Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Chairman Ismail Shah on Tuesday said the government needed to establish a centralized system for telecom policy uniformity interventions while speaking at 17th ITCN Asia exhibition and conference.
Shah added that all provinces also had the power of formulation and implementation of polices under the 18th amendment, said a local newspaper report.
He said that awareness in regard to digital economy and its benefits should be given to government officials, so policy interventions should be initiated for growth of ICT sector in Pakistan. Policymakers require education on significance of telecommunication services for the entire nation, Shah remarked.
Telenor Pakistan, chief executive officer (CEO) Irfan Wahab Khan said Rs100b worth of universal service fund setup by the ministry of information technology to boost telecom services still remained unused.
Khan said the utilization of these funds could increase internet connectivity across under-served and un-served areas of Pakistan.
On the subject of digital payments, Telenor CEO commented that State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) needed to come forth for setting up payment gateways, which would allow cross-transaction from several telecom companies.
He added that the cash-on delivery mode of transaction dominated the online shopping domain because of public fear of being defrauded and regulatory issues.
