Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Federal Ministry for Information & Technology have initiated the license renewal policy for telecom operators.
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, also constituted a committee to review the report and policy by PTA for the best interests of the country and telecom industry.
Government expects that the new license renewal policy can generate an income of Rs. 1-2 billion. This reflects that why the federal government is so serious about the renewal.
Cellular Mobile Operators also raised many serious concerns regarding license policy in Pakistan. They raised questions regarding the previous policies which helped government to raise billions but limited the chances for telecom operators to invest in their services.
For the new renewal policy PTA will consider the interests of all stakeholders including the mobile operators and their customers. It is expected that taking considerations from all stake holder will help to formulate a better policy.
Previously some suggestions were also given by experts regarding many important issues such as what should be the license fees, renewal period, allocated spectrums and defragmentation.
Previously PTA also initiated a study on the existing renewal policy by a renowned consultant, it is expected that the suggestions will also be considered in formulation of the new policy.
Many believe that the government responded lately despite the fact that it was known the license for three operators Telenor, Zong and Warid Telecom are expiring in 2019. These three cellular companies were awarded licenses for a period of 15 years in 2004.
