Due to the non-renewal of Long Distance International (LDI) licenses and outstanding dues totaling around Rs. 79 billion, approximately 50% of mobile traffic, 10% of Internet traffic, and 40% of ATM banking machines are at risk of service disruptions, according to official documents.
Out of 13 LDI licensees due for renewal, four licenses have been processed, while the remaining nine licensees have outstanding dues related to APC for USF. Failure to renew these licenses could severely impact the telecom sector, compromising service quality, business operations, and the broader economy.
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OFC Infrastructure
The total Long Haul and Metro Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) network spans 27,567 km of Long Haul OFC and 18,337 km of Metro OFC:
- Wateen Telecom: 18,774 km Long Haul and 17,140 km Metro OFC, leased to Telenor, Jazz, and CMPak for Long Haul and Fiber to the Site (FTTS) connectivity.
- Multinet Pakistan: 6,993 km Long Haul, leased to Telenor, Jazz, and CMPak for Long Haul and FTTS connectivity.
- Worldcall: 1,800 km Long Haul and 734 km Metro OFC.
Impact
The non-renewal of LDI licenses will lead to:
- Mobile Services: Disruption of around 50% of mobile traffic and the potential shutdown of many towers.
- Internet Services: Interruption of approximately 10% of Internet traffic.
- Banking Services: 40% of ATM banking machines could become non-operational.
- Corporate Intranets: Several corporate intranets may face service interruptions.
Satellite Services
Licensees like Telecard, Multinet, Wateen, Retone, and Dancom operate satellite hubs with significant throughput capacities, crucial for communication needs. Non-renewal will impact banking services, mobile operator sites, and connectivity for law enforcement agencies and government departments in remote areas.
Cross-Border Links
Pakistan maintains several cross-border microwave and OFC links with neighboring countries, including Afghanistan, facilitated by Multinet Pakistan and Wateen Telecom. The non-renewal of LDI licenses will disrupt international data transit, causing potential connectivity issues for operators in Afghanistan and necessitating rerouting of traffic to other LDI operators. This could result in service degradation, increased operational strain on remaining operators, and possible interruptions in international communication services.
