ISLAMABAD: After several users around the country faced problems with WhatsApp communications last week, a parliamentary body on Tuesday sought answers from the Pakistan Telecommuni­cation Authority over the disruption.

Syed Aminul Haque, chairman of the National Assembly Standing Com­m­ittee on Information Technology and Telecom­m­u­ni­cations, questioned the Ministry of IT and Telecom officials regarding the disruption, but they redirected the inquiry to PTA, the telecom sector regulator.

Committee members noted that WhatsApp was functioning efficiently through VPNs, indicating that the disruptions were local rather than international.

Mr Haque emphasised that any downgrading or suspension of public platforms must be communicated to the public to ward off any misconceptions or confusion about the country’s IT and telecom sector, and decided to summon PTA representatives to offer an explanation at their next meeting.

The Ministry of IT and Telecom also informed the committee that the 5G spectrum auction is under consideration and is likely to be held in March 2025.

The committee recommended that the ministry should bind service providers to ensure proper 5G services in major cities after the auction without compromising quality. The ministry was also urged to incentivise service providers in the 5G spectrum auction and ensure that these incentives are properly utilised for infrastructure improvements to guarantee uninterrupted 5G services.

On Saturday, scores of users complained that they could not send or receive media files via the Meta-owned popular messaging app while using 3G or 4G mobile data. However, voice messages and video files could be uploaded and downloaded over Wi-Fi.

At the time, neither the PTA nor the cellular mobile operators had issued any statement on the matter.

However, digital rights experts noted that the disruptions could be due to the installation and testing of a new system to contain traffic and content on social media.

The committee also reviewed the “Establishment of Telecommunications Appellate Tribunal Bill, 2024” in detail. The bill proposes establishing a tribunal to expedite pending telecom sector cases, which are currently stalled in the high courts.

The tribunal would be required to decide on cases within 90 days of their transfer. Currently, 71 cases are pending before the high courts and would be transferred to the tribunal upon the bill’s passage. The decision on the bill was deferred until the next committee meeting.

The committee was also briefed on the Universal Service Fund (USF), which telecom companies contribute to provide telecom and mobile data services in underserved and unserved areas.

It was disclosed that the federal government took Rs61 billion from the USF in 2015 for the federal consolidated funds, with Rs45bn still outstanding.

The committee recommended that the IT ministry repeatedly request the federal government every three months for the return of these funds.

IT secretary removed

In a sudden move, the federal government removed additional secretary for IT, retired Capt Muhammad Mahmood, from his post.

As per a notification issued on Tuesday, the officer has been made an officer on special duty (OSD).

Sources say Capt Mahmood is currently not in the country. Although considered close to PM Shehbaz Sharif, he has been named as one of the accused in the wheat import scandal that dominated headlines recently.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024