Industry According to an assessment conducted by the PTA a few years ago, there isn’t enough VoIP traffic taking place online to make a financial dent in the business that the PTCL generates. So if the regulator doesn’t feel threatened by IT companies using Skype and Vonage over IP, why are companies using VoIP as part of their Unified Communication strategies, having their IPs blocked?
According to PASHA (Pakistan’s Software Houses Association), member companies using Voice Over IP to provide technical support or take care of their internal communications are having their IPs sniffed by the PTA. As a first warning, the company IP is being blocked for 30 minutes, followed by another warning and eventually having the IP blocked permanently.
A cursory look at the bigger picture reveals that a lot of the IT and ITeS companies compete with businesses at the global level. To engage customers and maintain their niche, it is just not possible to provide customers competitive pricing and still have to struggle with issues on the home front. According to PASHA, the PTA allows communication over IP at a certain level, but the PSEB requires companies using VoIP to register themselves as call centers, which opens up a collection of massive migraines.
The role of a regulator must protect the interests of the sector, creating an enabling environment which fosters growth and economic activity. If the PTA is looking out for the best interests of the PTCL, then the PSEB and PASHA together must safeguard the best interests of the software development and ITeS companies.
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