Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
Encyclopedia
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is Pakistani government
agency
responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication
s in Pakistan
. Headquartered in Islamabad
, PTA also has regional offices located in Karachi
, Lahore
, Peshawar
, Quetta
, Muzaffarabad
and Rawalpindi
.
In June 2011, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported that overall cellular phone subscription has reached 107 million with increase of 2.7 million new numbers in the past two months.
To promote and protect the interests of users of telecommunication services in Pakistan. To promote the availability of a wide range of high quality, efficient, cost effective and competitive telecommunication services throughout Pakistan. To promote rapid modernization of telecommunication systems and telecommunication services. To investigate and adjudicate on complaints and other claims made against licensees arising out of alleged contraventions of the provisions of this Act, the rules made and licenses issued there under and take action accordingly.
To make recommendations to the Federal Government on policies with respect to international telecommunications, provision of support for participation in international meetings and agreements to be executed in relation to the routing of international traffic and accounting settlements.
Rights of licensees are duly protected.
All of its decisions and determinations are made promptly, in an open equitable, non discriminatory, consistent and transparent manner.
All applications made to it are disposed of expeditiously;
The persons affected by its decisions or determination are given a due notice thereof and provided with an opportunity of being heard.
It encourages, except subject to the exclusive right of the company in basic telephone service, fair competition in the telecommunication sector.
The interest of users of telecommunication services are duly safeguarded and protected.
) to mobile network operators and gave them 7 days to mandatory implement SMS
filtering. Many of the banned words were expletives
or sexual slang
, but the list included medical terms (such as "athlete's foot
") and benign words (such as "Jesus
" and "Budweiser
"). Following widespread ridicule, particularly on social media
, PTA backed down and promised more consultation on the final list of banned words.
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
agency
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Headquartered in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, PTA also has regional offices located in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...
and Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
.
In June 2011, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported that overall cellular phone subscription has reached 107 million with increase of 2.7 million new numbers in the past two months.
History
The Pakistan Telecommunication Ordinance 1994, established the primary regulatory framework for the telecommunication industry including the establishment of an authority. Thereafter, Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act no XVII was promulgated in 1996 that aimed to reorganize the telecom sector of Pakistan. Under Telecom Reorganization Act 1996, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was established in January 1997 to regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems, and the provision of telecom services.Functions
To regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and provision of telecommunication services in Pakistan. To receive and expeditiously dispose of applications for the use of radio-frequency spectrum.To promote and protect the interests of users of telecommunication services in Pakistan. To promote the availability of a wide range of high quality, efficient, cost effective and competitive telecommunication services throughout Pakistan. To promote rapid modernization of telecommunication systems and telecommunication services. To investigate and adjudicate on complaints and other claims made against licensees arising out of alleged contraventions of the provisions of this Act, the rules made and licenses issued there under and take action accordingly.
To make recommendations to the Federal Government on policies with respect to international telecommunications, provision of support for participation in international meetings and agreements to be executed in relation to the routing of international traffic and accounting settlements.
Responsibilities of Authority
In exercising its functions and powers under the Act, the authority ensures:Rights of licensees are duly protected.
All of its decisions and determinations are made promptly, in an open equitable, non discriminatory, consistent and transparent manner.
All applications made to it are disposed of expeditiously;
The persons affected by its decisions or determination are given a due notice thereof and provided with an opportunity of being heard.
It encourages, except subject to the exclusive right of the company in basic telephone service, fair competition in the telecommunication sector.
The interest of users of telecommunication services are duly safeguarded and protected.
Licensing
PTA, has given number of Mobile, Fixed Line licenses to operators for services in Pakistan. Recently, PTA has completed the framework for 3G Mobile Phone Operations in Pakistan. The 3G is excepted to start in mid of 2008 in Pakistan. The 3G mobile licenses will have conditions for rollout obligations under which licensees will have to ensure 3G mobile services in metropolitan cities within 18 months of the grant of License. In this connection, licensees will require to provide performance bond to ensure the 3G mobile rollout obligation.Controversy
On 14 November 2011, PTA distributed a list of 1,695 "obscene" words (1,109 in English and 586 in UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
) to mobile network operators and gave them 7 days to mandatory implement SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
filtering. Many of the banned words were expletives
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
or sexual slang
Sexual slang
Sexual slang is a set of linguistic terms and phrases used to refer to sexual organs, processes, and activities; they are generally considered colloquial rather than formal or medical, and some may be seen as impolite or improper....
, but the list included medical terms (such as "athlete's foot
Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses...
") and benign words (such as "Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
" and "Budweiser
Budweiser
Budweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
"). Following widespread ridicule, particularly on social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
, PTA backed down and promised more consultation on the final list of banned words.