Senate IT Committee Questions 30-Year Delay in Telecom Competition Rules

Islamabad

Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Wednesday expressed strong concern over the absence of formal competition rules in the telecom sector, revealing that such regulations have not been framed even after three decades.

During the committee meeting, Senator Shahadat Awan pointed out that telecom competition rules had not been developed in the past 30 years, raising serious regulatory concerns for the rapidly evolving sector.

He noted that the issue had gained further importance after the recent merger of two telecom companies, questioning who would be held responsible if disputes arise between telecom operators in the absence of clear competition rules.

“Not only have the rules not been notified, but even a draft has not been presented so far,” Awan told the committee, criticizing the delay.

Senator Kamran Murtaza also questioned the authorities, asking when the long-pending rules would finally be framed if they had still not been finalized.

Responding to the queries, the Secretary for IT and Telecommunication informed the committee that work on telecom-related regulations had been underway for the past year and that rules related to telecom equipment had already been prepared and notified.

However, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the committee that although telecom competition rules had been drafted, the Competition Commission had raised objections on three separate occasions.

Expressing frustration, Senator Shahadat Awan said the Ministry of IT and PTA would have remained inactive had the committee not repeatedly reminded them about the matter.

Senator Talha Mahmood also criticized the delay, calling it “a shocking level of negligence” that such important regulations had still not been finalized.

Senator Kamran Murtaza suggested that the Ministry of Law and Justice should also be taken on board to resolve the issue.

Following the discussion, the committee chairperson directed the Ministry of IT to finalize and present a draft of the telecom competition rules within one month.