Wednesday, July 29, 2009 By Jawwad Rizvi LAHORE: A leading telecommunication company, which launched DSL (digital subscriber line)and IPTV (cable TV) services with a bang, has failed to provide these services to customers in most areas of Lahore.
The failure is the result of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd’s outdated network and lack of modern technology, it is learnt.
When contacted, a PTCL spokesman said there were exchange upgrading issues, causing problems for the people.
PTCL’s Executive Vice President Jamil Khwaja said for providing the best telecom services to the customers, the PTCL was expanding and upgrading its network in Lahore.
In that regard, the company had upgraded the cable network and provided ONU facility to Canal Bank Housing Scheme, Rizwan Gardens and surrounding areas for the satisfaction of customers, enabling them to utilise and enjoy telecom services smoothly.
“Now the customers of these areas can obtain broadband facility conveniently. The PTCL will upgrade its network step by step all over Lahore,” he said.
Khwaja said PTCL’s broadband was the fastest Internet service in the country and ADSL2-Plus technology had been provided on current land lines.
Kashif Iqbal, a resident of Samanabad, applied for IPTV service from the company. However, the PTCL does not provide IPTV connection only and it is necessary for the consumers to take both DSL and IPTV services.
On Kashif’s application, the company men installed DSL modem at his residence, but they refused to give IPTV connection, saying the network cable reaching his house was connected with the fibre optic cable, which does not support IPTV connection. A company official told him IPTV service could be provided only through copper cable.
Kashif told The News he had actually applied for IPTV connection due to problems faced by the private TV cable network in the area.
“The TV cable service in my locality was not good and remained suspended usually,” he said, adding he learnt from someone the PTCL was providing good IPTV service at cheap rates.
“I applied for it but the company installed DSL modem only which was not of use to me,” Kashif said, adding after refusal from the company he submitted an application for removal of DSL modem.
In another incident, a resident of Cantonment area, Shoaib Ali, applied for DSL student package on July 6. However, DSL service manager and DE of the telephone exchange at Cant refused to provide the service, saying the telephone exchange could not be upgraded.
The exchange was built in 2001 and was based on ONU-I technology which was not fit for DSL technology. Shoaib said they also told him that some 22 PTCL exchanges under their control were outdated which could not support DSL. Shoaib said the company official instead asked him to purchase PTCL-V phone and change his telephone number.
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