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Tag: PTA

  • PTA issues procedure to block telemarketing messages

    PTA issues procedure to block telemarketing messages

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Monday issued the procedure to bloc telemarketing communication and unwanted/spam messages.

    The PTA said that unwanted calls/messages can be disruptive, but there are measures to minimize them.

    For blocking telemarketing communication, a person needs to register his number on the “Do Not Contact Register (DNCR)”. In order to register the person need to send a message by typing ‘reg’ and SMS to 3627.

    To allow telemarketing communication again, type ‘unreg’ and SMS to 3627.

    The PTA said that concerned service provider may be contacted in case of issue or for details about tariff/subscription charges.

    To block spamming/unsolicited communication, the PTA issued procedure under which a person should type spammer’s cell number, give a space, paste the received message and SMS to 9000.

    SMS charges of PKR 0.10 (inclusive of taxes) apply for each SMS to prevent abuse of facility.

    For blocking obnoxious/unknown calls and SMSs, the PTA suggested to dial *420# (for Jazz, Telenor & Ufone subscribers) or 420 (for ZONG subscribers). Concerned service provider may be contacted to get detail about tariff/subscription.

    The regulator further said that in case an issue is not resolved, the complaint may be lodged to PTA through an online complaint management system:

    http://complaint.pta.gov.pk/registercomplaint.aspx

  • Ufone signs Rs21 billion agreement for 4G spectrum

    Ufone signs Rs21 billion agreement for 4G spectrum

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone has secured its largest syndicated financing facility jointly led by MCB Bank Limited (MCB) (Agent bank), Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Bank of Punjab (BoP), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), and United Bank Limited (UBL) to fund the acquisition and rollout of its 4G services across Pakistan.

    President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, HatemBamatraf signed the agreement for the syndicated financing of PKR 21 billion at a ceremony held in Islamabad, which was also attended by President, MCB Bank, Imran Maqbool; Group Head, Corporate Finance & International Banking, MCB Bank, Mr. ShoaibMumtaz; President Allied Bank, AizidRazzaq Gill; Chief, Corporate & Investment Banking, Allied Bank, OwaisShahid; Head Investment Banking, Bank of Punjab, Umer Khan, AbidKitchlew Divisional Head C&IBG, National Bank, and Farooq Ahmed Khan Group Head Corporate & Investment Banking, United Bank Ltd .

    Ufone has recently been awarded 4G Spectrum License as a result of competitive bidding during the spectrum auction held by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The company’s investment in 4G spectrum will go onto enhancing its network capacity and readiness besides delivering superior connectivity and user experience to its customers.

     Speaking at the ceremony President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, HatemBamatraf expressed his gratitude to the banking consortium for the timely financial support and said “The Financing Solution will go a long way in bringing high quality mobile broadband services to the people of Pakistan. It will improve quality of network services  and usher in a host of socio-economic opportunities for growth and development for our customers” He further added “ It is a mutual goal that both Pakistan’s banking and telecom industries are working to achieve in order to create shared value for the communities we serve.”

    Ufone launches contact center for housing loans
  • PTA renews Jazz license for $449.2 million

    PTA renews Jazz license for $449.2 million

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on has renewed license of Jazz at a price of $449.2 million, according to a statement issued on Monday.

    The PTA said that after dismissal of a petition from Islamabad High Court, PTA has renewed Jazz License due for renewal since 2019.

    Renewed License has enhanced terms and conditions for coverage and Quality of Service, as established during the recent Pakistan Spectrum Auction.

    The license signing was held at  PTA Headquarters on Monday.

    The license is renewed at a price of $449.2 Million out of which Jazz has already paid $333.64 million on account of license renewal fee and applicable markup.

    Ericsson organizes virtual event for Jazz Pakistan
  • FBR warns of penalties amid filers grievances

    FBR warns of penalties amid filers grievances

    ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday warned non-filers of harsh action including monetary penalty and imprisonment.

    In a statement, a FBR spokesman said that the last date for filing income tax return for tax year 2021 is October 15, 2021 and it will not be further extended.

    The actual last date for filing the income tax returns for tax year 2021 was September 30, 2021. However, to technical issues on the FBR portal this date was extended for 15 days. The FBR in this regard issued Circular No. 08 to extend the date of filing income tax returns.

    Through the latest statement, the FBR urged the persons having taxable income or those who are required to file their returns under Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, should file their returns in remaining two days.

    According to the statement the FBR’s IRIS portal was working smoothly. “Therefore, no further date will be extended beyond October 15, 2021,” the spokesman said.

    The spokesman further said that after the due date the non-filers would face monetary penalty of Rs1,000 each day of default. Furthermore, the non-filers may face imprisonment for two years.

    The tax practitioners, however, are not satisfied with the performance of the FBR stating that the technical issues were not resolved so far.

    “Despite repeated requests the FBR has not resolved the issues in return filing,” Zeeshan Merchant, President, Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) told PkRevenue.com

    Merchant said that calculation error in return form for SMEs was still a major issue.

    Besides, these issues the taxpayers and tax practitioners had also faced slow speed of internet, which was caused by a fault in international cable, as income tax returns are required to file electronically.

    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) a day earlier issued a statement on the cable fault and said that it was monitoring the situation and will continue to update on it.

    “A submarine cable fault was reported yesterday near Fujairah, UAE due to which some users may have faced degradation in services. The faulty cable segment has been repaired & work is underway to make the services fully functional,” the PTA said.

    Taxpayers urged to file tax returns by October 15
  • Cellular spectrum auction generates $30 million: PTA

    Cellular spectrum auction generates $30 million: PTA

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday said that an amount of $30 million has been generated as revenue from first-ever cellular spectrum auction for Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) in Azad Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit Baltistan.

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  • Ufone awarded Next Generation MS spectrum

    Ufone awarded Next Generation MS spectrum

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone has been awarded Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as a result of recently held spectrum auction.

    The company won the spectrum in a bid to enhance 4G customer experience across the country.

    Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Syed Aminul Haq along with Secretary IT & Telecom, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, Chairman PTA, Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa (Retd.) HI (M), senior officials from the ministry and PTCL Group attended the event. DG Licensing PTA, Brig. Amer Shahzad (Retd.) and President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf signed the contract.

    The company plans to use the spectrum to introduce new innovative products and services and enhance its customer experience by providing high-quality internet as well as to expand its existing network to unserved and underserved regions of the country.

    Sharing his thoughts on spectrum acquisition, President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf said: “It is a historic day for Ufone, as we have acquired additional 4G Spectrum in order to fully optimize our mobile data services. This will enable us to further enhance our users’ experience, expand the existing network to serve the unserved areas. Improved data experience will enable a digital transformation in education, health care, agriculture, banking and ecommerce ecosystems to name a few.”

    “We appreciate Government of Pakistan for executing the spectrum auction process in a seamless and transparent manner”, he further added.

    The additional spectrum will enable Ufone to not only connect Pakistanis living in far flung areas without cellular services but will also enable people in urban centers and towns to enjoy new sets of innovative products and unmatched experience.

    Pakistan produces 12.27mn mobile phones in 7 months
  • Pakistan produces 12.27mn mobile phones in 7 months

    Pakistan produces 12.27mn mobile phones in 7 months

    ISLAMABAD: The number of locally manufactured mobile phones in Pakistan has surpassed 12 million during seven months (January – July) of 2021.

    The local manufacturing of mobile phones has crossed the number of imported mobile phones in the same months of 2021.

    A statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday regarding local production of mobile phones.

    It said the production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants was 12.27 million and the number of imported mobile phones was recorded at 8.29 million.

    “This trend reflects a positive uptake on PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorization regulatory regime whereby local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in production of 12.27 million phones in a short span of seven months including 4.87 million 4G smart phones.”

    The PTA said that successful implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DRIBS) along with conducive government policies, including mobile manufacturing policy, has created a favorable environment for mobile manufacturing in Pakistan.

    “It has also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market providing a level playing field for commercial entities and has created trust amongst consumers due to the formulation of standardized legal channels for all sort of device import.”

    The PTA said that the government had introduced a comprehensive mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan.

    The telecom authority in light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on January 28, 2021. “Till now, 26 companies have been issued MDM authorization enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan.”

    The companies include renowned brands e.g. Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile etc.

    Pakistan exports mobile phones to UAE
  • Pakistan exports mobile phones to UAE

    Pakistan exports mobile phones to UAE

    ISLAMABAD: A consignment of around 5,500 mobile phones carrying tag ‘manufactured in Pakistan’ has been exported the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a statement said.

    The statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that its authorization holder Inovi Telecom has started exporting smart phones to other countries.

    The first consignment of 5500 units of 4G smart phones carrying ‘Manufactured in Pakistan’ tag has been exported to UAE.

    PTA congratulates the company for this landmark achievement. This is the result of concerted efforts for the development of mobile device manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

    The successful implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) and enabling government policies including the Mobile Manufacturing Policy have created a favorable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan.

    As a part of this policy, Inovi Telecom Pvt. Ltd was issued mobile manufacturing authorization by PTA on April 9, 2021. Within 4 months, the company has managed to achieve exporting.

  • New initiatives to facilitate digital financial products

    New initiatives to facilitate digital financial products

    New initiatives to facilitate digital financial products have been unveiled by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to boost digitalization.

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  • TikTok blocked in Pakistan due to immoral content

    TikTok blocked in Pakistan due to immoral content

    Islamabad – In a decisive move on Wednesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked access to the popular social media application TikTok, citing the platform’s consistent failure to prevent the dissemination of immoral content.

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