Tag: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

  • Number of 3G, 4G users in Pakistan increases to 113.89 million

    Number of 3G, 4G users in Pakistan increases to 113.89 million

    The latest data from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reveals that the number of 3G and 4G users grew by 1.14 million from 112.75 million in April 2022 to 113.89 million in May 2022.

    Pakistan’s cellular subscriber base grew by 0.25 million to 193 million by the end of May 2022, up from 192.75 million at the end of April, according to Brecorder.

    By the end of May, cellular mobile teledensity had risen from 87.6 per cent to 87.67 per cent. By the end of May, the total teledensity had risen to 88.81 per cent, up from 88.74 per cent in April.

    The monthly penetration of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) at the end of April had risen to 51.73 per cent, up from 51.24 per cent.

    Network providers

    The total number of 3G users on Jazz fell from 6.222 million at the end of April to 6.068 million at the end of May, a reduction of 0.154 million. By the end of May, the number of Jazz 4G users had risen from 36.567 million to 37.168 million.

    Zong 3G subscribers fell from 3.357 million at the end of April to 3.272 million at the end of May, while 4G users grew from 27.952 million at the end of April to 28.317 million at the end of May.

    Telenor 3G subscribers fell from 3.696 million at the end of April to 3.613 million at the end of May, whereas Telenor 4G users enhanced from 21.216 million at the end of April to 21.494 million at the end of May.

    By the end of May, there were 3.576 million Ufone 3G users, up from 3.673 million at the end of April. Ufone’s 4G users increased from 8.761 million at the end of April to 9.052 million at the end of May, a 0.291 million increase over the previous month.

  • LHC dismisses petition seeking ban on PUBG

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed a plea regarding banning the popular online mobile game PUBG on Monday.

    A resident of Lahore, Tanveer Sarwar, approached the LHC and filed a plea to ban the online mobile game after a violent murder in Lahore.

    The petitioner had to appear on the day of the hearing, however, he did not reach the court.

    As a result, the LHC discharged the application over the petitioner’s discontinuation of the case’s pursuit.

    The petitioner claimed in the application that PUBG is creating intolerance in society and causing detrimental effects on young minds.

    Last month, 18-year-old Ali Zain killed four members of his family in Lahore. An investigator found that the teenager was “addicted” to the online game PUBG.

    According to the murderer, he went to sleep after the murder with a sense of accomplishment. The bodies of his four family members were discovered on January 19.

    The Punjab Police had decided to request the federal and provincial governments to ban PUBG after this incident.

    On July 1, 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) temporarily suspended PUBG in the country after it received multiple complaints from different segments of society. However, the ban was lifted later.

  • TikTok releases official statement on shooting incident in Karachi

    TikTok releases official statement on shooting incident in Karachi

    Video sharing platform, Tiktok has released an official statement on Friday regarding the recent shooting incident in Karachi. The incident involved the shooting of a man, Qamar Raza by three teenagers who were creating videos for the application.

    The incident took place on December 23, when teenagers were riding on the motorbike and one of them opened the fire on Raza for the ‘thrill’.

    Tiktok spokesperson condemned the incident in the statement, “The safety of our community is our top priority and we do not tolerate any dangerous acts, hate speech, or hateful behaviour. TikTok has zero-tolerance for firearms and we do not allow any content that depicts acts of violence.”

    He has given assurance that the application would remain observant to control the violent content and vowed to remove the videos that are against the guidelines of the community. He assured their commitment towards the safety of the users.

    Meanwhile, two suspects, Saeed Ahmed and Fazil Ali are currently in remand of the police custody. The other friend named Ismail has been on the run. Raids are been conducted to arrest him.

    Recently Tiktok has set up Urdu-language safety centre in Pakistan to ensure that the contents are within the guidelines of the country.

    Earlier on July 21, a boy had drowned in the Khanpur Dam while trying to take a selfie. The 20-year old was taking a selfie at the edge of the dam. According to details, a 20-year-old was attempting to take a selfie while standing at the edge of the dam when he suddenly lost his balance and fell into the dam.

    The Pakistan government banned Tiktok four times for the violent and vulgar content however it was lifted by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on November 19 after the assurance to control the immoral and violent content from the Tiktok management.

  • Elon Musk shows interest to start internet services in Pakistan

    Elon Musk shows interest to start internet services in Pakistan

    Officials from the United States-based broadband service provider, Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, has visited Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) headquarters in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the launch of a satellite broadband connectivity in Pakistan.

    The delegation, including Director Middle East & Asia, Ryan Goodnight, and Head of Global Site Acquisition, Ben Macwilliam, met with Chairman of PTA, Maj General Amir Azeem Bajwa (R), and Executive Director, Frequency Allocation Board.

    During the meeting, both sides discussed matters related to the provision of satellite broadband connectivity in Pakistan and future plans to connect Pakistan with global networks through Starlink broadband services. PTA Chairman shared Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of a digital Pakistan to Starlink representatives. He also emphasised the prospects of the internet services market in a country. He gave full assurance for the support from PTA towards the operational framework of Starlink in Pakistan.

    Prior to this, Elon Musk’s satellite broadband services started their pre-booking in India but only in selected cities due to some regulatory issues. They are hoping to apply for a commercial license by January 31, 2022, to officially launch it by next year all over India.

  • Nadra denies FIA’s claim that national database has been hacked

    Nadra denies FIA’s claim that national database has been hacked

    A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology on Thursday witnessed a curious discussion on the security of important data as an official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed that the system of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had been hacked. He later changed his statement when pressed to elaborate upon his remarks.

    “We have discovered that Nadra’s data has been compromised, it has been hacked,” Tariq Pervez, additional director of FIA’s Cybercrime Wing, told the meeting chaired by Ali Khan Jadoon. The FIA had seized around 13,000 illegal SIMs during a crackdown in Faisalabad, he said.

    Pervez said that 89,000 complaints have been received by his wing, but they did not have enough staff to address the complaints reported on a daily basis.

    “The FIA’s cybercrime wing has only 162 investigation officers,” he added.

    Pervez’s statement caught the attention of the committee members who put various questions to him regarding the theft of Nadra data. After this accusation, the FIA’s additional director altered his statement and said that Nadra’s data had not been hacked, but its biometric system had been compromised and used during the SIM verification process.

    He further informed the committee that whenever they traced a suspect involved in financial frauds, the suspect mostly turned out to be an elderly man or a woman, whose data was being used by someone else.

    Nadra, refuting the claim of the FIA official in a statement, said, “The FIA statement regarding hacking of biometric data is based on misunderstanding,” adding that Nadra would seek clarification from the FIA over the “unnecessary statement and misrepresentation of the issue”.

    Responding to concerns of the committee members, Pakistan Telecommuni­ca­tion Authority (PTA) chairman retired Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa said that complaints could be lodged against those involved in sending messages related to financial fraud at the PTA website.

    Jadoon of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the chairman of the committee, stressed that it was essential to keep national interest and national perspective into consideration while formulating laws.

  • IT ministry notifies amended social media rules framed under Peca

    IT ministry notifies amended social media rules framed under Peca

    The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on Thursday notified the amended social media rules that stakeholders and digital rights activists have strongly criticised, reports Javed Hussain for Dawn.

    The rules titled the “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight, and Safeguards) Rules, 2021”, have been framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016.

    The rules are as follows:

    Social media companies will have to register with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months.

    Social media outlets will be required to establish an office in Pakistan “as and when feasible” — instead of nine months as required previously.

    PTA will give 48 hours, instead of 24 hours previously, to a social media company for removing or blocking access to online content.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan recently formed the National Social Media Coordination Working Group (NSMCWG).

    The premier constituted NSMCWG to work on relevant policies related to Social Media, provide input to the government of Pakistan on social media-related issues, and engage with international social media companies in a coherent and coordinated manner.

    Dr Arslan Khalid, focal person to PM on Digital Media, who is also the spokesperson of NSMCWG, said, “Social media is one subject which is being dealt with by many ministries and departments. It was observed that there was weak coordination between the government stakeholders resulting in delays and confusion over some policy matters. This working group will bring all the relevant stakeholders on one platform which will help in better result-oriented engagement with the social media companies.”

    The Working Group consists of Ministry of Information &Technology as the Lead ministry, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Law & Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Digital Media (Spokesperson), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Digital Media Wing as permanent members while Chair of NSMWG can include any other ministry/department or Think Tank as a Co-opted member as and when required.

  • PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has removed the ban on video-sharing application TikTok, after assurances from the platform’s management. According to details, TikTok has assured the regulatory body that they will block all accounts indulged in spreading ‘obscenity and immorality’.

    PTA, in a tweet, confirmed that TikTok will moderate all accounts in accordance with local laws.

    Earlier on October 9, PTA had blocked the social media application after receiving multiple complaints from “different segments of society against immoral/indecent content on the video-sharing application TikTok”.

    This came after a final warning to TikTok was issued in July over explicit content posted on the platform. PTA said TikTok was given “considerable time to respond and comply with” instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of “unlawful online content” but TikTok “failed to fully comply” with the regulator’s instructions.

    TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in Pakistan. According to some estimates, the app has been installed 43 million times in Pakistan, with 14.7 million of those coming in the year 2020 alone.

    Meanwhile, TikTok had issued a statement on Saturday which called for the lifting of the ban on the app.

    “If the Government of Pakistan decides to reopen access to our services in the future, we will certainly assess our allocation of resources to this market,” the Chinese social media giant had said in a statement.

  • Govt bans TikTok

    Govt bans TikTok

    The Government of Pakistan has banned TikTok due to “immoral/indecent” content being shared on the social media platform. 

    According to details, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued instructions for the blocking of the application across the country. 

    Keeping in view the complaints and nature of the content being consistently posted on TikTok, PTA issued a final notice to the application and gave it considerable time to respond and comply with the Authority instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content.

    However, the application failed to fully comply with the instructions, therefore, directions were issued for blocking of TikTok application in the country.

    TikTok has been informed that the Authority is open for engagement and will review its decision subject to a satisfactory mechanism by TikTok to moderate unlawful content.

    According to Tiktok’s transparency report, the social media app had earlier issued a statement that the company had “removed 3,728,162 user videos that were found in violation of regulations from Pakistan from July 1 to December 31, 2019, 

    Earlier, in an interview, Minister for Information Minister and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had remarked that the video-sharing app is affecting society’s values badly and should be blocked.

     “PM Imran is extremely concerned about the ‘growing obscenity and vulgarity’ in the society and has directed all relevant sections to check the trend before it destroys the socio-religious values of Pakistani society,” Senator Faraz had said. 

  • Pakistanis are outraged with PTA for blocking Tinder

    Pakistanis are outraged with PTA for blocking Tinder

    On Tuesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked access to Tinder and several other dating apps in a bid to control “immoral” and “indecent” content.

    In a statement, PTA said it barred users from accessing Tinder, Grindr, SayHi, Tagged and Skout after the social networking apps failed to “moderate… content in accordance” with Pakistan’s laws.

    The PTA said the ban addressed the “negative effects of immoral/indecent content”, adding that the apps could request to have their blocks lifted if they show they are “moderating the indecent/immoral content through meaningful engagement”. However, the regulator did not specify what it meant by that engagement.

    Meanwhile, Tinder, in a statement, said it would “welcome the opportunity to discuss our product and moderation efforts with PTA and look forward to a meaningful conversation.”

    Following the announcement, enraged Pakistanis took to social media to express their anger at PTA for blocking the apps.

    https://twitter.com/hiraq36/status/1300805674495025155?s=20

    https://twitter.com/gigglypundit/status/1300800999594979328?s=20

    Other Twitter users including Osman Khalid Butt decided to make a joke of the situation.

    Earlier, PTA asked YouTube to immediately block all videos they consider “objectionable” from being accessed in the country. The demand was criticised by rights campaigners who fear creeping censorship and control of Pakistan’s internet and printed media.

    In July, authorities issued a final warning to Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, ordering it to filter any obscene content, following which TikTok not only upgraded its ‘Community Guidelines’, but also released its Urdu language version for Pakistani users.

  • PM talks about rumours that govt wants to ban social media

    PM talks about rumours that govt wants to ban social media

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who is known for having social media as his primary source of information, has said the government will not impose a ban on any social media application.

    “But at the same time, we also can’t let anyone insult or spread false information about government organisations or the people working for them,” the premier pointed out in a statement.

    PM Imran also took notice of the delay in the preparation of social media regulations by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) and Ministry of Information Technology.

    He instructed the departments to present a report regarding it within this week.

    The PTI government has been criticised for its decisions regarding monitoring and regulating content on social media. This came after the government placed a temporary ban on popular online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and issued a warning to TikTok.

    The premier had in February also said that new rules were being introduced only to protect citizens and regulate social media in the country, which had come days after the PTI government led by him decided to impose restrictions in the name of citizens’ protection and national interest.

    Presiding over a meeting to review the social media rules, PM Imran had said that the new rules were not prepared to curb freedom of expression or victimise political opponents. He had claimed that the United Kingdom (UK), Singapore and other countries were also introducing such laws to protect their citizens.

    However, no action for the implementation of the proposed rules had followed.