ISLAMABAD – While briefing the Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) and Telecom, PTA Chairman Dr Muhammad Yaseen said the authority accorded top priority to communication facilities in the rural areas of Balochistan-particularly the Kohlo district. He said the PTA was laying optical fibre in Balochistan and offering 92 percent subsidy in that regard to the telecom operators. He, however, the companies were reluctant as operational cost was much higher in those areas.
Answering a question, the PTA Chairman said that there were three types of licenses under which optical fibers lines could be laid, first, the Long Distance and International (LDI) and Infrastructure License (IL) for nationwide operations, secondly the Local Loop (LL) necessary for region-wise operation and thirdly for nationwide purpose. The LDI licenses, he said, were issued between 2004 and 2006 and the process was based on the de-regulation policy of 2003. Dr Yaseen further said that total 25 applications had been received (23 in 2004 and 2 in 2005) the LDI licenses.
