Pak bans SMS packages for being 'against moral values of society'

Karachi: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has asked all telecom companies in the country to discontinue voice and text chat packages after they came under fire for allegedly being against moral values of society.

PTA Director-General Muhammad Talib Dogar has ordered telecom companies to cease offering voice and text messaging bundle packages at any and all times of the day by September 2.

“We had sent the telecom companies a letter in November, 2012 to comply with but they have still not complied and are offering these packages,” a PTA official confirmed.

The packages offered by the telecom companies have come under fire in the National Assembly, with some members terming the packages as being against the moral values of Pakistani society.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

[caption id=“attachment_1073135” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP[/caption]

The telecom industry in Pakistan is one of the most profitable and at present they are five cellular operators offering services in the country.

In the last five years Pakistan has seen a boom in the cellular industry with the number of mobile phone users increasing dramatically.

A senior official of a telecom company said the PTA decision is likely to create ripples across the sector and provide further strain to an industry already overburdened with heavy taxation.

PTI