ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has carried out a benchmark study on broadband tariff and concluded that these are highly competitive in the country as compared to other regional states.
The basic objective of the benchmark study was to assess and compare the level of broadband tariffs prevailing in Pakistan against other countries and to identify areas where further improvements for the benefit of operators could be made. As per regulator’s latest annual report, broadband tariffs of regional states such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan were analysed and reviewed. The broadband tariff in Malaysia was also examined and it was found that broadband tariffs were competitive in the country.
The report said that the study was based on the broadband tariffs offered by different operators in each country on unlimited or limited data basis. Each country’s broadband profile and operator-wise tariff details were examined and compared with the closest package available in Pakistan. However, one area connection is that despite competitive tariffs, Pakistan’s penetration rate is lowest among peer countries like Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
It was also pertinent to highlight that global broadband study was carried out by the University of Oxford last year which ranked Pakistan at 60th position ahead of India and Indonesia which were given 62nd and 63rd position respectively. Malaysia was ranked at 48th position out of 66 countries.
Broadband quality study has defined two waves of broadband services meeting modern requirements which has download and upload speed of 3.75Mbps and 1 Mbps for the period starting from 2000 to 2009 and meeting future requirement with download and upload speed of 11.25Mbps and 5Mbps starting from 2010 till 2015.
Pakistan, placed in leapfrog opportunity in 2008, has now been upgraded in today’s applications threshold category whereas India was placed at leapfrog opportunity for both the years, the report concluded.
