PTCL vs ISPAK again

Daily Times reports that: "Bandwidth rates to be reviewed: In the upcoming board meeting, company directors are also expected to take up the proposal of a 10 percent rate cut on bandwidth for Internet service providers and call centres.

�The company in July last year made a rate cut of 10 percent in the Internet bandwidth, from $6,000 per 2 megabytes per month to $5,400,� said the PTCL official.

For call centres, the cost of International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC) was reduced from $9,900 per month per 2 megabytes to $6,500 per month, he said.

�A similar proposal would be considered for this year,� he said.

ISPs and call centres had raised objections to last year�s rate cut terming it an eyewash and have approached the company this year again seeking a larger reduction this time around.

�If this happens again, this would be another eyewash and joke with the Internet users of the country,� said Wahaj-ur-Sairaj, Co-ordinator ISPs Association of Pakistan (ISPAK).

�We have asked them to reconsider the proposal and enhance the reduction to 20 to 25 percent,� he added.

However, PTCL does not agree and says bandwidth rates are already economical and frequent large cuts should not be expected.

�We are already one of the cheapest bandwidth provider in the region,� said the PTCL official and added that the company�s target was to favour more general consumers than corporate customers.

The relief steps, the official said, were being taken in the wake of competition that the telecom giant would face post-deregulation.

�The company has registered a sharp growth in the past few years so now it is the customers turn to benefit,� the official said.

The company�s 56-year monopoly on land telephone l"