Mobile users in Pakistan will not be able to download Google Play Store services from December 01, 2022, after the State Bank of Pakistan suspended a payment of $34 million to international service providers as reported by The News.
The billing mechanism was discontinued by the central bank, and as a result a payment of $34 million on an annual basis through mobile companies to international service providers, including Google, Amazon and Meta, got stuck.
Pakistani customers will now have to download Google and other international apps by making payments through credit cards or debit cards only. However, because credit card facilities are limited only to a limited group of customers, the majority of mobile users may not be able to download apps from Google Play Store.
According to officials, the unavailability of such digital services due to non-payments would create problems in Pakistan in today’s digital age, and should be avoided at all costs.
