Tag: Telecom

PTCL, USF join hands to promote telecom services in un-served areas

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Saturday joined hands with Universal Service Fund (USF) to promote the development of telecom services in the un-served areas...

IT & Telecom Ministry a headless body

KARACHI - The government's apathy towards the literacy and technology is not limited only to the dissolution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as the IT&Telecom Ministry has also seen repeated shuffling of ministers and secretaries in last three years. The latest minister Dr Babar Awan has also resigned for appearing in the Supreme Court in ZAB Reference and now the ministry is again without a head. Before Awan, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani used to over see the ministerial

Indian tycoon Tata faces lawmakers probing telecom scandal

NEW DELHI - Iconic Indian tycoon Ratan Tata will appear on Monday before a parliamentary panel probing a multi-billion dollar telecoms graft scandal that has badly dented the government's credibility and alarmed investors in Asia's third largest economy.
The questioning of one of the foremost titans of Indian industry comes two days after police made the first indictments in the case, naming a former minister, a unit of Reliance ADA group and the Indian partners of Etisalat and

Former Indian minister ‘earns’ $600 million in telecom scam

NEW DELHI: India's premier civilian investigation agency has estimated that the country's former Telecom minister A Raja could have received as much as 30 billion rupees ($600 million) as bribe in the 2G spectrum scam, local media reported Friday.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), he caused loss to the national exchequer by selling the spectrum at undervalued rates at 400 to 500 billion rupees, 'The Times of India' said.
The former minister is currently

Online complaint system for telecom consumers launched

KARACHI - Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has launched an "online complaint management system" which enables consumers of all telecom services, including internet and broadband users, to lodge their complaints against their service providers online and to have prompt response on them. This system is integrated with operators and the telecom regulator.
The primary objective of this new system is the management and resolution of telecommunication subscriber's complaints.

Singh says he has ‘nothing to hide’ over telecom scandal

NEW DELHI: India's premier Manmohan Singh said Monday he had "nothing to hide" as he offered to be quizzed by a parliamentary panel over a massive telecom scandal that has shaken his government.
Singh, who enjoys a reputation for honesty in India's murky political world, has been battling to protect his image against accusations of failing to act over the government's cut-price sale of mobile telephone licences in 2008.
"I have nothing to hide from the public," Singh, 78,

Int’l telecom traffic exhibits phenomenal growth

KARACHI: The Long Distance International (LDI) industry has reported the highest number of international outgoing traffic minutes in the Financial Year 2009-10 as a total of 3.2 billion international outgoing minutes have been recorded. In addition, hefty revenue of Rs 47.06 billion was generated. This surge is primarily due to competitive international tariffs offered by various operators.
The annual report of 2009-10 disclosed that a total of 9.43 billion outgoing international

India PM denies ‘inaction’ over $40b telecom scam

NEW DELHI: India's prime minister on Saturday denied accusations of inaction in a 40-billion-dollar telecoms scandal and promised that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing in the case would be punished.
Manmohan Singh is accused of failing to probe allegations that his telecoms minister sold second-generation (2G) mobile phone licences for a fraction of their value in 2008.
The scandal is seen by Indian commentators as the most serious crisis to be faced by the Congress-led

Telenor commits to India as telecom scandal grows

OSLO: Norway's Telenor confirmed its commitment to India on Friday, even as a scandal over the awarding of licences roiled India's government and telecom sector of its presence in the subcontinent.
"We are in India to compete and do business. We're definitely a part of the mobile game in India," Telenor spokesman Esben Tuman said. Shares in Telenor and other operators in India were lower on Friday as the scandal over the allocation of telecoms spectrum deepened, which a

PTA chief foresees positive scenario for telecom sector

KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Dr Mohammad Yaseen is optimistic of prospects of continued growth in the telecom sector as leading companies such as Mobilink, Telenor and Zong operating inside Pakistan, have pledged to commit substantial investments to Pakistan in a bid to boost their respective networks and hence market share.
Addressing the serious issue of illegal SIMs, PTA chairman revealed that more than 11 million SIMs have been blocked after

Telecom firm spreads breast cancer awareness in Pakistan

Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer for any Asian population in the world. Breast cancer accounts for 38.5 percent of all female cancers, making it the most frequent malignancy in women. It claims 40,000 lives each year. Due to lack of information on breast cancer in Pakistan, only advanced cases are reported. An early diagnosis of the condition increases a patient's chance of survival by 90%. In the effort to mark October as the breast cancer awareness month Warid has