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10 ISPs to start DSL operations

* Services to start in 15 cities within one month

By Imran Ayub

KARACHI: Around 10 Internet service providers are gearing up to launch digital subscriber loop (DSL) based broadband services in 15 cities within one month, industry officials said.

Telecom watchdog Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has received over a dozen applications from different ISPs seeking licences for the DSL operations.

“We have received over 12 applications for broadband operations licenses,” said a senior official in the PTA. “Some of them are awarded licences while fate of others would be decided in a week or two,” he said while refraining to provide exact number of companies which were awarded licences.

But a senior official of the ISPs Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) said that 10 of its members were awarded licences. He declined to say which companies these were.

“The authority has set certain criteria to award licences and anyone who meets the criteria would definitely get the licence,” the PTA official said. He said the telecom regulator would also monitor the operations in future and reserved all rights to take action on substandard service.

PTA last month allowed ISPs to carry out DSL-based broadband Internet operations.

DSL broadband is a modern technology that converts existing twisted pair telephone lines into access path for high-speed communication of various sorts. By using the technology regular telephone line can be converted into a high-speed broadband digital link.

DSL is faster than both ISDN and leased line, yet is more cost effective. With DSL Internet connection is ‘always on’, and the users have unlimited access to the Internet. The downloading speed can be ten times higher compared to regular speed of an analogue modem. In addition, with one line users can be connected to both telephone and the Internet.

Operations to start within a month: Officials at the licenced ISPs said they are set to begin operations within a month initially in 15 cities of the country.

“We would initially start from 15 cities and then expand it,” said head of a local ISP. “I am quite optimistic that the service would receive good response.”

He said currently his ISP had operations in over 40 cities and plans to launch broadband operations in all the 40 cities gradually.

Another official of an ISP, which is operating from 25 different cities, is also flexing muscles to launch broadband initially from 10 cities. “It is our initial plan and expansion would depend over success of our operations in these 10 cities,” the official said.

Currently, four major players monopolise DSL-based Internet operations including, Micronet, Multinet, Rafiq Habib and WorldCall. Market players said the entry of ISPs into this market would increase the subscriber base and would help bring down rates.

PTA fee: But industry officials argue that fee level of the PTA is on the higher side and that if the fee structure is not reduced then it would be difficult to bring prices down.

“Some 10 of our members have so far planned to start operations,” said V A Abidi, secretary general of ISPs Association of Pakistan (ISPAK). “But the PTA authority would have to bring its fee down to make the service popular and affordable.”

He said the PTA had paid heed towards ISPs concerns and invited representatives of the several companies to discuss the issue next week.

“We would make presentations there and try to convince PTA over this issue,” said Mr Abidi. “I hope the result would be positive one.”

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