ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: A four-day training workshop on "Effective Billing in Telecoms" concluded here on Friday. Representatives from various telecom bodies, major fixed line and cellular mobile operators and the telecom regulators attended the workshop sponsored by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA).

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PTA Major-Gen (retd) Shahzada Alam Malik said that a soundly developed and implemented billing system was crucial to the competitive success of the fixed and cellular mobile networks. He said billing systems had become a fundamental part of recovering and maintaining future profitability for the sector players.

He said while the telecom operators had made and will continue to make huge investments in delivering value-added services and new technologies to their respective consumers, it was inevitable to move towards the most up-to-date, end to end billing paradigm that not only focused on management, finance and marketing, but also supported the best customer relations practices.

"As regulator of the sector, I assure you of the Authority's full commitment towards fair play, healthy competition and provision of a conducive environment whereby every player gets its due reward. All of this coupled with safeguarding the rights of the consumers have been the priority of regulator", he remarked.

The PTA Chairman congratulated the ICIL for holding the important workshop. He expressed the confidence that this trend would lead to healthy business practices, improved profitability and better relations between the industry stakeholders.

Mr Jonathan Hart, an international expert on telecom billing, conducted the workshop in a lively discussion focused on telecom billing issues, including interconnect and MNP billing. He also discussed international best practices in telecom fraud management and revenue assurance.

Later chairman PTA distributed certificated to the participants.