ISLAMABAD ( BMZ REPORT )
The International Clearing House’s (ICH) future is still on stake and with a crucial high level meeting due on in second week of January it seems stakeholders are getting serious to fix the issue. . Cellular companies have rejected Rs 0.70 per minute call rate from the LDI consortium. Ministry Information & Telecom has also submitted its report to Finance Ministry for settlement of the said issue. Telenor’s LDI company gave a dead line to settle down Mobile Termination Rate ( MTR ) issue pended from last fifteen months till December 31th 2013 and extended till second week of January 2014.
Pakistan Telecom Authority arranged high level meeting last week of December 2013 but it has also failed to settle the issue. LDI consortium offers Rs 0.70 per minute to cellular companies which have been rejected. Cellular companies demand at least Rs 2.00 per minute. Another meeting held in Finance ministry in this regard but the issue still not settles down. The officers from Finance ministry clear LDI companies that they are responsible to fulfill the cellular companies’ demands. If this issue persists then the future of ICH may be at stake. Telenor has already given dead line to quite the agreement by second week of January 2014. The ICH was created to prevent illegal international calls to Pakistan. Last fifteen month this system showed very good results and heavy amount goes in national exchequer as well as LDI companies also get big amount. All eyes are on the high level meeting which is going to be held in second week of January 2014 in Finance ministry.
It is very interesting that the creator of ICH Chairman PTA Dr Ismail Shah have been given proposal that ICH may be dissolved. But officers from finance ministry rejected.