April 17, 2006	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 18, 1427

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GILGIT, April 16: The Pakistan Telecom Authority has invited offers from mobile phone operators to launch mobile phone service in the Northern Areas and fixed $10 million as licence fee, sources said.

Sources said that it had been decided at a high-level meeting held recently in Islamabad under the chairmanship of federal minister for Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas to issue licences to existing mobile phone operators to launch their services from the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir on a permanent basis by depositing $10 million as licence fee.

The sources said that as a pre-condition they should deposit 50 per cent in advance and the remaining amount within a period of 10 years.

Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) member Dr Muzaffar Ali Khan Relay, who tabled a resolution in an NALC session held during the last quarter of 2005, demanded for the extension of PTA’s jurisdiction to Northern Areas and permission for private telephone companies to launch their service to provide cheaper and modern telephone services.

The resolution was unanimously adopted by the house and sent to the federal government for implementation. Dr Relay said on Sunday that he had moved the resolution for the betterment of the people of the area.

He hoped that after launching of the mobile phone service from Northern Areas the people of the area would be able to replace the old and outdated wireless local loop phone service.

The existing telecommunication system of the Northern Areas is under the control of Special Communication Organisation of the Pakistan Army and the people were presently facing hardships to connect themselves with the rest of the country due to a poor communication system.