Pakistan becomes the first South Asian country to achieve G4 rank.

Pakistan has become the first South Asian country to be ranked as the 4th Generation Regulator (G4) by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

According to the ITU report titled “Global ICT Regulatory Outlook 2020 (GIRO)”, out of the 38 economies in Asia-Pacific, only 8% states have managed to achieve G4 status.

However, Pakistan scored 88 out of 100, which means that the country’s ICT regulations are led by economic and social policy goals.

The GIRO is developed on data provided by 193 countries, which forms the basis of ‘ICT Regulatory Tracker’. The tracker serves as an evidence-based tool that helps decision-makers and regulators monitor the rapid evolution of ICT regulation.

Pakistan also marked its spot among the top five regulators in the entire Asia-Pacific region with a global rank of 48.

The report also sheds light on Pakistan’s journey towards collaborative regulation which is explained in a separate feature in the report. With full marks in regulatory authority, 22/30 for the regulatory regime, and 27/28 for competition framework, Pakistan scores 19/22 for a regulatory mandate.

In this regard, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has pledged to pursue new international benchmarks by continuing its commitment to cater to consumer interests and enhance public-private collaborations for the digital modifications and overall socio-economic up-gradation of Pakistan.