The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by Rana Mahmood ul Hassan, discussed several consumer technology policies during a recent session, with the agenda focused heavily on e-SIM pricing, mobile taxation, and the need for satellite internet access in remote areas of the country. The PTA Chairman provided detailed insights on these issues throughout the session.
On e-SIMs, the PTA Chairman gave a comprehensive briefing on current policy, noting that users can already transfer an e-SIM to another mobile device for free up to ten times. However, the initial price of an e-SIM currently stands at Rs. 2,000, and the authority is actively negotiating with mobile operators to bring this cost down to between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 1,500. The Chairman said prices are expected to fall further as consumer demand for e-SIMs continues to grow across the country.
The discussion also turned to financial barriers facing the upcoming 5G rollout. The PTA Chairman clarified that the authority has no role in levying taxes on mobile phones, noting that this responsibility falls entirely under the Federal Board of Revenue. He pointed out that Pakistan currently manufactures 25 million mobile phones annually, while premium devices from brands such as Samsung and Apple are imported and subject to heavy taxation. The Chairman warned that excessive taxation on mobile phones could create significant challenges for the widespread adoption of 5G technology once it becomes commercially available.
The committee also addressed the poor internet connectivity affecting remote areas and motorways across the country. The PTA Chairman said licensing satellite internet providers is an urgent need to close these connectivity gaps, pointing to Nepal as a successful example of a country that has already licensed satellite internet providers. He said PTA has completed its groundwork on satellite internet policy and forwarded a framework to the Ministry of IT, adding that Pakistan should move quickly to grant licenses to companies such as Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon’s satellite internet service. Before operating in the country, these companies must first secure registration from the Space Activities Regulatory Board, after which PTA will move to issue their operating licenses.
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