PTAs grey traffic crusade

As the telecom revolution has become one of the crucial drivers of development, policies that promote the enhancement of advanced communication infrastructure would lead to better economic growth.
In this regard, the proposed changes presented by the Ministry of Information Technology for the upcoming telecom policy is a step in the right direction.
The ministry emphasizes on the need to curb the menace of grey traffic - a term referred to illegal telecom traffic in which calls from foreign countries are brought in the country as local calls while using illegal means. This will mainly be done through procurement of effective monitoring systems.
With revenue growth drying up for telecom operators, anti-grey efforts will bode well for the industry.
The menace of grey telephony can be gauged from the fact that it is responsible for causing Rs3 billion losses annually to the government exchequer, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Leading telecom operators, such as PTCL, roughly lose one billion minutes per year through these illegal gateways.
The crackdown on illegal gateways will help increase the flow of international traffic and revenue. According to PTAs latest available statement, it seized a number of illegal exchanges and in turn nearly saved 1.17 billion minutes (calls) amounting to $94 million in the year ending September.
In addition to this loss-containing approach, PTA is also working on a project to foster telecom infrastructure, primarily, teledensity and broadband access. For this purpose Access Promotion Contribution scheme - a fund launched to apportion funds for the development of IT infrastructure - has already been created.
Greater investment in infrastructure will help expand current telecommunication facilities in less served area.
Highlighting the positive impact of communication technology, World Bank estimates that every 10 percentage point increase in mobile penetration produces 0.81 percent economic growth, while increasing broadband penetration contributes even more.
The International Telecom-munication Union shares the same view. In its recent report titled "Trends in Telecommu-nication Reform", ITU argues that enlightened ICT regulation can effectively play the role of a stimulus plan, driving network investment, growth and development.
Transparent premium sharing and fairer distribution systems can help stimulate investment and growth in rolling out new products and technological up gradation. Lets hope the move will bear desired fruits.

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