The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication was informed on Monday that Tharparkar district is facing mobile connectivity issues for the past six months.
Lawmaker Mahesh Kumar Malani told the meeting, chaired by committee chairman Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, that a complaint was lodged in this regard six months ago but the problem has not been resolved.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) DG Enforcement informed the committee that the regulator is attempting to resolve the underlying issue in the region. Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) Secretary said that the problem is due to a minor technical issue that will be resolved soon.
Some MNAs also complained that internet service in Islamabad’s Red Zone is poor and that only 2G service is available in and around the Parliament Lodges.
PTA officials told the panel that telecom operators are fined for poor services. The regulator conducts surveys to improve service quality in the country, but policy setbacks have stymied progress. According to officials, the Authority had requested that a tower be built in the Quetta Red Zone to improve the quality of telecom services in the area, but the request had been pending for three years. Furthermore, the Quetta Municipal Committee has demanded higher cable laying rates, according to the officials.
The committee also approved the demands of the MoITT for ongoing and new schemes for the public sector development program (PSDP) in the fiscal year 2023-24.
MNA Lashes Out At Telenor
MNA Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali lambasted Telenor for its quality of services in Chitral. The lawmaker said that here we are talking about 5G and 6G technology when we don’t even get good mobile signals.
PTA officials reassured the MNA that his complaint has been well received and Telenor has been issued a notice and a response has been sought.
Secretary Ministry of IT & Telecom Mohsin Mushtaq and members of the lower house participated in the meeting.
