Regulator:

Generally there are two types of Regulators, the first is called the “Economy Wide Competition Regulator” as the Monopoly Control Authority established under the Monopoly Control and Restrictive Trade Practices Ordinance, 1970; and the other one is called the “Industry Regulator” .
Although the Industry Regulator was established in the year 1994 with the Promulgation of the Telecommunication Ordinance, 1994 but the real objective behind the creation of such Regulator was the need of independent, technical, expert and legal body to cope with some key issues, besides others, such as change over of telecom sector from monopoly to competition, protection of the rights of the companies competing with incumbents and to provide safeguard the interest of the users of the telecommunication services.
An Ideal Regulator is expected to :
• Determine the size of the telecommunications market by providing licences for the purposes of delivering telecommunication services.• To foster healthy relations between the different service providers by overseeing interconnection agreements so that service providers have equal access to the network provider by the dominant operator.• To resolve disputes and maintain a level playing filed or regulate for fair competition so that the dominant operator does not abuse his or her dominance in the market place.• To meet the policy goals so that consumers are protected against high prices, poor quality of services, inadequate infrastructure, limited services, unsafe equipment and neglect by the service provider.• To address consumer complaints and solve them amicably.• To ensure efficient use of frequency spectrum and space for the provision of information technology services.• To encourage investment, innovation and optimum growth of the sector (or related sectors) and operators’ performance.• To administer the numbering plan so that there are sufficient numbers available.• To monitor compliance with national and international telecommunications equipment supplier and service providers.• To monitor compliance with national and international telecommunications equipment suppliers and service providers.
PTA has all the traits of a good regulator and its primary functions, powers and responsibilities are:
To regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and the provisions of telecommunication services; receive and dispose of application for the use of radio-frequency spectrum; promote and protect the interest of the users of telecommunication; promote and available the high quality, efficient and cost effective telecommunication services; investigate and adjudicate on complaints; grant, renew, modify, transfer, monitor and enforce the telecom licences; regulate tariffs and prescribe telecommunication equipments; provide guidelines and determine the terms of interconnect arrangements .
In the larger context, we hope, that PTA shall keep up, adhere to, perform and enforce the telecom laws without any discrimination between the incumbents and the other telecom operators so that the healthy competitive environment could flourish and shall further keep herself abreast of the latest development, law and technology, in telecom sector