Telecom companies announce free calls in flood-hit areas

ISLAMABAD: On the directives of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), telecommunication companies announced free call service in flood-affected areas, ARY News reported on Saturday.

According to details, the telecom regulator has directed the telecommunication companies to allow free calls in all flood-affected areas across Pakistan.

In a statement released on Twitter, the PTA wrote: “Cellular Mobile Operators will provide free voice calls (On-net/same network) to all their subscribers in flood-affected areas with Zero balance.”

PTA acknowledges the efforts of CMOs in providing timely and instant relief to #telecom consumers in these challenging times. There will be no call setup charges applicable on call connection and customers having no balance will be able to make on-net calls.#FloodinPakistan

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) August 27, 2022

The telecom regulator acknowledged the efforts of cellular mobile operators in providing timely and instant relief to telecom consumers amid challenging times.

“There will be no call setup charges applicable on call connection and customers having no balance will be able to make on-net calls,” it added.

The authority added that it continues to monitor the communication channels in the affected areas, ensuring connectivity and providing updates.

It is pertinent to mention here that recent heavy monsoon rains and subsequent floods killed almost 945 people and injured over 1,350 others across Pakistan.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) revealed the statistics during a meeting of National Assembly’s standing committee on climate change. The NDMA officials briefed the participants on the flood situation across Pakistan.

During the meeting, it was revealed that almost 945 people have been killed and another 1356 sustained injuries in heavy rains and floods.