ISLAMABAD, Sept 1: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) intends to create a level playing field for all the operators for promotion of telcom business in Pakistan, said the PTA chairman, Shahzada Alam Malik here on Wednesday.

PTA is fully alive to the problems being faced by some new Local Loop (LL) and Long Distance International (LDI) operators concerning Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) proposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), he said while speaking at a gathering of new LL and LDI licensees.

He assured the new licensees that the authority would extend all support to the new operators in mitigating their problems pertaining to interconnection for successful launching of their fixed line telecommunication service.

Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) is a framework under which PTCL is under obligation to provide interconnect facility to the new LL and LDI licensees as per Telecom Deregulation Policy for interconnecting with other networks as well as revenue sharing between interconnecting operators.

In almost all the countries where deregulation had taken place a number of new challenges including interconnect arrangements crop up and PTA was fully geared to resolving these issues in a professional manner, the chairman said.

Now that Phase-I of the Telecom Deregulation Policy has been successfully completed by the PTA, the chairman said, all other issues including the PTCL's RIO would be amicably addressed through mutual consultations of the representatives of PTCL and the new licensees.

The chairman also dispelled the apprehension of the new operators about RIO and said that PTA was already in touch with the PTCL and a lot of work had been carried out in this context. Efforts would be made to remove bottlenecks in finding solution to the objections raised by the operators about the RIO formulated by the company.

He disagreed with the contention of the licensees that an interim RIO be announced till final RIO was agreed upon within three months after consultation process among the stockholders and said that the concerns shown by the new licensees had been well taken and PTA would given a determination on RIO in its final shape within one month after thorough deliberation and negotiations with PTCL and the new licensees.

During the meeting a presentation was made by a representative of PTCL highlighting the salient features of RIO modified by the company. Representative of the new licensees, Azfar Mansoor, apprised the authority of the reservations of the new operators about the PTCL RIO including high termination and origination charges, cash security deposit, billing disputes and tariff issues.