Islamabad: Giving a big relief to millions of mobile phone users, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced to make calls on 0800 toll-free numbers completely free. After this decision, users will be able to contact any helpline or service number free of charge.
According to PTA officials, in the past, mobile users had to pay charges even after calling toll-free numbers, due to which most citizens felt hesitant to contact the helplines of government or private institutions. However, this facility was already available to fixed line users without any fee.
The authority said that a detailed review of the matter was conducted keeping in mind the public complaints and convenience. In this regard, all the concerned telecom companies, PTCL, National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) and mobile operators were consulted.
Officials say that it was decided by common consensus that toll-free numbers should be made truly free so that there is no financial burden on the users and they can easily get their complaints or information.
According to experts, this move will make access to banking services, emergency helplines, utility companies and government institutions easier. This facility will prove to be extremely beneficial especially for rural and low-income people.
Telecom analysts say that this decision is a significant step towards user-friendly policies, which will make the digital communication system more effective and accessible to the public.
PTA has clarified that calls to 0800 numbers will be considered free immediately and no additional charges will be levied from any user.
