Calls interrupted

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has decided to ban all unregistered mobile phones this month

Sometimes, even well-intentioned moves end up being problematic if not subject to the proper oversight. This has been the case with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) which decided to ban all unregistered mobile phones this month — until it created a mini-panic amongst the public and forced a Senate panel to finally haul up the telecom regulator to put the brakes on the project.

The seemingly unfettered influx of cellphones with multiple international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) numbers and the availability of unregistered cellphones have created a problem on multiple levels for the telecom regulator. With mobile theft frequently ranking high in the petty crime charts, the Telecom Policy 2015 sought to address it by calling for a framework which would block the use of stolen phones, phones with either no or duplicate or non-standard phone identifiers. It would also address some of the concerns of our security services.

The PTA indigenously developed the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) and implemented it in May this year. But the authority unilaterally decided to set October 20 as the deadline for all users to make sure their phones were either registered or compliant with PTA regulations.

The short window provided, coupled with the implications it had for those who would only just discover that their phones were not compatible with the telecom infrastructure in the country, was ostensibly far and wide.

It created a fair bit of panic. Search terms and videos about what DIRBS was and what it meant trended on top online social networking. In the end, a panel of senators pressured the PTA into deferring the deadline. But given that the authority was only acting per a policy developed by the government, why did parliament or even the government fail to maintain greater oversight over this crucial project or at least attempted a comprehensive campaign to inform the public about it in advance? This is the question which needs consideration.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2018.

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