NA panel irked over poor mobile services, seeks efforts to bring Apple to Pakistan

According to Dawn, a National Assembly panel overseeing IT and telecommunication voiced strong concern on Thursday about weak mobile and internet quality and resolved to call telcos in to explain recurring network faults. The chairman, Aminul Haque, said callers sometimes had to dial three times to get a call through, and members argued that service had worsened since the spectrum auction. PTA officials told the panel that telcos had been given 30 days to upgrade, that fines of up to Rs350 million were possible, and that many penalties were being contested in court.

The same meeting heard from an Engineering Development Board official that talks were under way to bring Apple into Pakistan's manufacturing sector, and that an Apple store had already opened locally. Members were told that 37 firms make mobile phones in the country and that more than 35 million devices have been produced domestically. Telecom tower power supply and industrial tariff status were also discussed, and the committee decided to summon Nepra and Power Division officials.