The SBP owes $34 million USD to various international IT firms, so to reduce the burden from further piling up, Direct Carrier Billing will be cut off across the country and users would need to resort to their bank cards or other micro-finance solutions. Previously, Direct Carrier Billing allowed users to seamlessly use their network (SIM) balance to pay for services and apps using the Google Play Services framework. Amin-ul-Haq, the federal minister for information technology and telecommunication, has taken note of the situation and written to the finance minister, Ishaq Dar, requesting that the central bank restart the payments. He added that obstructing payments to international organizations will bring the country’s reputation into disarray and that Android users who run paid apps or use in-app paid services will suffer severe difficulties as a result of this decision. He also reaffirmed that the services of free apps on the Google Play Store will continue to be available.
وزیر خزانہ معاملے کا فوری نوٹس لیتے ہوئے اسٹیٹ بینک کو ادائیگی جاری رکھنے کی ہدایت کریں. ضروری ہے کہ مستقبل میں آئی ٹی وٹیلی کام کے حوالے سے فیصلوں میں وزارت کی مشاورت لازمی شامل کی جائے." (امین الحق) pic.twitter.com/8fVA2DGirg — Ministry of IT & Telecom (@MoitOfficial) November 26, 2022 With its foreign reserves quickly fading, Pakistan is already experiencing a serious economic crisis. The government should give these choices significant consideration before implementing them since they will undoubtedly cause the confidence that has been built up between multinational companies and local businesses to erode.
