Government highhandedness: Cellular operators pushed aside as services suspended

Orders given without prior notice; vague ‘security threats’ cited.

KARACHI:

It seems that the telecom industry – one of the highest tax paying sectors in the country – has no say at all when it comes to government decisions on blocking cellular networks.

In another show of its sweeping powers, the interior ministry once again directed the telecom regulator to ensure the suspension of cellular services in the country’s financial hub on Friday – only this time, it was done on an ad hoc basis, and without giving any clear reason.

Unlike previous blackouts, this one came as a surprise. No prior announcement was made and no solid reason was given to operators other then the clichéd ‘security threats’. With a couple of days to go till New Year’s Eve, and Christmas already past, the decision did not even coincide with an important occasion. Even the Prime Minister’s Adviser on IT was not in the loop while the decision was being implemented.

As ever, none of the telecom operators had been consulted beforehand – despite past assurances that all stakeholders will be taken on board prior to such decisions.

Following a directive from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the telecom industry’s regulatory body, cellular mobile operators (CMOs) could do little other than switching off their base transceiver station towers between 11 am and 6 pm on Friday.



According to sources in the industry, PTA’s directive came minutes before the deadline, and CMOs had no option but to follow the directive. “They didn’t give us any detailed reason, other than saying the decision was taken to counter some security threat,” one source said.

When contacted, IT Secretary Amir Tariq Zaman Khan said the decision was taken by the interior ministry based on reports regarding targeted killings and subversive activities. Responding to a question, he said he did not know the details himself. “Interior Minister Rehman Malik is going to hold a press conference on the subject,” he said; adding that the details will be revealed in the press conference.

“In the last meeting of all stakeholders, it was decided that each stakeholder would be taken on board prior to a major decision,” an official said, while requesting anonymity. “It was also decided that mobile services can be suspended under extreme circumstances, but in either case the stakeholders would be taken on board,” the official added.

CMOs were not the only stakeholder left out of the decision making process. The prime minister’s IT adviser – a top government official who advises the government on policy matters related to the IT industry – was also kept in the dark.  “I was not aware of the decision. I learned about it through Facebook posts,” Dr Basit Riaz Sheikh told The Express Tribune. He refused to answer further queries, saying that he cannot comment without knowing the details of the decision.

It may be added that the telecom industry lost Rs2.6 billion and Rs600 million in revenues, as a result of mobile outages on Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha earlier this year. These figures do not include the Rs680 million these outages cost to the national exchequer in lost tax revenues.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2012.          

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