Ever wondered how long have you been using broadband connection in Pakistan at cheap rates? Let me help you, not earlier than PTCL started offering the services, some four years ago.
Well there had been other companies in the market way before PTCL plunged into this war and then what? it was all about the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited.
Huge infrastructure, nationwide telephone network, exchanges available in every nook and corner, above all, the huge backup in terms of international bandwidth and financial support, what else could a company require to introduce broadband at affordable rates? PTCL utilized these resources and infact it did well.
It was four years from now when people started hearing about cheap broadband for home based users.
With the launch of cheap broadband packages for home users, PTCL gave tough time to it’s competitors leaving them with no choice but to reduce their prices and at time they had to double their speeds. This really went into customer’s favor after all.
These bandwidth upgrades (usually doubling every 6 or 12 months) resulted in more attraction for consumers as they continued to enjoy high speed internet.
Launching with 256 Kbps as the lowest now you cannot find any broadband package by PTCL below 1 Mbps and all this is the result of constant upgrades for the past 2 or 3 years.
But what happens now? I mean have you heard you are going to get upgrades to the connection this year? Seems like PTCL has been stuck in the middle of something, called poor infrastructure, keeping in view the ever increasing demands of the technology and industry.
Even with the launch of 6Mbps, 8Mbps and 10Mbps, PTCL still isn’t able to offer these advertised plans to all the consumers because of fiber optic cable issues, copper cables and then there is another one, distance from the exchange.
As we see the journey from 256 Kbps to 4 Mbps, PTCL worked well (those once used 256 Kbps now enjoy 4 MB), but after that PTCL seems to be reluctant enough to think about continuing the practice?
Comparing with the trends of world, where consumers are now enjoying 1.5 Gbps connections at home, our broadband industry really needs to think where it stands and what preliminary measures are required.
One may opine that it’s not just PTCL who is to blame but the other ISP’s as well who are in the list. But it was because of PTCL when other ISP’s forcefully reduced the prices as it was mandatory for them to survive in the market, and once again now it’s PTCL holding them as well to move forward – leaving customers with no more double speeds or higher bandwidths.
