Why have Pakistan call rates increased?

On the 1st October 2012 there was an increase of approximately 350% in the wholesale international call rate to Pakistan. This increase affected all wholesale carriers and impacted all cheap international call operators.

As a result of this Call2Call were forced to pass on the increase and unfortunately had to raise their rate for cheap calls to Pakistan.

This big increase is a result of the Pakistan Telecom Authority’s decision to implement the controversial International Clearing House, where all inbound international calls are routed via one narrow part of the telecommunications network, before being passed on to a select few operators. This move, it was claimed by the Pakistani government, was an attempt to close down 'grey routes'; illegal networks into Pakistan where the government were unable to collect their inbound international call levy. Critics of the government, which included the Competitive Commission of Pakistan, pointed out that this measure would create an anti-competitive environment that could lead to significant price rises.

Well the prices have risen as feared and it is not yet known how long they will remain. What we do know is that these measures have been undertaken in the past on a number of occasions, and each time the price returned to pre-intervention rates within a matter of months.

Call2Call are working very hard to find the cheapest possible rates for our customers and currently offer a market leading rate of 6p per minute via our access number 0871 606 0707. For details of this and our SMS calling card offer please visit our Pakistan page here.