ISLAMABAD: Two mobile operators have shown
interest to make full payments to the government for 3G and 4G licences
to avoid paying three per cent additional interest on instalments.
Speaking
at a briefing at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority headquarters
on Friday, State Minister for Information Technology and
Telecommunications Anusha Rehman said that Zong would likely be paying
$500 million in a week, and another company would also be making full
upfront payment.
She said that the ministry is expecting at least 75pc payments before the budget for 3G and 4G licences.
PTA
Chairman Dr Ismail Shah said: “The cellular companies are eager to roll
out 3G services at the earliest. If the government receives payments
from these two companies, PTA would issue licences within a week instead
of waiting for a month.”
Although a road-map had been prepared
for cellular companies to pay licence fees, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar
has in the meantime given option to mobile operators to make full
payments to avoid paying additional interest rates.
Initially
mobile companies have one month to make at least 50pc down payment for
3G and 4G licences after the auction to be able to roll out next
generation services on commercial basis.
“The mobile companies
will be investing $4bn in the next two to three years. One of the
cellular companies is already in the process of installing 1,600 booster
towers to offer telecommunication services in less served locations,”
said Anusha ,Rehman adding that students would be benefiting the most by
connecting through E-education that enables multimedia and technology
enhanced learning.
“Among other services to provide a conducive
environment for growth of next generation services, the Ministry of IT
would focus all its resources in the next two years on establishing
information technology parks that will facilitate in 3G and 4G
applications development,” said the minister.
Responding to
questions, she explained how she had met heads of Chinese companies
associated with telecom services in Pakistan and offered them to start
manufacturing telecom equipment in Pakistan on public private
partnership basis.
“This is especially necessary when Pakistan
spends more than $900 million on import of telecom equipment and
telephone/cellular handsets every year. The ministry has offered them
premises and tax concessions for manufacturing telecom equipment in the
country,” she said who had offered plants of Telecommunication
Industries of Pakistan (TIP) to the Chinese companies.
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