3G_Comm_optSTAFF REPORT IBD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has failed to perform its duty over the 3G auction due to lack of regulatory procedures and the move to hire a foreign consultant to monitor the 3G auction and then to cancel the contract worth Rs 10 million is also not the right step.

“Pakistan needs better economic policies and yet something that could bring in billions for the country is being constantly delayed due to the incompetence of the officials at PTA,” was the opinion of the Standing Committee on Telecom Sector.

It targeted the PTA Chairman Farooq Awan who is being held as directly responsible for causing all this delay. PTA has denied payment to any consultant, however, if such a contract had really occurred, then the Standing Committee wants to hold the Chairman of the PTA accountable for this.

Besides this delay, the grey trafficking is also yielding a loss of $1 billion per annum. The reason nothing is being done is because PTA does not want to take any action against those who have influence. Those few actions which had been taken in court, legally those have also been an indication of weakness for the PTA because the cases were not defended well.

Besides facing these two issues of delayed 3G auction and grey trafficking, PTA also been under criticism for its role in the allotment of Universal Service Fund (USF).

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