PTCL O.N.U. Connections – So Called Tech Advancement?

New technology has been introduced over landline connections by Pakistan Telecommunications Limited. This technology was brought to the scene a while ago. Obviously, purpose was to provide the customers with best of working as well as using experience. These are new fiber optic connections that have replaced the old simple copper wire connections. Surely this advancement was to improve service quality but in a country like Pakistan, can we afford these kinds of technologies which have become a problem instead of serving the previous customers?

Before this technology, landlines were issued from old kind of cabinets, not practically old, but taking them as old in comparison with this new technology. Those cabinets were just directly connected to respective exchange through simple copper wires and they didn’t need any source to boost their signals up. But in present technology, these Fiber Optic cables have modernized cabinets which need some electricity source to connect to exchange, but as mentioned earlier, these kinds of cabinets simply failed because of load-shedding. Telephone line gets dead due electricity break out in those area.

It is said that these cabinets are provided with a special pair of imported batteries which are used to backup in case electricity failure, and keeps the connection alive.

Following are the exact words of a PTCL representative as I talked to him on this issue:

PTCL has no lack of funds; it will invest wherever it is needed. The batteries provided for backup are of special kind which cost 1Lac per Pair and have a backup time of 6 to 7 hours.

But sharing my own experience, I face this three times a day when my phone line gets dead with the breakdown of electricity, and this is not only my problem, all the phone lines of in my locality, from same cabinet suffer from this. Number of times we had complained to PTCL concerned department and to their officials but all in vane as they simply replied, SORRY WE CAN’T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS.

Once i quoted above words to another PTCL representative, and he said, i am also from PTCL and there is nothing like this. You have to face this as there are no special batteries, no proper arrangement for them.

Old subscribers are lucky as compared to new ones, who are on ONU lines, as they are not facing such problems because that does not need any source to work i.e. the electricity source.

I have heard from a lot of people even from different cities that most of the new PTCL Broadband customers are suffering from this problem. Some are having other as they say, DSL link drops and it takes ages to connect to Internet as cabinet battery don’t have enough power to withstand the load, so on connection burst, it goes down.

Can we mark it as an advancement in technology? I think changes are made to bring some positive outcome using latest technology, but is this technology adding ease to life or it is causing trouble to those who were well better before this so called advancement in technology?

Previously we had electricity shortfall then we faced water crisis, not ignoring gas shortage problems, but now are we going into an era where we will be facing Dead Landlines? When someone may not even be able to call in case of some emergency?

Alas! we are facing it.

Where are the think tanks of Pakistan? Don’t you think a proper arrangement along with some solid preliminary steps were required before setting this up? If we were not able to setup these installations, do you think we should have gone for them?


  • remain it it’s newer issue, i had dsl ptcl connection. my modem got some problem and was not working right. i complained to related area, but it’s abt 2 week they did not solved my problem. i requested then to dc my connection.even then they delayed 1 week to disconnect it, i then went to local exchange to gave them back all equpment to dc my coonnection,wht’s that

  • I am facing this problem too, since i got my new line 8 months ago.. i complained this issue to PTA multiple times, but their solutions are only short term after 1-2 months this problem rise again. :(

    • Man, put the link as Hyperlink to some text, like SOURCE, so that we will get Link Back, otherwise its wrong in 2 ways :D
      1. You are promoting your site here
      2. We are having no Link Back that means you are writing from our sources and ideas :D

      • Brother,

        I would totally disagree with point 2 since my post highlights the fact how other ISPs are getting affected by this ONU up gradation, totally different to your post. So there is no “your source” used and as far as idea is concerned, me belonging to an ISP come across this on daily basis so wasn’t it good the share the facts with the other users?

        Secondly, i can make a hyper link for a linkback to your website i hope this would make you happy.

        Thanks

        • Do not ignore point one too :D
          and regarding LinkBack, this really isn’nt a big issue, i was just having itching palm to write something, so i wrote this :D
          aned about the idea, yea i did not absolutly claim that this topic is our idea, may be you may have your own, so no offense at all, becuase we at ProPakistani are here, not for this :)
          Best of Luck
          Regards

  • Copper wire also needs an electricity source but don’t know if copper wire operates during load shedding then why fiber optic stops.
    If u touch that copper wire u will feel a very little spark around 9 to 12 volts.

  • Thats current is not of electricity source needs to run the telephone line, i mean aided source. actually that is basic telephone line current which is around 40 volts, i think so. You dont feel 9-12 V on touching :D
    in ONU, Main cabinet needs, source is required for main cabinet as i once heard it has internal cooling fans too, also this technology may requires some extra high source.
    But what so ever is the story, it is 100% Confirm that no copper wire customer feels this probelm, unless there is some problem in exchange or your wires, and most of the ONU customers suffer from this.

  • Sorry my bad telephone line has 48Volts :D
    Optic fiber is non conducting then how come it needs electric source for working?

  • aan han, not actually electricity passes through fiber optics, that’s just a form of light, produced from LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) which is then recovered to electrical signals by receiver.
    Don’t you think so you need a source to initiate fiber optic signal ?
    this is not about actually passing current through fiber optic itself.
    hope you got my point

  • ok got ur point but copper wire also needed electricity and it is provided during load shedding also then why they cannot use those alternative sources on optic fiber also?

    • may be but that electricity source is not installed in cabinets thats why they are still able to work even during load shedding hours while fiber optic needs the bigger.

  • SIR Exchange Landhi 89 Karachi sir landhi no 2 area c/1 ma
    fiber optics services not available in your area so pls chaik The
    landhi Exchange my area C/1 landhi no 2 ma provides fiber optices
    services in my area.
    C/1 landhi no 2 karachi

  • i have installed new PTCL Number in my home & unfortunately its on ONU.Now this number remains dead for hours during loadshading.Besides several complaints matter is still unresolved & PTCL representatives says that there is no solution of this problem & i have to change my Number ..
    I think PTCL should stop issuing new ONU numbers till they found some reasonable solution of the problem.


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