ISLAMABAD: The caretaker minister for information technology (IT), Dr Sania Nishtar, is due to present a detailed report to her successor on issues faced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for effective enforcement of regulatory regimes.
The minister will focus on a lingering controversy over forming an international clearing house (ICH), under which only Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) was allowed to terminate all incoming international calls, and the much delayed auction to sell third-generation (3G) mobile telecoms licences.
The authority has been functioning without a chairman for several months now, resulting in limited action to address key issues at the regulator, sources said.
The caretaker cabinet finally sprung into action on Wednesday when IT minister Sania Nishtar visited PTA�s headquarters to get a briefing on the existing situation at the regulator.
Senior officers briefed Nishtar about the functions of the PTA, regulatory initiatives taken by the authority and the overall performance of the telecom sector. The minister was informed that the PTA has always facilitated the telecom industry, which is providing state of the art telecom, broadband and ICT services. She was also given information on the various challenges faced by the telecom sector and efforts taken to address the issues.
Nishtar assured PTA representatives the full support of the IT ministry for its regulatory initiatives and appreciated the authority�s role in the uplift of the telecom sector.
The additional secretary, director generals belonging to the various PTA divisions and senior officers of the authority were present during the briefing, according to a press release issued by the PTA.