The Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif, visited the headquarters of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), where he was warmly received by Chairman PTA, Major General (Rtd.) Hafeez ur Rehman, and other officials.
During the visit, Dr. Umar Saif received detailed briefings on PTA’s affairs, ongoing projects, and overall performance.
He also conducted examinations of various sections and held meetings with officers and staff.
According to sources, Chairman PTA briefed the Federal Minister on preparations for the auction of 5G spectrum, 3G/4G penetrations, mobile phone policy, measures taken for cybersecurity, and other matters.
Chairman PTA informed the Federal Minister that PTA is prepared for a 5G auction, it will start work on 5G after the allocation of frequencies by the Frequency Allocation Board and the issuance of policy directives by the federal government.
Dr. Umar Saif expressed his views on Twitter (X) after visiting the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) offices.
In his tweet, he shared, “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.”
According to MoIT&T, in a meeting chaired by the Federal Minister of Information Technology, Dr. Umar Saif expressed the government’s commitment to taking all possible measures for the advancement of the telecommunication sector.
He directed the PTA to extend the scope of national roaming facilities beyond coastal highways to motorways and national urban centers.
Dr. Umar Saif emphasized the need for timely actions to address consumer complaints related to telecom operators and urged the introduction of a mechanism that enhances PTA’s role in promoting public interests and social initiatives.
The Federal Minister highlighted the establishment of a Telecommunications Tribunal as a collaborative platform for consumers, telecom operators, and PTA to expedite the resolution of issues.
He stressed the essential role of providing digital facilities to the public in connection with the digital world. Dr. Omar Saif underscored those payment gateways for subscribing to OTT platforms should be facilitated through the State Bank of Pakistan, and decisions regarding national and public interests should be made promptly through the SBP forum.
