The coronavirus has made it amply clear that if there is anything that helps most in coping with a pandemic, it is telecom. However, in the telecom space, whichever global index one chooses, we remain the country which lags behind all its neighbours (except Afghanistan). Our inability to resolve disputes over spectrum renewal during 2020 coupled with a few other court cases put brakes on new investment in the mobile sector. This is why the creation of telecom tribunals, mandated by the Telecom Act, is still a great idea. While the Universal Service Fund (USF) is (rightly) busy connecting rural areas with optic fibres, a few hundred smaller cities in between wait patiently.

Source: The Express Tribune December 28, 2020 03:07 UTC