According to revised Telecom Policy 2015, that has been approved by ECC, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has been mandated to revise licensing framework for telecommunication services in the country to particularly include selected OTT services into the telecom licensing regime.
Once new licensing framework is finalized by PTA, certain OTT services (WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook etc.) are likely to be asked to obtain license from regulator in order to operate in Pakistan.
Section 5.2.5 of Telecom Policy 2015 says:
In developing the new licensing regime interalia the following should be taken into account:
Section 20 of the Telecom Act, and in particular, which over-the-top services should be licensed under a “general authorisation” in which a service provider is deemed to hold a license by virtue of the services that it provides and is then subject to the terms of that general authorisation, which may include national security requirements;
The regulatore, PTA, will determine licensing terms for certain OTT services — based on criteria that is yet unknown — and will make it mandatory for such selected OTT services to get a license before operating in Pakistan.
Moreover, some OTT services will be licensed only after they agree to terms (outlined by PTA), which may include national security requirements or lawful interception.
It is still unclear that which OTT services would be asked to get the license.