The chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told members of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication that no telecom data had surfaced on the dark web in the previous two years. He did, however, stress how urgently a comprehensive framework for data protection is needed. The conference, which was presided over by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, covered topics like as cellular services, data theft, and the impending 5G spectrum auction.
Although telecom data has not lately been made public, the PTA Chairman admitted that other private information was still being discovered on the dark web. He called for a comprehensive investigation to determine the origins of these leaks, pointing out that the Ministry of the Interior had subsequently started a formal investigation and that PTA had carried out an internal investigation in 2022. Data was frequently taken from institutions individually, compiled, and then sold, according to Senator Afnan Ullah Khan. The head of the committee voiced concern about fraudsters’ access to sensitive data and related a personal story of receiving a bogus bank-related call.
The committee voiced concern over the protracted introduction of laws protecting personal data. The Ministry of IT announced that stakeholder consultations were under progress and that a draft bill had been drafted. Senator Afnan Ullah cautioned, nonetheless, that additional delays might put the nation’s security at grave risk. The committee also talked about how a telecom provider recovered more over Rs6 billion in customer tariffs. The subject was reported to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at the request of audit authorities. PTA has previously sent in documents for verification, officials acknowledged. Senator Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto expressed alarm about the declining quality of mobile services, pointing out that there is hardly even 2G coverage along the Karachi-Sukkur Motorway and that calls frequently drop.
He called for quick action to resolve these problems. The long-delayed merger of Telenor and Ufone was also examined by the committee. According to Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) officials, the agreement was nearing completion and should be finalized in two weeks. However, considering the delays thus far, Senator Kamran Murtaza questioned if the merger could actually be finished in such a short amount of time. The committee was reassured by Ministry of IT officials that the 5G auction would take place in December. The PTA Chairman went on to say that although the Authority was ready, there were still a few problems that needed to be fixed.
