PTA exempts watches, laptops and basic equipment from type approvals

Some good news as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has exempted basic IT equipment and devices from type approvals.

This new rule covers the devices used in the daily lives of customers be it for commercial or personal uses. Among them are Wi-Fi enabled tablets, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi smart watches, and personal computers. As long as a device does not have a SIM card, it is covered by the new rule much to the relief of Pakistan citizens.

Also exempted from type approvals are switches, firewalls, servers and storage devices which are basically equipment used for basic networking purposes. Many firms and even individual users will immensely benefit from this exemption.

Devices with NFC (near-field communication), Bluetooth, RFID and GPS were also exempted from type approvals owing to their various applications in different business sectors.

If one is to import these same items, they will not require the PTA to issue them a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC). However, customs procedures will still be applied to them. This effectively removes any ambiguity from their import process with importers and end users standing to benefit greatly.

While this is a welcome step, much more is still expected from the PTA in terms of helping out the population to access technology to improve literacy levels in the country. The items with SIM cards should also benefit from the same exemption as they are more in number compared to the ones without SIM cards.

It is a step that will benefit the whole country since such exemptions and waivers will make technology more affordable with the result that more people will access technology and benefit from it. In the long term, users will be able to purchase more devices and thus grow the economy faster.