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The Ministry of IT and Telecom has not yet made a final decision regarding the collection of dues from telecom LDI companies and the renewal of their licenses.
Sources told ProPakistani that the Ministry is waiting for the opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice, after which a policy directive regarding the collection of dues and license renewals will be issued with the approval of the federal government.
Among the telecom LDI companies operating in Pakistan, the licenses of four companies expired in July, while the licenses of seven more companies will expire in August. One company’s license will expire in 2025, and another company’s license will expire in 2026.
The Ministry of Information Technology is awaiting the opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice regarding the renewal of licenses for companies with billions of rupees in outstanding dues. The feedback from there will be communicated to the PTA, based on which further action regarding license renewals will be taken.
According to sources, the licenses of Worldcall Telecom expired on July 13, Linkdot Net Telecom on July 16, Wateen Telecom on July 25, and Telecard Company on July 26, 2024. The licenses of Dancom will expire on August 2, Telenor LDI on August 04, ADG LDI on August 11 and Redtone, Wise Communication, and Orient Express LDI on August 15.
Sources added that Circle Net Company’s license will expire on August 18, Multinet Pakistan’s license on November 28, 2025, and 4B International’s license on March 9, 2026. The Ministry of IT and Telecom had also dissolved the steering committee formed to resolve the issue.
LDI companies owe a principal amount of 24 billion rupees in license fees and approximately 54 billion rupees in late payment surcharges. The Ministry of IT had withdrawn its previous letter regarding the collection of dues ten days ago.
Over the past ten days, the Ministry has been unable to make a decision regarding the collection of dues and the renewal of these companies’ licenses.
According to sources, due to the delay in decision-making, three companies have approached the court after their licenses expired.
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