PTA terminates Worldcall LDI license
Aftab Ahmed
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has terminated the Worldcall Telecom Limited Long Distance International license due to non-payment of outstanding dues.
PTA said that the provision of LDI services stands terminated with immediate effect.
AB LDI/LL/WLI./Mobile Operator also directed to immediately suspend/ terminate all telecom facilities / Interconnection agreements extended to the aforesaid company, i.e., Worldcall Telecom Limited, and submit compliance report accordingly.
Earlier, the telecom regulator had rejected all six appeals of one of its licensee for not paying annual license fees, R & D and USF contributions, and late payment of the previous years said the Authority’s order.
The authority comprising Maj Gen (Retd) Azeem Bajwa, Chairman PTA, and its two members Muhammad Naveed and Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar issued the order against M/s Worldcall Telecom.
The order of the Authority reads, in the interest of fairness, it examined and discussed the entire case of the Licensee on merits. But it also could not find any cogent reason and justification to interfere in the impugned order. So, this is well reasoned and is by the law.”
Therefore, PTA dismissed all the six appeals of M/s Worldcall Telecom. It observed that the appeals are complete without any substance and dismissed on merits, the order added.
The first appeal was regarding nonpayment of the annual radio frequency spectrum fee (ARFSF) for 2011-12. The total amount under this head is Rs 70 million. Similarly, in the second petition of nonpayment of annual fee, R & D and USF contributions and late payment additional fee for 2013 and 2014.
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In the third appeal against PTA’s earlier orders, Worldcall sought nonpayment of late payment additional fee for the year Dec 2011. Whereas the Licensee also sought another appeal seeking an impugning earlier order of the authority for the year 2012.
Meanwhile, the Licensee—Worldcall Telecom—also sought to stay in the Authority’s order of nonpayment of annual radio frequency spectrum fee for 2014 and 2015, respectively.
READ Worldcall fined Rs 10m, facing suspension of license as well.
