Senate panel to probe telecom overcharging

It is not only Jazz that has massively overcharged consumers, other telecom service providers have also pocketed billions and the matter has now landed in a Senate panel for investigation. The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has called an urgent meeting on August 25 to probe the issue. Earlier, it was reported that Jazz had overcharged its consumers Rs6.8 billion. The Auditor General of Pakistan has also pointed out irregular practices by Zong and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). According to the audit findings, the national exchequer suffered a loss of Rs18 billion due to the alleged illegal use of additional radio frequency spectrum by Zong. The Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) had allocated a temporary compensatory frequency to China Mobile Pakistan Ltd (Zong) during its 30th board meeting on September 8, 2007 to address cross-border interference from Indian CDMA networks that disrupted Zong services in Punjab and Sindh border areas.