KARACHI, May 21: Operators of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) have blamed the mobile phone operators for lobbying with the government to keep them on the limited mobility while mobile phone operators think that the WLL operators are trying to interfere in their domain thus violating the government’s rules and procedures.
Operators of WLL seek government support in providing cheap and cost-effective telecom services to the people and said it should stop giving in to the GSM lobby and their overpriced tariffs. Chief Executive of Telecard Limited, Fazal Hussain said that GSM association is scared because they cannot provide broad band wireless access.
He said that WLL operators in Pakistan are investing in third generation (3G) broadband wireless code division multiple access (CDMA) which will provide cheap telephony and access to internet across Pakistan. He said his company alone has close to 100,000 PCO’s and intends to increase 200,000 by the end of this year. These PCOs are on broadband wireless CDMA network.
“By turning our PCOs into public communication centres (PCCs) we can provide internet access to 80 per cent of the population,” Hussain said adding that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) should act as a facilitator of the telecom sector and not as a regulator.
At a symposium held on May 17 to mark the World Telecom Day, WLL operators echoed their sentiments regarding the mobile phone operators’ tactic to prevent the rollout of WLL on the issue of limited mobility.
DVCOM chairman, Ali Ansari asked the PTA to provide a level-playing field to all the telecom operators.
As per rule, at least 25 km area should be provided to WLL operators but due to pressure from mobile phone operators, PTA is not allowing this range to WLL operators.
In response to the stance adopted by WLL operators — Vice president of the state-owned mobile phone operator – Ufone, Mubashir Naqvi told Dawn from Islamabad that the operation of WLL was targeted for the rural areas of Pakistan where the PTCL service was hard to reach in order to increase the tele-density in the country but the WLL operators had shifted their focus on the cities only.
“GSM operators believe that the WLL operators should work under the policy of single cell mobility. They are currently trying to deviate from it,” he said adding that mobile phone operators do not feel any harm if WLL operators run their service on single cell mobility.
He said that the mobile phone operators are not pressurising the government or the PTA to restrict the mobility of WLL but they have certainly shown their concern the way WLL are trying to create a substitution for the mobile phone especially in the city areas.
Director Marketing, Mobilink, Bilal Munir Shaikh said that every player of the telecom sector is bound to follow the policy and rules framed by the PTA and the government.
He said that WLL players should also keep in mind as where they to focus. He said that mobile phone companies enter the market by paying the licence fee of $291 million besides investing on infrastructure set up while on the other hand WLL players enter the market with a little fraction of our investment.
“I think the role of PTA and the government is quite fair in boosting and developing the telecom sector,” he said. He said Mobilink has injected $275m in the industry in 2004 alone bringing the aggregate investment to over $750m since its inception in 1994. The amount is expected to grow over one billion dollars with an additional investment of $400m in 2005.
