Islamabad, November 11, 2025 — The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has stepped up efforts to recover fines imposed on Long Distance International (LDI) operators found guilty of cartelisation under the International Clearing House (ICH) arrangement, despite ongoing appeals by several firms in the Supreme Court.
In its latest enforcement move, the CCP recovered Rs19 million from Multinet (Pvt) Ltd and Rs1.4 million from Voice Communications, bringing total recoveries in the case to Rs772 million. The commission reaffirmed its resolve to ensure complete recovery from all penalised telecom operators.
The penalties trace back to a 2012 CCP investigation that determined 14 LDI firms had formed a cartel through the ICH framework — a centralized gateway managed by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) for all incoming international calls. This structure effectively eliminated competition, fixed high termination rates, and hindered market efficiency.
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) upheld the CCP’s findings of cartelisation and abuse of dominance, though it revised the fine to 2% of revenues earned under the ICH setup. Following the verdict, the CCP began recovery from PTCL, Multinet Pakistan, 4B Gentel International, Wi-Tribe Pakistan, Dancom Pakistan, Wise Communication System, Worldcall Telecom, ADG (Pvt) Ltd, LinkdotNet Telecom, Telecard, Circle Net Communications, Wateen Telecom, Redtone Telecommunications, and Telenor LDI Communications.
While some operators have challenged the decision in the Supreme Court, the CCP clarified that no restraining order has been issued and vowed to continue enforcement actions “strictly in accordance with law.”
