The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has warned about the potential for a major telecom blackout that could disrupt up to 50% of mobile traffic in the coming days.
According to sources familiar with the matter, this looming crisis could knock many mobile towers offline.
The root of this potential disruption stems from an ongoing financial dispute between the Ministry of Information Technology and various telecom companies over outstanding payments. The ministry’s steering committee has yet to finalize a method for collecting these dues, which threatens to affect 10% of the country’s internet traffic and could render 40% of ATMs inoperative.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has emphasized the necessity of resolving outstanding payments to renew telecom licenses. The licenses of three to four long-distance and international (LDI) operators have expired, with several others set to expire shortly.
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Failure to renew these licenses could significantly disrupt international internet traffic to Pakistan and potentially affect global communications if operators must shift services. In response to this urgent issue, telecom companies have actively sought legal recourse to maintain their operations while they await a pivotal decision.
According to the sources, the Ministry of Information Technology is pursuing payment collection from nine telecom companies. LDI companies alone owe a staggering 54 billion rupees, including surcharges for late payments.
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The IT Ministry expects to collect 24 billion rupees from these outstanding payments. Following payment, the PTA plans to link the renewal of telecom licenses to the settlement of these dues, underscoring the gravity of the financial and operational challenges facing Pakistan’s telecom sector.
