A telecommunications tower. PHOTO: REUTERS

Pakistan has been ranked as 4th Generation Regulator (G4) by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is the only country in South Asia to have achieved this position.



"Out of 38 economies in Asia-Pacific, only 8% states have managed to achieve G4 status," said a statement.



According to ITU’s report “Global ICT Regulatory Outlook 2020 (GIRO)”, the country scored 88 out of 100, which means that Pakistan is also among the top five regulators in the Asia-Pacific region.



"GIRO is built on high-quality data provided by 193 countries worldwide that forms the basis of ‘ICT Regulatory Tracker’. The Tracker, developed by ITU, is an evidence-based tool that helps decision-makers and regulators monitor the rapid evolution of ICT regulation."



The statement added that the Tracker, developed by ITU, is an evidence-based tool and is used by regulators to "monitor the rapid evolution of ICT regulation".



Pakistan has scored full marks (20/20) for regulatory authority, 19/22 for regulatory mandate, 22/30 for regulatory regime and 27/28 for competition framework.



"Pakistan’s journey towards collaborative regulation has also been highlighted as a special feature in the report."



The ITU said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is "continuously striving to achieve new international benchmarks by showing its commitment to protect consumer interests and enhance public-private collaborations for the digital transformation & socio-economic benefit of Pakistan".