PTA Proposes Wind and Solar Power for Telecom Towers as Power Supply Issues Persist

The chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told a parliamentary committee that the issue of power supply to telecom towers has been raised with Nepra and relevant electricity distribution companies, who have been engaged to help resolve the problem.

Push for Renewable Energy at Telecom Sites

According to the PTA chairman, the prime minister has set up a high-level committee tasked with finding a lasting solution to ensure telecom towers receive an uninterrupted power supply, so that reliable telecom services can continue to reach the public.

That committee has recommended shifting toward alternative energy sources — particularly wind power — to run telecom infrastructure, pointing out that Pakistan has a strong wind corridor with substantial untapped potential. It further suggested that the IT Ministry instruct telecom operators to begin gradually installing renewable energy systems, including wind and solar setups, at their sites.

Mobile Phone Taxes Under the Spotlight

The committee also sought clarity on how taxes are applied to imported mobile phones. The PTA chairman explained that roughly 92 percent of smartphones used in Pakistan are either manufactured or assembled domestically, with only about 8 percent — mainly Apple iPhones and Google Pixel devices — being imported directly.

He noted that most other phone brands are locally assembled and therefore exempt from import duties, with taxes applying only to fully imported handsets. In response, the committee asked the IT Ministry to work on encouraging Apple and other major global smartphone makers to set up local manufacturing or assembly operations in Pakistan.

The PTA chairman also clarified that the PTA itself does not collect taxes on imported phones — those funds go directly to the Federal Board of Revenue. Once taxes are paid, he said, the PTA's role is limited to registering and whitelisting the device through its Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), which allows the phone to be legally used in the country.

Electronic Transactions Bill Deferred

Separately, the committee reviewed the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, but put off a decision after Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers raised concerns that the proposed changes hadn't yet been reviewed by the party's own legislative committee.

Approval was deferred following objections that the amendments would shift certain powers from the federal government to the prime minister directly. Committee chairman Aminul Haque asked whether the government had built political consensus around the bill, while Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja admitted that no such consensus currently exists and assured members the bill would not move forward without broader agreement.

Law Ministry officials told the committee that the amendment was a narrow change — simply replacing the words "federal government" with "prime minister." However, committee member Sadiq Memon argued this would still amount to shifting authority away from the federal cabinet. Fellow PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui asked that the Law Ministry first give the committee a full briefing before any further discussion of the amendments. Khawaja responded that administrative matters often get delayed by having to pass through the full cabinet, and that the proposed change was meant to speed up decision-making.