PAKISTAN TELCOS TO INSTALL 900KM OPTIC FIBER IN BALOCHISTAN: TMC

ISLAMABAD, May 20, 2009 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) -- The Universal Service Fund, Wateen Telecom and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTCL) signed on Sunday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to install 900km of optic fiber in Balochistan and provide basic services in Larkana, Sindh province.

Under the agreement 900 Km optic fiber cable will be provided to five un-served Tehsils in Balochistan, (Dasht, Noshki, Dalbandin, Mashkhel and Taftan)...

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PTA ends PTCL’s Internet bandwidth monopoly: The News

By Zubair Kasuri

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has decided to allow the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and DSL operators to buy Internet bandwidth from backbone operators other than the PTCL, thus settling a two-year row of the ISPs versus the PTCL.

The ISPs have been complaining to the PTA to amend their DSL Interconnect Agreement with the PTCL signed a few years ago in which the ISPs were restricted to procure Internet bandwidth from the PTCL only. Since the telecom deregulation in 2004, new operators have laid their infrastructure nationally as well as internationally and two years back, second alternate backbone provider, the TWA, started its services in the country.

But the DSL operators, who are the major purchaser of Internet bandwidth, were restrained by their unilateral agreement with the PTCL not to buy bandwidth from any operator other than the PTCL. The ISPs have been complaining to the PTA time and again against this monopolistic and anti-competitive restriction that did not allow them to have redundancy and benefit of competitive prices from alternate operator.

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Broadband Internet Cheaper in Pakistan Compared to UK, US and India: The News

By By Jawwad Rizvi
LAHORE: The cost of broadband Internet in Pakistan has started declining with the growth of information technology, encouraging consumers to make increased use of the service.

The cost of broadband connection, with varying speeds, is much cheaper in Pakistan than neighbouring India where the IT industry had developed much earlier. Similarly, Internet Service Providers of Pakistan are charging relatively less than those in developed countries including the UK, US and others.

A study conducted to assess broadband Internet access cost in Pakistan and other countries shows the price in Pakistan is lower and inexpensive. However, it finds that in Pakistani most of the time download speed is reasonable but browsing speed is poor.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company is charging a fee of Rs1,200 for 1mbps (megabites per second), which is cheaper when compared with that of India and US. The two ISPs of US, Cox.net and Verizon, charge a higher amount than that of PTCL.

Cox.net is providing broadband service at $45 for 9mbps, $30 for 1.5mbps and $20 for 768kbps. Verizon is charging $18 for 1mbps and $28 for 3mbp. Converted into Pakistani rupees, the cost of 1.5mbps of Cox.net broadband comes to over Rs2,400 per month and that of Verizon is over Rs1,400 per month.

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Stakeholders target 5m broadband subscribers: The News

ISLAMABAD: Broadband Stakeholders Group, in its first meeting, has decided that 256 kbps would be considered minimum broadband functional definition and has set a target of five million broadband subscribers for next three years.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has constituted the Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) in continuation of various recommendations discussed during the Broadband Open Dialogue session.

The Group’s meeting was held at the PTA headquarters. It was presided over by PTA Chairman Dr Mohammed Yaseen and attended by representatives of the Ministry of Information Technology, Universal Service Fund, Pakistan Software Houses Association, PTA, broadband service providers, cellular mobile operators, telecom vendors and academia.

In his opening remarks, Dr Mohammed Yaseen highlighted the vision behind establishing the Broadband Stakeholders Group. He said the primary objective was to improve coordination among various industry players, provide them a common platform to share their ideas and draft recommendations for improving proliferation of broadband services in the country.

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