global telecom transformations with such policies that could suit all players, favour our national economy and satisfy the consumers in the country.
Via [The Nation]
Maybe they should be more concerned about the QoS rather than the number of subscribers! Turn on the Delivery Reports ATLEAST!