[Pakistan] Mobilink fined Rs60m for poor service: Customers to get compensation

["Irfan Khan" <khania2@super.net.pk>]

Dawn (7 June 2003)

Mobilink fined Rs60m for poor service: Customers to get compensation

By Our Staff Reporter


ISLAMABAD, June 6: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on 
Friday slapped a fine of Rs60 million against a leading cellular 
company, Mobilink, for poor quality of service , with a direction to 
pay the penalty by compensating its customers within 30 days.

PTA Chairman Shahzada Alim Malik while announcing the verdict after 
an open hearing three days ago, also directed the licensee to provide 
the authority a comprehensive report on the implementation of its 
compensation plan within seven days of this order. With a customer 
base of one million in the country, every customer is likely to get a 
compensation of Rs60 each.

In addition to this, the authority has issued show-cause notices to 
other mobile phone companies like Ufone, Instaphone and Paktel for 
unsatisfactory service, asking them to satisfy the PTA within 30 
days.

The PTA also issued a warning letter on Monday to the Pakistan 
Telecommunication Company Limited stating that license conditions of 
giving new connection within one week and rectification of faults 
within a day were not being adhered to, in addition to billing errors 
and response to complaints.

Referring to the Mobilink, the chairman while announcing the verdict 
had said: "That the licensee has not fully complied with the 
mandatory provision of its license; the licensee has fallen short of 
the defined quality of service (QoS) standards mentioned under the 
license conditions and has not fully complied with the directions 
issued by the authority in respect of QoS from time to time; the 
licensee has failed to redress the complaints against it and that the 
licensee has given a future network expansion plan in general, as far 
as the improvement in the QoS is concerned."

The company has also been asked to ensure that over a three months 
period commencing on the date of this enforcement order and ending on 
Sept 6, it complies with the terms and condition of its license. The 
licensee within seven days after Sept 6, will conduct a nationwide 
technical survey jointly with the PTA to determine all aspects of the 
QoS provided by the licensee.

The Mobilink is also required to submit within three days of such 
surveys the results to the authority in unedited, original, 
electronic and print versions.

The licensee has also been asked to diligently provide to the 
authority all information and data requested by it from time to time. 
On Feb 22, 2003, the authority issued a show-cause notice against the 
Mobilink for showing very poor performance, against which the company 
responded that certain factors had influenced the quality in certain 
parts of its network, which were beyond its control and had asked the 
authority to withdraw the notice. The PTA chief said the authority 
was receiving verbal and written complaints against the licensee 
regarding the QoS. 

source: http://www.dawn.com/2003/06/07/top10.htm