Archive for October 2nd, 2007

Telecom Competition Commission

Published by Babar Bhatti on October 2, 2007 under Companies, Government Regulations, Investment, Mobile Companies, Strategy & Policy, Telecommunications

Spotted this at RegulateOnline. The news item suggests that a new competition commission is in the making which may take over the pricing policy responsibility from PTA. However the details about the division of regulatory authority between PTA and the new competition commission are unclear. Apparently the telcos are upset about the lack of openness about the process.

An article in Pakistan’s Daily Times reports that the country’s telecom operators are in favour of the government’s move to replace the Monopoly Control Authority with an independent competition commission, but are concerned that “secrecy around the process is making the whole exercise counter-productive”.

According to the Daily Times operators are asking for a transparent consultation process “to ensure that this new regulatory body will have well-defined areas of authority”. According to the article the new commission “is likely to restructure the required law and initiate step-by-step changes in price management policies for the local market, which includes price monitoring, determination of demand, supply and production levels and implementation of policies with the help of private sector.”

Daily Times adds that the ministry of law and finance has jointly prepared the draft of the ordinance, which is currently with the Prime Minister.