Telcos warn PTA of upcoming load shedding

• Telecom firms warned the government of probable connectivity breakdowns if the power crisis continues.
• Telecom carriers say rising fuel prices have limited BTS backup.
• The operators warned PTA they may declare force majeure if disruptions persist.

Telcos Have Issued a Warning to the PTA Ahead of the Planned Load-Shedding of Data and Signals.

Telecom firms warned the government of probable connectivity breakdowns if the power crisis continues due to high fuel costs and difficult battery import requirements.

According to a newspaper, top cellular mobile operators (CMOS) have filed a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stating that they are unable to deal with the situation despite having generators and batteries for backup. Telcos say power losses have exceeded backup capacity.

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The letter alerted the telecom regulator to “important economy-wide variables” that are hindering operators’ ability to achieve quality of service commitments.

The telecom providers stated the rise in fuel prices has limited backup for their BTS stations.

Extra gasoline use to provide backup goes against the government’s goal of rationalising fuel consumption in the current tight economy. The telcos say, making network availability a “huge challenge.”

The letter said the State Bank of Pakistan’s 100% cash margin ban on network/backup equipment, including batteries, has exacerbated the situation.

CMOs say the issue has hindered their capacity to expand sites to meet licencing quality of service criteria. It has also hindered the addition of backup power, the letter noted.

The telecom industry has asked the PTA to help it continue providing crucial services.

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The operators warned PTA that if outages continue and other concerns aren’t fixed, they may have to declare force majeure.

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