X to open on govt nod: PTA chairman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman on Thursday told the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat that it was for government to decide on opening the social media platform X, adding, “Whenever the government says, we will open it.”

He told the meeting the auction for the 5G was expected in March or April next year.

Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan chaired the meeting held at the Parliament House. The meeting commenced with a briefing by the PTA chairman on the agency operations and performance over the past three years. In addition to challenges faced by the PTA, the blocking of social media and removal of unlawful content was discussed in detail. It was reported that approximately 146 complaints were lodged per day, the highest number in Asia.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said. “Sensitive content such as child molestation, privacy breaches and vulgar material requires censoring and blocking. We are starting the licensing of IOT technology while the satellite policy has been completed.”

Additionally, Mehmood raised concerns about the tax policy on cellular advertisements, emphasizing that Pakistan lacked a formal policy for its regulation. Farooq Hamid Naek advised the committee members to focus on both national and international taxation legislation and consider measures that ensure access to digital services for the general population. He emphasized that restricting access would hinder the country’s digital progress. The secretary of the Cabinet Division, acknowledging the suggestion, assured that the issue would be taken up with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). He informed that many people in the lower-income segment used feature phones that lacked internet capabilities. Tarar said digitalization was essential, and the matter would be brought to the prime minister’s attention for implementation.

Tarar pointed out that approximately 132 million people in Pakistan used social media for business purposes and other countries had already established taxation policies in this regard.

On the issue of the usage of VPNs in Pakistan, the PTA chairman said the usage of X in Pakistan decreased by 70 per cent despite the availability of VPNs and 30 per cent people were using VPN. He told the members that the PTA was listing VPNs after which only selected VPNs would be available in Pakistan. About 56% of people have internet access. “On a complaint related to social media, we contact the relevant platform that this thing is against the law of Pakistan. We shut down social media platforms if the government says so.”

Tarar said social media platforms had security issues in opening offices in Pakistan. Social media platforms are mulling over opening virtual offices in Pakistan due to security concerns.

The chairman said 37 local companies were making mobile phones in the country, 20 million mobile phones were manufactured locally, 40 per cent of which were smart phones. He said there was a 34.50 per cent tax on telecom users in Pakistan, while Sri Lanka had 20 to 40 per cent, Bangladesh 21 to 33 per cent, India 18.5 per cent and Nepal 26 per cent.

Tarar said digitalization was essential, and the matter would be brought to the prime minister’s attention for implementation. He pointed out that approximately 132 million people in Pakistan used social media for business purposes, whereas other countries had already established taxation policies in this regard.

The members were also briefed on the improvement of network coverage through Universal Service Funds (USF) funds and issues related to the existing 4G/LTE infrastructure were highlighted. Officials reported that telecom consumer taxes were very high in Pakistan.

The chairman reported that the total revenue generated by the telecom sector amounted to Rs 850 billion, with 2,112 licenses issued. Specifically, the telecom revenue was Rs 727 billion for 2021-22, Rs 861 billion for 2022-23, and is estimated to be Rs 1,000 billion for 2023-24.

During the presentation on Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), it was highlighted that Pakistan’s optical fiber infrastructure was relatively underdeveloped compared to other countries. Furthermore, the committee was briefed on Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) operations, functions, and performance over the last three years.

Saleem Mandviwalla pointed out that as other countries benefited from advanced 5G services, Pakistan was still struggling with 2G and 3G services which did not function properly.

The members were also briefed by the Islamabad Club about its operations and performance over the past three years.

Senator Shahadat Awan, Attaur Rehman, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Abdul Qadir, the secretary Cabinet Division, senior officials from the Frequency Allocation Board, the administrator Islamabad Club (IC) and other officials attended the meeting.