There are many areas in Pakistan that still do not have access to 3G/4G services, therefore in order to bridge that gap and connect the population to the latest technology, a decision has been made by the Court to allow Special Communications Organization (SCO) to operate 3G, 4G services in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) but on a trial basis.
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The petition was allowed by Justice Haq Nawaz and Justice Muhammad Umar that challenged the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) decision of issuing licenses to cellular networks for launching 3G and 4G spectrum in the mountainous region. The petition was filed on April 18 under Article 71 of the GB Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009.
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The petition that was filed read that licenses issued to other private operators for launching 3G and 4G service was unlawful authority and that the 3G and 4G spectrum auction in GB was an attempt by the PTA to prevent the ongoing services on a trial basis. Furthermore, the court ordered the parties to maintain the quality till the final disposal of the petition, as there were complaints from the users about the SCO’s poor quality and speed of mobile service in the region.
