In recent years, natural disasters have been on the rise due to climate change. These extreme weather conditions have taken a toll on different sectors, with the telecom sector being one of the most affected. Recently, due to flooding in different parts of Pakistan, the telecom sector has incurred losses of over Rs. 17 billion.
This is a huge blow to the already struggling economy of Pakistan. The telecom sector is a major contributor to the GDP of Pakistan and these losses will be felt by the whole country. The floods have destroyed infrastructure and equipment, and it will take time and a lot of money to repair the damage. This will also lead to an increase in prices for customers, as the companies try to recover their losses.
Sources reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) asked all the telecom operators to report their losses due to the flooding.
Telecom operators have completed the data submission procedure according to the instructions given by the PTA. PTA has forwarded the report on the losses of the telecom industry to the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications.
According to an official statement, the Telecom Industry lost a total of Rs. 17,274.34 million in revenue because of recent floods. Jazz reported a loss of Rs. 7,540 million, while Zong lost Rs. 861.34 million. Wateen Telecom disclosed a loss of Rs. 672 million, while Ufone’s losses were estimated to be Rs. 469.2 million.
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PTCL is the top telecom services provider in the country. PTCL faced Rs. 2.283 billion in losses, while Telenor incurred Rs. 5.464 billion in losses.
Telecommunications providers have had their sites for towers, equipment, fiber-optic cable, access network, and more ruined by tropical storms that flooded affected areas. Generators, routers, and cables consisting of other hardware at the telecommunications providers’ sites have also been damaged due to standing water from floods. Revenue has also been lost by the telecom operators due to the telecommunication operators’ shutdown in regions that were hit by the flood.
According to the Ministry of IT & Telecom, more than 3,800 telecom sites have been damaged due to the floods, and all of the sites are back online. The Ministry of MOIT submitted a report on losses to the management of the federal government. Compensation or other measures of this kind will be determined by the federal government on the basis of this report.
Must Read: PTA’s Relief and Restoration Activities in Flood Affected Areas
The telecom sector is vital for Pakistan and its people. It provides connectivity and allows people to stay in touch with each other. It is also an important tool for businesses and plays a role in the country’s economic development. The government and private sector need to work together to find a way to prevent such losses in the future and protect this important sector from further damage.
- Natural disasters are on the rise due to global warming
- The Telecom sector is one of the most affected (recently – due to floods in Pakistan – losses of over Rs. 17 billion)
- This is a huge blow to the already struggling economy of Pakistan (GDP)
- Floods destroyed infrastructure and equipment – will take time/money to repair
- This will lead to an increase in prices for customers
- The Telecom sector is vital for Pakistan – provides connectivity, a role in the country’s economic development
- Government and private sector need to work together to find a way to prevent such losses in the future/protect from damage
