The Pakistani Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) plans to release the first Draft of Telecommunications Policy. An international consultant hired to “review and integrate current telecoms policies” briefed the ministry on findings and policy suggestions about various aspects of telecommunication sector. The policy seeks to enable and encourage local manufacturing, content and application development.

The draft includes provisions related to interconnection, VoIP, licensing framework, broadband services and public Wi-Fi. A drafting group comprising representative of MoIT, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) has been created to finalize the draft before opening it for consultation. This policy draft will be launched in the third week of July for review and comments of stakeholders. Formal workshops are planned with stakeholders in August to finalize the draft.