ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications on Tuesday questioned PTA’s performance and recommended measures for the authority to improve its working.

Describing Authority’s functions as “not up to mark”, the Committee requested the PTA to present a policy for 3G licences before implementation, an already delayed service to be introduced.

The Committee, which was presided over by MNA Ch Muhammad Berjees Tahir, demanded that new operators should also be considered for issuing the 3G licences along with old players.

The committee also underscored the importance of transferring of technologies to Pakistan which included local manufacturing of handsets and infrastructure sharing.

The Committee recommended that like other countries, the companies should establish research and development centres in Pakistan.

Among other proposals committee members suggested that the ministry should issue policy directive on mandating infrastructure sharing for the interim period until a new policy was finalised for the IT industry.

Besides other concerns Chairman PTA Dr Muhammad Yasin was asked to solve the problem of grey traffic, which was costing the national exchequer over $100 million a month, while the Committee said pay telephones and landline connections were not encouraged in rural areas.

Earlier, Secretary IT and Telecom and Chairman PTA briefed the meeting regarding the Authority’s functions and organizational structure, especially issues relating to 3G licensing, broadband proliferation, higher taxes on telecom industry, verification of mobile subscribers’ antecedents, and PTA in competitive environment, etc.