ISLAMABAD: As a result of the State Bank of Pakistan’s decision to cancel the payment of $34 million to foreign service providers, mobile customers in Pakistan won’t be able to access Google Play Store services starting on December 1, 2022.
Payment of $34 million annually to worldwide service providers, such as Google, Amazon, and Meta, through cell firms was caught up because the SBP banned the Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) mechanism. Customers from Pakistan will now be compelled to download Google and other foreign apps in order to make purchases using credit cards or debit cards exclusively.
However, the number of users users might not be able to download programmes from the Google Play Store because the credit card option is limited in who can use it.
In a letter to the State Bank of Pakistan on Friday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, and four cellular mobile operators (CMOs) requested that it reconsider its decision to revoke the DCB mechanism for payment of the dollar fee in light of the current liquidity crisis in the nation.
There won’t be a way to get Google apps. They warned the appropriate authorities that they would stop providing their services for Google App Store downloads if a $34 million payment was not made.
The four mobile operators asserted in a joint letter to the government that, in addition to its other sizeable contributions in the form of taxes, duties, and other levies, the telecom industry is one of the major sources of foreign direct investment.
