What’s happening with Google Play Store for Pakistani users

 


As a result of the State Bank of Pakistan preventing the payment of $34 million to international service providers, mobile customers will not be able to access the services provided by the Google Play Store beginning on December 1, 2022.


After the central bank stopped using the direct carrier billing (DCB) mechanism, the payment of $34 million annually through mobile companies to overseas service providers like Google, Amazon, and Meta stalled.




In order to make purchases solely with credit cards or debit cards, customers in Pakistan will now be required to download Google and other foreign apps. However, the majority of mobile users might not be able to download programs from the Google Play Store because the credit card option is only available to a limited number of customers. 


In light of the country's current liquidity crisis, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and four cellular mobile operators (CMOs) wrote a joint letter to the SBP on Friday, requesting that it reconsider its decision to revoke the DCB mechanism for payment of the dollar fee.


Reputable government sources confirmed to The News that Google services like app downloads will not be available. They informed the appropriate authorities that a payment of $34 million was past due and that their services for Google App Store downloads would cease to be provided if the debt was not paid. 


In a joint letter to the government, the four mobile operators stated that in addition to other significant contributions in the form of tax, duties, and other levies, the telecom industry is one of the largest contributors to foreign direct investment


The IT designation for telecom providers was removed months ago by the State Bank of Pakistan. In addition, it was suggested that each case be submitted to SBP for approval. Thus, the portable administrators grumbled that they were encountering delays in getting endorsements, which was causing a disturbance in critical administrations. Office 365, robotics automation software, billing management, fraud management software, payments for software developers, and payments for digital advertising on large IT platforms are among these services. 


Pakistan's digital economy heavily relies on foreign service providers for hosting on cloud platforms, licensing for services and platforms, security measures, and frequently technical expertise to upskill the local workforce to international standards. 


All the major players, including Google, Amazon, and Meta, are suffering as a result of non-payment, and it is likely that they will cease offering their services. Digital platforms like digital banking, e-commerce, e-education, and e-health that use cloud infrastructure and require licenses for both applications and web-based platforms that are severely impacted will not be able to meet the needs of telecom and internet users. 


It is impossible to ignore the telecom industry's contribution to expanding Digital Pakistan's agenda. Because it is intended to benefit all social and economic sectors, Pakistan's digital transformation requires participation and facilitation from all stakeholders. 


Selling digital platforms will be extremely challenging due to the lack of distribution support and interest from Facebook and other market players like Google, Amazon, and Apple. As a result, businesses, products, and services outside the digital sphere will be affected. At the moment, digital marketing is the most efficient method for all businesses, goods, and services. 


The letter stated that any potential outage of such digital services due to non-payments would create a great deal of negative publicity for Pakistan in this era of social media and should be avoided at all costs. 


The Letter Finished Up 

It is important to note that we are all aware of the current problem, which is that the country's economy is getting worse, and we are willing to work with the regulator (SBP) in a friendly way. Because we are already collaborating with them in the event of import-related transactions in the telecom industry to get us through these trying times

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