National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP):The mobile phone users have realized
the importance of landline phone within partial suspension its
signals during last four days owing to sit-in at D-Chowk of Federal
Capital.
No doubt with avid popularity of mobile phones in a decade and
obviously across the globe, the users tend to forget importance of
old but steadfast landline service. From day to night and from young
to old, cell phones are playing an immense role either for
individual needs or organizational one.
More obvious part is, during the partial suspension of mobile
phone services, the only means of communications available is
landline connection provided by Pakistan Telecommunication Company
Limited (PTCL) and other operators.
Though it is quite an older medium now but one could rely on
it impeccably for getting in touch with friends and family during
mobile phone signal suspension time.
But to say the least, in this digitally equipped era, users
have become so dependent on mobile phones that they do not even
carry the landline numbers of their relatives, friends and
imperative contacts.
Due to an uncertain security situation, the authorities
concerned necessarily think about suspension of cellular service
on and off.
A mobile phone user, Nadeem Khan on Thursday said that keeping
in view the situation of these communication hurdles, one cannot
ignore importance of prime and alternative means of communication,
that is the PTCL landline meaning to nationwide and easy
accessibility.
He said, “Undoubtedly, importance of landline emerged out when
there is not any sign of mobile phone signals and we ought to lose
our connections overall and apparently that is the reason as
media organizations, law-enforcement agencies, health services,
ambulances and other sectors remain dependant on PTCL landline
connections.
So, at a point, while seeing absence of mobile signals, it
becomes imperative to keep landline numbers of emergency services
and significant professional and personal contacts updated to evade
any inconvenience in an emergency state, he added.
Another subscriber Rahim Ahmed said signals blockade is not
a new thing, we all are somehow familiar with it and prepare any
time for such kind of decision by authorities, reasoning to deter
the probable activities of terrorists.
“Seeing all these practices, we cannot stop these signals
blockade but surely we have an alternative to switch towards it and
that is landline. Reachable to everyone, it fits any location with
extensive network of land cables,” he said, adding that however, it
also does not need to be charged every day and this feature makes it
more trustworthy in an incident of emergency while on the other
side, mobile has some requirement to run efficiently like credit,
battery and satellite network.
Other benefit of landline connection is that it would never be
difficult to find any person or an organization by means of a
telephone directory as it contains all record of landline numbers
categorically by name.
“I am a user of internet on my mobile phone but whenever
authorities suspend cellular signals, I observed that I could not
even use the internet, as everything is directly related to signals
which were not available. Then I have decided to go for a PTCL
connection at the earliest to have a DSL all the times and to avoid
any delay in my important office related assignments,” Sabie Qadir,
a mobile phone user said.
He said, “We usually think nowadays that landline is only the
requirement of rural and far flung areas but as we cannot
underestimate the importance of newspaper in the time of growing
electronic media, same goes with the landline connection even in
metropolitans. In case of any emergency, and if there is no cellular
signal, in such scenarios the only help you get is from your old
friend, the landline connection that connects you with the outer
world when there is no one to reach you.”