Telecom operators have urged Punjab authorities and the federal government to intervene after charges for laying and maintaining cables at the Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate (QIE) were raised by as much as 600 percent.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Access Providers Association (PTAPA) said the revised rates introduced by QIE management would push up infrastructure costs and could eventually raise the price of internet and telecom services for consumers.
Under the new schedule, annual rent for aerial telecom cables has jumped from Rs50 to Rs300 per meter, a 500 percent increase. Charges for underground infrastructure have also risen sharply.
The one-time right-of-way fee for buried cables has increased 333 percent, from Rs300 to Rs1,000 per meter, while annual rent for such cables has doubled from Rs100 to Rs300 per meter. The one-time supervision fee for buried cables has gone up 213 percent, from Rs80 to Rs250 per meter.
PTAPA said the revised charges violate the Public and Private Right of Way Policy Directives of the federal government and called on authorities to enforce the approved policy.
The association argued that right-of-way charges levied by public authorities should follow a no-profit-no-loss principle, covering only the cost of providing the service rather than serving as a source of commercial revenue.
The association also said operators already paying approved tariffs to use electricity distribution company poles should not face additional permission or no-objection-certificate charges.
PTAPA further said permissions for laying new infrastructure at the industrial estate are being withheld, and asked authorities to intervene urgently. It warned that such restrictions could slow the expansion of telecom infrastructure and disrupt internet and other essential communication services for businesses operating in the estate.
The association called for the revised charges to be reviewed in line with the federal right-of-way policy.
