PTA Always Takes Care Of Nation

Is PTA trying to intercept telephone traffic?

Two weeks earlier Pakistan Telecommunication Authority suddenly announced the news of telecommunication traffic monitoring, and drafted a regulation called “Monitoring and Reconciliation of Telephony Traffic Regulations, 2009”. PTA ordered all network providers to install such systems that make telephone traffic monitoring possible.

Instruction goes as follows:

All landing station and infrastructure licensee(s) shall establish a Monitoring System with its interface to the Authority, on its own cost for the purpose of monitoring of telecommunication traffic (voice and data) within one hundred and twenty days of the notification of these regulations.”

It is important to tell here that in this regulation it is made clear that PTA will have complete monitoring over telephone’s voice and data traffic either from inside Pakistan or outside. Customers took it as a real offence as no one wants that anyone hears him when he/she calls or texts. A wave of unrest created among telephone users and this question became the hot issue in last few days that whether PTA will intercept the calls or texts???

PTA Clears its Objectives:

PTA recently has denied the rumor that it will intercept traffic. Moreover PTA resources said that this system is launched for some basic purposes for the betterment and the safety of landline and cell phone users, including:
1) Grey calls detections.
2) Ensuring quality of licensed services.
3) Billing verifications.
PTA resources confidently issued a statement that they have no intentions of intercepting the calls, text messages or emails.
Curbing freedom was the blame PTA was given to in last few weeks. Their spokesman tried to clear that blame by saying that “Monitoring cyber and telecom traffic was never the PTA’s mandate. Hence, the question of curbing freedom of expression does not arise in this particular case.”
He also said that main objective of this regulation is to stop illegal traffic coming from abroad.
Advantages of traffic monitoring:
The draft presented a few days ago was originally designed in November 2008 but now with few amendments it has been given a specific name. PTA resources claim that PTA has saved 1.17 billion minutes through technical system amounting to US 94 million $.
By Looking at these figures and trusting PTA it can be said with quite satisfaction that PTA is doing everything for the betterment of Pakistan industry and not for disturbing the people.