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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>ECC may approve spectrum strategy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2264148/ecc-may-approve-spectrum-strategy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2264148/ecc-may-approve-spectrum-strategy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 20 19:14:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zafar.bhutta]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2264148</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Three-year strategy will ensure faster telecom network speed]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), scheduled to meet on Wednesday, is expected to approve the Rolling Spectrum Strategy 2020-23 for a faster network speed.

At the beginning of the millennium, the mobile industry had been looking at developing mobile broadband capabilities. It took 3G a decade to take off and demonstrate the viability for mobile networks to deliver internet access.

With the appetite for faster connection, the industry has upgraded the network to 4G/advanced LTE and this is spreading rapidly across the world right now.

In foreign markets, telecom operators are looking at aggregating spectrum to achieve higher speeds. For example, Zain Kuwait, Namibia&rsquo;s MTC and Australia&rsquo;s Optus have announced trials that pushed download speed to 1Gbps and above.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication said in the three-year spectrum strategy that it was the result of applying techniques such as Mimo, carrier aggregation and higher-order modulation, which drove spectrum efficiency as well network speed.

Research and development work continues to push the envelope as equipment manufacturers prepare for the next phase - the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) 2020 standards or 5G, revealed the spectrum strategy.

It said trials were already under way and several mobile network operators were working with equipment manufacturers to test IMT 2020 capabilities. Under the IMT 2020, a total spectrum of 17.25 GHz has been identified.

There are a few key factors that have helped to accelerate the growth of mobile services and they fundamentally point to an expanding ecosystem that enables faster innovation both in terms of technologies as well as use of these technologies.

The IT ministry had requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Frequency Allocation Board to come up with recommendations for the Rolling Spectrum Strategy. The board has prepared the strategy for 2020-23.

With growing demand for wireless communications and spectrum, it is necessary for the spectrum management organisations to put in place spectrum management activities in a structured and transparent manner.

This is the main goal of the spectrum master plan and a report has been developed by incorporating international best practices that are applicable to Pakistan.

The spectrum master plan provides a future roadmap for spectrum allocation as well as spectrum-related policy reviews that are anticipated to take place between 2020 and 2023.

Section 2 of the report discusses global trends around wireless communications and highlights the challenges faced by spectrum managers. It provides for approaches that are now being adopted/investigated by various countries to overcome some of the challenges.

It also looks at different radio services, current utilisation in Pakistan and future outlook for various spectrum bands. Some spectrum bands will need to be reframed before they can be allocated and these issues are being elaborated in the report.

The publication of a spectrum roadmap helps commercial operators in their network planning investments. It is crucial to recognise that the pace of change in industry is rapid and while the aim is to ensure transparency and certainty for the industry, there is a need to review the plan (after every three years) to ensure that the plan continues to be relevant.

A senior government official said the spectrum strategy would provide a roadmap to the operators and manufacturers for investment in the telecom sector.

He said it had been pending for the past five years and it was going to be approved for the first time. It would provide visibility to investors and the spectrum strategy would be reviewed after every three years.

Global trends

Globally, the wireless communications industry has undergone several major shifts that are resulting in convergence of services and technologies.

The last decade saw a tremendous growth in demand for mobile services while some services such as paging ceased to exist.

Today, there are over 9.4 billion mobile connections globally, exceeding the total world population. This means that the adoption of mobile services is not just happening in the affluent markets but it is also taking place the developing world.

In Pakistan, the number of subscribers grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% from 2003 to 2019. There is still room for growth as the current mobile penetration of around 77% is low compared to many countries.

Based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) statistics for mobile cellular subscription, more than 50% of countries have already surpassed 100% mobile penetration.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2020.

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			<title>Pakistan's digital infrastructure must get better</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258766/pakistans-digital-infrastructure-must-get-better</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258766/pakistans-digital-infrastructure-must-get-better#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 20 17:40:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Parvez Iftikhar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2258766</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Optic fibre cables should be laid as these have high data-carrying capacity]]>
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				<![CDATA[We often hear statements from our leaders that Pakistan is on its way to digitalisation.


A lot of buzz words are thrown around &ndash; artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G, etc. But the very first prerequisite of digitalisation is hardly ever mentioned, which is digital access.

As of now, the state of affairs is such that students in small cities cannot attend online classes, and freelancers and knowledge workers can only work from some selected locations in big cities.

For serious digitalisation, ideally, optic fibre cables should be extended right up to the premises. But this does not seem possible. The last mile access for the users will remain wireless mobile in the foreseeable future. That means for digitalisation to succeed, the mobile last mile has to be strengthened.

Let us see what needs to be addressed to improve digital access (other than liberal doses of spectrum). A mobile tower wirelessly connects many users on its &ldquo;front&rdquo; side. On its &ldquo;back&rdquo; side, it aggregates two-way &ldquo;traffic&rdquo;, and connects it to the core network. It is called &ldquo;backhaul&rdquo; connectivity.

Most of the backhaul networks in Pakistan comprise inexpensive and easy-to-deploy point-to-point microwave radios. But radios have limited information-carrying capacity.

Mobile communications have worked fine so far because bulk of our communications comprised voice calls. Voice does not need a lot of information-carrying capacity.

With the rise in data traffic (now voice and videos are first digitised, so even they become data) and the demand for faster internet, the backhaul microwave radios have started falling short. This becomes even more critical when aggregated traffic from several towers has to be backhauled. The tried and tested solution is to replace the backhaul radios with optic fibre cables. Fibres have extremely high data-carrying capacity &ndash; roughly over 10,000 times more than the radios.

Even some developing countries are moving ahead in implementing this solution. Thailand has 90% towers connected with fibres. In Pakistan, these are less than 10%.

Challenges of optic fibre networks

The investment required in optic fibres is very high and the return on investment is terribly slow. This investment has to come entirely from the private sector.

There is no public sector spending on digital infrastructure in Pakistan (exception: state-owned National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) for government&rsquo;s own needs).

There are some additional challenges. Optic fibres are normally buried underground. To do that, investors must get the &ldquo;Right of Way&rdquo; (RoW) from the authorities.

These authorities could be Pakistan Railways, national/provincial highways, city development (like CDA), housing development (like DHAs), municipalities, cantonments, tehsils, etc.

Although the Telecom Act 1996 laid down certain guidelines, still getting the RoW proves to be challenging. There are no uniform procedures, even in municipalities within the same province. If an investor has obtained RoW for the entire city, he still needs to get separate RoWs for any railway or highway crossings that come in the way.

Some places are subject to multiple jurisdictions (eg a road along a canal is claimed by the city as well as by the irrigation department), therefore different rules apply.

RoW charges are high but offer nothing in return except for permission to work &ndash; pure rent-seeking.

Other than official RoW charges, there are also unofficial charges, payable to public as well as private stakeholders. Otherwise anyone (including wayside shop-owners) could stop the work midway.

Not to be underestimated, all these unofficial charges add up to several multiples of the official ones. By the end, the required capital expenditure balloons several times the cost of fibre cables.

Therefore, only in tier-1 cities - that too in locations where big businesses or affluent neighbourhoods are found - the big internet service providers (ISPs) lay their fibres. Small aspiring local entrepreneurs cannot even think of it. The large data-carrying capacity of fibres never gets filled up with data but each ISP has to compete by laying its own fibres. Resultantly, wasted redundant investment worth billions lies buried in tier-1 cities.

On the other hand, it is also unacceptable to have only one ISP because that will create an undesired local monopoly. For the city administrations too, this frequent digging of roads is quite a hassle.

Global practices

In the meantime, the developed countries have started treating passive optic fibres in cities as a utility &ndash; just like water and gas pipelines. Governments get the passive fibre infrastructure installed, and then lease out the fibre capacity to the ISPs, which then provide digital access to the end-users using that fibre capacity.

One of the best known models, called &ldquo;Stokab&rdquo;, originated in Sweden &ndash; a country that ranks No 1 in the Network Readiness Index. In Stokab, the cities have elaborate underground passive fibre networks. Fibres are leased to the ISPs, who compete with each other in service provision. The Stokab model, and its variations, is used in several European countries.

The No 2 ranked country, Singapore, already had a fairly efficient fibre network owned by its incumbent. But it decided that passive infrastructure must belong to a neutral entity, which is not in competition with other ISPs. For that, it created two categories of licensees &ndash; NetCo and OpCo.

The other model, where ISPs do not lay their own fibres, is the &ldquo;incumbent model&rdquo;. In this model, the state-owned incumbent plays the role of an honest neutral fibre capacity provider. All ISPs lease fibres from it to provide digital access to their end-users.

But in Pakistan, the incumbent is a &ldquo;privatised&rdquo; ISP itself, therefore, the model cannot be implemented here.

Solution for Pakistan

For our tier-2 and tier-3 cities, we could follow something similar to the Swedish Stokab. The ownership of the passive fibre networks in tier-2 and 3 cities could lie with the city (or provincial) government.

These governments could hire technical assistance of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)-licensed telecom infrastructure providers (TIPs) to install and run the fibre network.

TIPs will not compete with ISPs due to two reasons. (a) TIP licence does not allow them to (regulator will still have to keep an eye), and (b) ISPs will be TIPs&rsquo; customers and TIP revenues will depend on the ISPs.

The relationship between a city/provincial government and the licenced TIP could either be a revenue-sharing agreement, or a public-private partnership. The partnership may even help bring private sector funding.

ISPs could then sign service-level agreements (SLAs) with TIPs. This could be a &ldquo;win-win&rdquo; solution for all the four stakeholders.

ISPs will not have to invest in fibres, RoWs, etc (even small new entrants could jump in), instead the ISPs will compete on price and quality of service; users will get high-speed digital access at competitive rates; cities will get rid of repeated road diggings, plus a small but steady revenue stream against a service (not rent-seeking); the nation will avoid redundant investments, and with digitalisation, will get new businesses and new jobs.

The writer is former CEO of the Universal Service Fund and is providing ICT consultancy services in several countries of Africa and Asia

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2020.

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			<title>3G, 4G services promised to far-flung areas in K-P, Balochistan &amp; G-B</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2255076/3g-4g-services-promised-to-far-flung-areas-in-k-p-balohistan-g-b</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2255076/3g-4g-services-promised-to-far-flung-areas-in-k-p-balohistan-g-b#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 20 19:57:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2255076</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[IT minister says broadband project will create job opportunities, empower women]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haque has announced that 3G and 4G services will be provided soon to far-flung areas of Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony for a high-speed mobile broadband project in Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur districts at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Haque said in light of the Digital Pakistan vision, the Ministry of IT through the Universal Service Fund (USF) had been running diverse projects, which were playing a huge role in the socio-economic betterment of people.

He said the government was committed to promoting the country&rsquo;s technological capacity to develop and produce a globally competitive IT sector and industry.

Shedding light on the project, the minister added that the project would meet the objective of providing infrastructure in order to ensure access and connectivity for people. &ldquo;This project will not only provide broadband services to the locals residing in Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur districts but will also improve lives of people, create job opportunities for them, empower women along with many other benefits,&rdquo; he said.

The IT minister said through the contract a population of two million would take benefit of a subsidy of Rs650 million. &ldquo;We have also very recently launched an optic fibre programme to connect union councils, which will completely alter the digital landscape in the country,&rdquo; he said. Haque emphasised that the Ministry of IT would continue to undertake more challenging and productive programmes in future for the promotion of IT and telecom-related services.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2020.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>IHC directs PTA to provide 3G, 4G services in tribal areas</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2203149/ihc-directs-pta-provide-3g-4g-services-tribal-areas</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2203149/ihc-directs-pta-provide-3g-4g-services-tribal-areas#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 20 04:37:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2203149</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Court seeks reply from govt on suspension of internet services in erstwhile Fata]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Islamabad High Court has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to provide 3G and 4G services in tribal districts for online classes so that students may not miss their academic year due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown and submit a report before April 28, the next date of hearing.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing a petition filed by a student of Namal University, Syed Muhammad, against the lack of internet services in the area for holding online classes.

Counsel for the student, Abdul Rahim Wazir Advocate, apprised the court that despite its directives, internet services had not been restored in tribal districts.

Last week, the IHC had directed the government to take appropriate measures to restore the internet 3G and 4G facilities in erstwhile Fata.

According to the IHC written order, access to the internet is a constitutionally guaranteed right and is an integral part of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973.

During the proceedings on Monday, the lawyer told the court that students from tribal areas were confined to their homes due to the lockdown. “The petitioner and thousands of other students fear missing the academic year due to lack of internet services.”

The Ministry of Information Technology secretary apprised the court that the interior ministry banned the internet services in tribal districts in 2016.

“There is no legal justification for shutting down the internet in any area,” CJ Minullah remarked. “The sacrifices rendered by the army have brought peace, and keeping the internet services suspended is not justified. If something happens in Islamabad, will the internet be shut down here?”

The court directed the PTA chairman to submit a response by the next hearing.

The chief justice also directed the interior ministry secretary to appear before the court at the next hearing or appoint a competent officer for the purpose.

“The Ministry of Interior secretary shall submit a reply regarding the provision of internet services in tribal districts by April 28 and also appoint a competent officer who will appear in court at the next hearing,” Minallah remarked.

“Lockdown or operation, internet services cannot be suspended in any area,” Minallah remarked.

The court adjourned the hearing till April 28, seeking a response from the parties.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Mobile operators want to expand internet services</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2193791/mobile-operators-want-expand-internet-services</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2193791/mobile-operators-want-expand-internet-services#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 20 03:33:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2193791</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Advanced services in AJK, G-B will help people work from home, give govt billions of rupees in revenue]]>
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				<![CDATA[Mobile phone service providing firms, which have made it partly possible to maintain social distancing and still keep people connected and some businesses operational under the lockdown, have sought government’s approval for expanding advanced internet services on an emergency basis in Pakistan.

The grant of permission would not only improve living standards, allowing many to work from home to earn bread and butter and acquire online education in Azad Jammu &amp; Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), which still lacked 3G/4G internet services, an industry official told The Express Tribune.

“This will also provide revenue of billions of rupees to the government at a time when the country is facing a significant shortfall in revenue collection amid the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.

Simultaneously, all four next-generation mobile phone service providers - Jazz, Telenor, Ufone and Zong - have sought tax relief, mostly in favour of their customers, according to a letter they sent to Ministry of IT and Telecommunication Secretary Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui last week.

“The partial business shutdown and economic suffering have hit their revenues as well,” the official said. Prime Minister Imran Khan has constituted a committee for carrying out consultation, evaluating the issues faced by cellular mobile operators (CMOs) and formulating recommendations for submission to his office, says a notification.

“We have proposed to the government to pay the same base price for permission to provide internet services in AJK and G-B at which we acquired licence for voice services in the two regions in 2006,” the industry official said.

Five cellular operators paid $10 million each in the Initial Licence Fee (ILF) for services in AJK and northern areas in 2006 - 50% upfront and remaining 50% in 10 equal annual installments, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)’s website.

PTA had granted permission to the mobile phone companies to offer their services in the wake of a massive earthquake in Kashmir and northern areas on October 8, 2005w“And now it is the coronavirus pandemic that has created a situation which requires upgrading of services to 3G/4G internet there,” he said.

“We can switch to 3G/4G internet services there in a few weeks,” he said, adding they successfully conducted the test-trial of 4G internet on some sites in G-B one to two weeks earlier.

The official said they had the capacity to upgrade the existing infrastructure (mobile phone towers) and install additional equipment, where required, to make advanced internet service operational.

Later, the government and cellular mobile operators can sit together again to rationalise terms for formal licensing, if required, after the present difficult situation eases.

“The process for formal acquisition of 3G/4G licence may consume six to eight months if we initiate it today. And that is why we have sought government’s permission to offer services on an emergency basis at a time when the people require them there,” the official said.

PTA initiated the licensing process sometime in 2016, but it was never completed for reasons better known to the regulator and the government, he said.

The cellular mobile operators launched 3G internet services following acquisition of required licences in early months of 2014 in major cities of Pakistan.

He said depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and lockdown had increased cost of doing business and hit their revenues badly.

“The appreciation of the rupee has impacted earnings of our shareholders abroad and would impact us when we import equipment,” he said.

The lockdown has shrunk their sales since only 30% of their retailers managed to operate under the lockdown. Moreover, people staying indoors are using more internet compared to earlier. “However, this has not increased our revenue since consumers are using the net through different packages.

“Earlier, most of them were using let’s say 50-75% net provided through bundles. Now they are consuming almost 100%. Thirdly, the closure of businesses is also impacting our revenues,” he said.

According, they have proposed the government to cut or withdraw temporarily withholding tax (WHT), general sales tax (GST), federal excise duty (FED) and other taxes and levies which are mostly paid by the mobile end-users.

Besides, they proposed to rationalise fee to NADRA for verification of CNIC data and biometric verification and halt or reduce their contribution in Universal Service Fund (USF) and R&amp;D (research and development fund).

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2020.

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			<title>Bajaur gets 3G internet service: PM</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1936913/bajaur-gets-3g-internet-service-pm</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1936913/bajaur-gets-3g-internet-service-pm#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 19 11:04:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1936913</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The launch will fulfil the longstanding demand of the tribal people]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed on Monday that 3G cellular internet service has been effectively launched in the tribal district of Bajaur, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The revelation was made via the premier's Twitter account.

"Another commitment fulfilled ..," read the PM's tweet on Monday.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1110093034920861696

Bajaur all set to get 3G services today

The service was launched on the directive of the prime minister who, during his maiden address in Bajaur on March 15, had committed to restore provision of cellular services in the area.

The launch of 3G service would fulfil the longstanding demand of the tribal people who had requested the premier to order restoration of the cellular service.]]>
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			<title>Bajaur all set to get 3G services today</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1936595/bajaur-set-get-3g-services-today</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1936595/bajaur-set-get-3g-services-today#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 19 03:49:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[APP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1936595</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Move comes after PM Imran Khan committed to provision of cellular services in the area]]>
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				<![CDATA[The tribal district of Bajaur is all set to get global connectivity as 3G cellular service will be launched on Monday (today).

The service is being launched on the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan who, during his maiden address in Bajaur on March 15, had committed to provision of cellular services in the area.

The launch of 3G service would fulfil the longstanding demand of the tribal people who had requested the prime minister to order restoration of the cellular service.

In a video message, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan announced that the longstanding demand of the tribal youth would be fulfilled by Monday as work on the 3G service had been completed.

He also extended his greetings to the people of the area on this historic development.

In his message, the chief minister said the construction of grid station would also be completed soon to ensure smooth power transmission in the area.

Moreover, work on the construction of tunnel to link the area with Expressway would also be launched soon, he added.]]>
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			<title>Subscriptions increase by 2 million </title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1717581/subscriptions-increase-2-million</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1717581/subscriptions-increase-2-million#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 May 18 04:53:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1717581</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Out of the total broadband users, 55 million are 3G/4G subscribers]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan witnessed an increase of around 2 million subscribers of mobile broadband service in April, which now amount to 55 million compared with 53 million in March, according to data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Overall, the number of broadband users in Pakistan reached 57 million. Out of the total broadband users, 55 million are 3G/4G subscribers. The data showed that Jazz led the way with 55.43 million subscribers, followed by Telenor’s 43.48 million, Zong’s 31.07 million and Ufone’s 20.20 million subscribers. Ufone increased its subscribers last month to 19.89 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2018.

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			<title>FATA: Govt to utilise USF to spread telecom services</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1711061/fata-govt-utilise-usf-spread-telecom-services</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1711061/fata-govt-utilise-usf-spread-telecom-services#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 18 04:30:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[APP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1711061</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[3G mobile broadband services would be provided in areas of Mohmand, Bajaur and Malakand]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Ministry of Information Technology and telecommunication will utilise funds generated under the Universal Service Fund (USF) to provide IT and Telecom services in far-flung areas of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as a priority.

Rs8b set to lapse over slow utilisation of Fata funds

Through the Broadband for Sustainable Development Programme, the ministry has been working to provide telecom services to the underserved Mauzas across the FATA. Recently, an agreement has been signed for providing broadband internet facility to accelerate socio-economic development in 5,896 villages of FATA.

76% of FATA development funds remain unutilised

The spokesperson of the ministry said that this programme has been redesigned to include the broadband equivalent data (internet) services as a compulsory component and for new projects, powering of telecommunication sites through solar energy is also being made part of each project.

Japan grants $7.7 million for development projects in FATA

He said through the project 3G mobile broadband services would be provided in areas of Mohmand, Bajaur and Malakand that have a population of 1.6 million residing in 684 Mauzas.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2018.

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			<title>Number of 3G, 4G users reaches 49.5m by Jan 2018</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1644005/number-3g-4g-users-reaches-49-5m-jan-2018</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1644005/number-3g-4g-users-reaches-49-5m-jan-2018#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 25 Feb 18 05:32:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1644005</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Number of mobile phone users in Pakistan reached 146 million by the end of the month]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The number of 3G and 4G users in Pakistan has reached 49.5 million at the end of January 2018, 29 per cent higher than 38.269 million in the same month of the previous year, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The number of mobile phone users in Pakistan reached 146 million by the end of the month, up 6.5 per cent from 137.095 million in January 2017.

According to the PTA report, the total subscribers of Mobilink reached 54 million in January 2018, registering a growth of 6 per cent compared to 51.534 million users last year. The subscriber base of Zong and Telenor reached 30 million and 42 million, respectively, compared to 27.496 million and 39.586 million in the previous year.

Mobile subscriptions inch up to 142.4 million

Ufone subscribers registered a minimal increase as the number grew from 18.478 million to 19 million. The company is going through a rather stagnant growth as last year its subscribers declined from 18.478 by end December 2016.

As per PTA report, Jazz 4G LTE subscribers reached 2.2 million by end of January 2018 while its 3G subscribers reached 14.5 million.

Zong 4G LTE subscriber’s base reached 5.1 million and 3G increased to 9.1 million by end January 2018.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2018.

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			<title>AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan to get 3G/4G services by Feb 2018</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1528976/ajk-gilgit-baltistan-get-3g4g-services-feb-2018</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1528976/ajk-gilgit-baltistan-get-3g4g-services-feb-2018#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 17 04:13:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Usman Hanif]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1528976</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Arrival of services will bring socio-economic change in these regions]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) plan to bring fast-paced information technology services - 3G/4G - in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is expected to materialise by February next year, reveals an official.

The arrival of 3G/4G in these far-off areas will bring socio-economic change in the entire region and also benefit those situated along China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) routes in AJK and G-B.

PTA has already sought expressions of interest (EoI) for hiring a consultant or consultancy firm for working out the base price and design of the auction process for the next generation mobile services (NGMS).

Govt gears up to auction last 4G spectrum

The subscribers of 3G/4G in Pakistan have risen to 44.4 million and PTA expects to see a fair number of interested users in AJK and G-B who are eager to receive this service, which will swiftly connect them with the rest of the world.

The technology will help boost tourism, local economy and also create job opportunities for the local people.

In general, transportation in the area is very difficult, but the arrival of 3G/4G can greatly help resolve this issue and ensure better connectivity for all.

The broadband technology will also give a boost to commerce in these areas. “NGMS in these areas will bring an investment of more than $100 million over the next two to three years,” said IT expert Parvez Iftikhar.

People of AJK and G-B are heavily dependent on remittances and the 3G/4G service will provide people with easy access. The hospitality industry and tourism value chain will also improve as it will make online marketing more efficient and effective.

“I saw appetite for this modern technology when I visited Kashmir last year, not only the locals will avail themselves of this service, but it will also benefit a huge number of tourists who visit these areas every year,” said Aslam Javed, a resident of Faisalabad.

AJK and G-B have approved the policy for introducing 3G/4G services and asked PTA to make arrangements for the NGMS spectrum auction.

According to the policy, PTA will hire a local consultant who would hold consultation with cellular service providers of Pakistan and relevant AJK and G-B departments in order to suggest a base price after studying telecom markets of these areas.

Telcos allowed network sharing for better service

Experts say these kinds of auctions are not an everyday occurrence and finding a consultant for the 3G/4G auction in AJK and G-B is really a difficult task as such consultants are rare around the world.

If PTA cannot find a consultant, it will make a decision by January or February next year without any suggestions from the consultant, said PTA spokesman while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2017.

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			<title>Submarine cable system fixed</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1475350/internet-speed-pakistan-back-normal-fault-fixed</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1475350/internet-speed-pakistan-back-normal-fault-fixed#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 06 Aug 17 11:52:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[news.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1475350</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Submarine cable system fault on Saturday morning had slowed down Internet speed in Pakistan to half]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The submarine cable system IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe), which had developed a fault on Saturday morning slowing down Internet speed in Pakistan to half, has been fixed.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), which operates the cable in the country, tweeted.

https://twitter.com/PTCLOfficial/status/894151024461709312
Pakistanis continue to face slow internet speed after cable system collapse
The disruption in the global internet infrastructure had impacted broadband users from all walks of life in Pakistan, including mobile broadband 3G/4G/LTE users, landline users and corporate users having dedicated speed connections.

The speed would have gone dead-slow if the PTCL had not connected the country to the world via the latest and the largest submarine cable (AAE1) last month.

PTCL’s Senior Executive Vice-President Business Development Sikandar Naqi said that luckily the cable broke on land which was helpful in restoring the internet service in less time.

He said that fault in fibre cables was not an unusual incident and Pakistan did not alone suffer from its impact.

According to Express News, the internet service was restored on Sunday after a day of low signals. The work on the cables was still underway and complete restoration was expected to take some more time.

Disruption of the internet system affected a wide range of activities in Pakistan.

Flight schedule was affected with many flights being cancelled.

The result announcement of Matriculation exams in Karachi was also affected leaving the desperate students greatly worried.]]>
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			<title>‘Everyone will  have 3G by 2018'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1415036/everyone-will-3g-2018</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1415036/everyone-will-3g-2018#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 21 May 17 04:39:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[APP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1415036</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[3G and 4G has brought a revolution in the country]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom Anusha Rahman has said that people with no internet connectivity will receive 3G by the end of 2018.

During an award ceremony organised by the National ICT Grassroots Research Initiative in Islamabad, Rahman said 3G and 4G had brought a revolution in the country. “Personally, I believe that coding is the future that Pakistan requires, therefore, we need to train our children and hone their computer skills,” she said.

Similarly, she said the freelancer initiative had turned students into entrepreneurs, which was healthy for the country’s progress.

She added that her office’s aim was to motivate at least 50% of the country’s population to contribute to the economy.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2017.

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			<title>Upload interrupted: Spelt with 2 G’s, Gilgit also connects on 2G</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1298707/upload-interrupted-spelt-2-gs-gilgit-also-connects-2g</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1298707/upload-interrupted-spelt-2-gs-gilgit-also-connects-2g#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 17 21:05:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shabbir.mir]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1298707</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Set-up for next generation wireless telecom technology ready, but ministry not giving green light to start]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom in Islamabad is being blamed for delays in the in the extension of third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) wireless mobile telecommunications services to Gilgit-Baltistan.

Nearly two million residents of the region are deprived of the facility, which is vital to truly participate in the information technology age.

“The system is in place and is awaiting a green signal to start service from the federal ministry,” said a senior official, blaming the ministry for the unusual delay that has added to the frustrations of the educated youth in the region.

“Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman held numerous meetings with the minister over the past few months, but all in vain,” the official told The Express Tribune while requesting anonymity as he wasn’t authorised to talk to the media.

In G-B, internet connectivity is provided by the Special Communication Organisation (SCO) — a public sector organisation established in 1976 to develop, operate and maintain telecom services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. It is working under the Ministry of IT and is managed by the Pakistan Army.

“G-B is a region that attracts tourists, but the government seems adamant not to extend facilities here,” said tour guide Riaz Khan.

In September last year, SCO Sector Commander Colonel Imran Butthy told the media that 3G and 4G services would start at the beginning of 2017.

“Federal government approval is awaited. Operations would begin soon after it is received,” he said.

G-B government spokesman Faizuallah Faraq admitted that the regional government was awaiting permission from the information technology ministry. “The plan was to inaugurate the service during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the region,” Faraq told The Express Tribune. “But the PM’s visit was cancelled and now we are just waiting for the start of service,” said Faraq referring to a meeting with the SCO chief in G-B.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2017.]]>
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			<title>Technological grandstanding</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1182199/technological-grandstanding</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1182199/technological-grandstanding#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 16 18:06:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1182199</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The government has recently announced that it plans to enter the 5G technology market soon]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Our government is often blamed for being obtuse with regard to technology. It is a reputation merited by measures such as the banning of Youtube for several years and the recently introduced cybercrime bill that has left civil society activists seething over its efforts to police internet usage. Perhaps in a bid to reverse this perception of being hostile to technology or maybe to build up goodwill for future elections, the government has recently announced that it plans to enter the 5G technology market soon. The statement made by Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal came as a surprise, both to technology experts in the country and ordinary users who can barely get connectivity for 3G and 4G at present. Also, several parts of the country do not have access to these services as they are mostly diffused around large cities.

The most surprising part of this revelation, however, is the fact that 5G services are at present unavailable even in the most technologically advanced countries. China, Japan and South Korea, for example, have set the year 2020 as the deadline for the introduction of these services and even this distant goal has been termed being ambitious. It’s hard not to wonder at this point whether anyone in the government actually comprehends the term ‘5G’ or if it is simply a buzzword which caught the eye and was put to use to generate some positive publicity. The most important question remains as to what purpose this kind of technology would serve in a country where cyber freedoms have been under siege for years. At this point, it would be better if the government attempted to work with telecom and IT companies to improve their infrastructure in rural and far-flung areas of the country where they could potentially have a significant impact. Focusing on improving technological outreach is obviously more important than grand statements regarding a service that will be available several years from now.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2016.

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			<title>Pakistan’s 3G, 4G user base rises to 32 million</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1170448/pakistans-3g4g-user-base-rises-32-million</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1170448/pakistans-3g4g-user-base-rises-32-million#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 16 14:14:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Tech Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1170448</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Over 2.2 million new users added by telcos in July 2016]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In Pakistan, the number of users on mobile-phone internet networks – 3G/4G – has increased to almost 32 million.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in July, over 2.2 million new 3G/4G users were added by the telcos, taking the total number users in the country from 29,530,254 (2.9m) to 31,779,549 (almost 3.2m).

Pakistan's 3G/4G users doubled to 29.53 million in FY16

The userbase increased by over seven per cent.

Leading the pack was Mobilink, which added over 1.2 million new 3G users to its network, whereas Zong attracted half a million new 3G users in addition to 109,000 4G users.

Mobilink is also leading in terms of total number of 3G/4G users with over 10.2 million 3G users - almost one-third of the total 3G/4G users in the country. It was followed by Ufone with around 8.6 million 3G users.

Beware Pakistani mobile internet users

According to the PTA, the total number of broadband subscribers have increased from over 32 million at the end of fiscal year 2016 to 34.5 million by the end of July.

Commenting on the growth of 3G/4G services in the country, Parvez Iftikhar, an expert on information and communication technology, said “The availability of low-cost smartphones and aggressive roll-out of apps has made this possible.”

The availability of social networking apps such as Whatsapp and Facebook, has played a significant role in attracting huge traffic on mobile internet, he added.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Over 60% of Pakistan's mobile users have 3G/4G services</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1165169/60-pakistans-mobile-users-3g4g-services</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1165169/60-pakistans-mobile-users-3g4g-services#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 16 11:18:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Tech Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1165169</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The OpenSingnal report also included overall speeds for each country with Pakistan averaging at 3.33 Mbps]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Despite making a late entry into the 3G and 4G markets, 2014 to be exact, more than half of all mobile phone users in the country are now using these services.

OpenSignal, a company that specialises in wireless coverage mapping released a report that calculates Pakistan’s 3G networks at 63.47 per cent, that is almost two-thirds of all connections.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="625"] PHOTO: OPENSIGNAL[/caption]

The site calculates the availability metric by measuring how often users can see a 3G or 4G signal on their device.

South Korea topped the chart with 98.54 per cent of users having 3G or better connection. Meanwhile, India only had a 56.10 per cent availability score which is surprising given the county launched 3G in 2008.

The report by OpenSingnal also included the overall speeds for each country with Pakistan averaging at 3.33 Mbps which is lower than India’s 5.30 Mbps. South Korea topped this category as well clocking in at 41.34 Mbps.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="625"] PHOTO: OPENSIGNAL[/caption]

Overall speeds also take into account the availability of the services offered in each country which is why a country with fast LTE speeds but low 4G availability might have a much lower overall speed than a country with moderate LTE speeds but a very high level of 4G availability.

Another category included in the report is Time on WiFi. The metric shows the percentage of time that users in each country were connected to WiFi networks rather than cellular networks.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="625"] PHOTO: OPENSIGNAL[/caption]

Pakistan’s score here came in a 34.12 percent suggesting that one third of the time users were connected to the internet using their WiFi in favour of mobile internet. Netherlands topped this list with a score on 70%.

OpenSignal gathers its data for the study using millions of devices that have downloaded their app as opposed to test-drive data that use same devices in a small number of locations which are not representative of the whole population. This results in data that is not biased and reports that are a lot more accurate and reliable.

Have something to add. Please share in the comments below.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan's 3G/4G users doubled to 29.53 million in FY16</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1156572/3g4g-users-doubled-29-53m-fy16</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1156572/3g4g-users-doubled-29-53m-fy16#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 16 18:30:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1156572</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Overall broadband subscribers amounted to 32.41m]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The number of users on mobile-phone internet networks - 3G/4G - has doubled to 29.53 million in the fiscal year ended June 30 as the country moves ahead on adopting broadband technology after the spectrum auction.

The Pakistan Telecommuni­cation Authority (PTA) reported Friday that the number of 3G/4G subscribers has reached 29.53 million in June 2016, up from 14.6 million in July 2015.

3G/4G users up 3.74%, but growth slowing

“The availability of low-cost smartphones and aggressive roll-out of apps has made this possible,” said Parvez Iftikhar, an expert on information and communication technology.

The availability of social networking apps like Whatsapp and Facebook has played a significant role in attracting huge traffic on mobile internet.

Iftikhar added that introduction of 3G/4G internet services in Pakistan in 2014 has apparently helped boost the economy at length. “But to measure the real impact of 3G/4G on the economy, we need to conduct independent studies,” he said.

He said that the establishment of a number of technology incubators in the country was one example of boost to the economy through such cellular networks. Incubators have produced a number of startups, while many of them kept growing their businesses to larger scale.

Beware Pakistani mobile internet users

According to Iftikhar, the launch of online shopping portals, internet banking and roll-out of mobile money transfer by almost all cellular companies have also helped attract higher traffic on 3G/4G networks.

Besides, federal and provincial governments were also utilising mobile broadband for uplift of health, education and agriculture sectors.

PTA said that total broadband subscribers grew 92% to 32.41 million in fiscal year 2016 from 16.88 million in the previous fiscal year 2015.

The authority added that total teledensity recovered to 70.94% in FY16 from 62.9% in FY15. It peaked at 78.89% in FY14. The suspension of millions of mobile phone SIMs in the aftermath of biometric verification had reversed the growth in FY15.

Teledensity alone for cellular mobile regained to 69.12% in FY16 from 60.7% in FY15, PTA added.



The number of total mobile phone users, including non 3G/4G users, grew by 16% to 133.24 million in FY16 from 114.65 million in FY15, it added.

Sagheer Wattoo, a spokesperson at the federal ministry of information technology, credited the rapid growth in 3G/4G subscribers to the introduction of Telecommunications Policy 2015 last year.

High-speed internet: Broadband subscriptions near 30 million mark

“The policy note has made possible the sharing {cross use of} infrastructure and spectrum by telcos,” he said, adding this has resulted into attracting more subscribers.

“The growth in 3G/4G subscriber base was less than 3% before the current government in the centre came in power in 2013. This rate has accelerated to over 19% now,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2016.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Pakistani youth still prefer SMS, voice calls over messaging apps: survey</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1132867/pakistani-youth-still-prefer-sms-voice-calls-messaging-apps-survey</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1132867/pakistani-youth-still-prefer-sms-voice-calls-messaging-apps-survey#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 16 06:16:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Ismail.sheikh]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1132867</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Use of mobile communication trails behind peers in Asia and European nations; WhatsApp most popular messaging app]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The telecommunication industry in Pakistan has witnessed unprecedented growth in last two years, particularly after the roll out of 3G and 4G services in July 2014 which triggered a spike in the number of broadband mobile internet users.

The survey was conducted by drawing a sample of 5600 people between the age of 16-35, a demographic Telenor identified as ‘Digital Frontrunners’ , in seven countries including Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Serbia, Hungary, Sweden and Norway, in the fourth-quarter of 2015.

Telenor wins 850MHZ spectrum licence

Despite rapid growth in the number of apps on smartphones, 74% of Pakistan’s digital frontrunners answered that they use their phones to make a traditional phone call several times per day, underscoring the importance of traditional mobile voice calls to mobile phone users. The figure is only second to Siberia among countries surveyed.

In terms of video call usage, Pakistan is ahead of all European markets surveyed and second only to Thailand. 30% of Pakistani respondents claim to use the feature daily to several times a day.

More than half of the respondents in all surveyed countries, except Pakistan, use messaging apps daily to several times a day. In Pakistan, the figure is 49%. Majority of Pakistanis prefer traditional SMS as 66% of frontrunners in the country say they use SMS several times per day.

Low data pricing stunts telecom growth

WhatsApp is most popular among the youth, who use Internet messaging apps in Pakistan. 54 percent of Pakistani respondents say they use WhatsApp at least once a day, just ahead of Facebook Messenger at 51 percent

An Internet Market in the Making

While Asia leads the way for adoption of new uses of mobile internet, lower use of internet-based mobile technologies indicates that Pakistan lags behind other countries surveyed.

Here’s why you should not upgrade to ‘WhatsApp Gold’

Although Pakistanis do not lag behind in terms of online activities such as picture and video sharing, listening to music or streaming video clips, the country ranks lowly in the use of map services, sharing locations, online shopping, playing games and overall internet browsing.

However, Telenor believes that there is a great opportunity for further growth of the market in the country.

“It is crucial to have surveys like this one looking at ‘Digital Frontrunners’ who can help forecast future industry trends,” said BjørnTaale, Head of Telenor Research. “Not only is this information beneficial in planning our digital services, it is also interesting to see the resemblance between nations as diverse as Thailand, Hungary, Pakistan or Norway. Just when we think that two nations may be following the same evolution, local nuances show that we are as unique as we are similar.”

“Given our presence across diverse regions in Asia and Europe, we need to listen to our customers and evolve alongside them. If we find that online shopping is a passion for young Thais or that millennial Malaysian’s cherish their messaging applications, then it’s our job as the leading regional digital service provider to track that and meet their needs,” Taale added.

[tvideo url="//content.jwplatform.com/players/cD8FkHsV-RLO7nNUh.html"]]]>
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			<title>3G/4G users up 3.74%, but growth slowing</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1124334/subscriptions-3g4g-users-3-74-growth-slowing</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1124334/subscriptions-3g4g-users-3-74-growth-slowing#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 16 20:15:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1124334</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Analysis reveals industry could be in for saturation if new services not introduced.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The number of 3G/4G subscriptions in Pakistan has jumped 3.74%, translating to a staggering 1.07 million, in May 2016 to reach a total of 29.74 million, according to data released by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Surprisingly, the growth in the 3G/4G subscriptions remains much higher than the growth in new users of mobile phones in the country, according to PTA data.

Telenor Pakistan granted 4G licence for $395m

The number of mobile phone users in the country totaled 133.47 million after the addition of 824,903 in May, data suggested.

Industry experts, however, observed that the growth in 3G/4G subscription had slowed down due to lack of relevant and localised content on the internet. “These are the second lowest growth numbers of 3G/4G subscribers in the last 10 months,” observed ICT expert Parvez Iftikhar.

“The government and mobile phone service providers need to introduce services in local languages and provide localised and useful contents which will help users,” he said.



Iftikhar maintained that the proposed increase in sales tax on purchase of smartphones may further impact the growth of mobile phone users switching to advanced mobile internet technology.

“Price of smartphone is a barrier, which every new 3G/4G user has to cross by paying a one-time cost ... buying a smartphone is a big step for hundreds of thousands people in our country,” Iftikhar said.

In the 10-month period, the highest growth of 14.43%, or 2.27 million new subscribers on 3G/4G, was seen in September 2015 and the lowest growth of 2.91%, or 809,710 new subscribers, was seen in April 2016, the data suggested.

Mobilink remained the leading company in terms of new subscribers on 3G service in May, followed by Telenor, Zong and Ufone, respectively.

Money matters: Telecom sector sees $557.3m investment

PTA said 544,803 phone users switched to 3G services on the Mobilink network, 255,048 on Telenor network, 150,990 on Zone network and 47,147 mobile phone users moved to 3G services on Ufone network in May.

Zong recorded new subscription of 45,737 users on 4G network, while Warid registered new subscription of 28,860 users on LTE (4G) network.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2016.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan’s broadband subscriptions cross 25 million mark</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1038460/pakistans-broadband-subscriptions-cross-25-million-mark</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1038460/pakistans-broadband-subscriptions-cross-25-million-mark#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 16 04:09:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1038460</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Number of 3G, 4G users amounts to 23.2m at December-end]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The number of broadband subscriptions in the country surpassed 25 million for the first time as cellular service providers sold more than one-and-a-half million high-speed mobile internet connections in December 2015, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The number of mobile broadband connections in the country increased to 26.3 million at the end of December, 2015 - the latest month for which data is publicly available - up 6% compared to 24.8 million the previous month, the PTA’s data showed.

Broadband subscriptions up to 21.2 million

Technologies, such as DSL, EvDo, WiMax and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) remained stagnant in the month under review as the entire growth was driven by users joining the third-generation (3G) and 4G networks.

The number of 3G and 4G users reached 23.2 million in the month under review, constituting 88% of the country’s total broadband subscriber base, the data shows. This was an increase of 7% compared to 21.6 million of the preceding month.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="625"] DESIGN: NABEEL AHMED[/caption]

Mobile internet users now account for one-fifths, 21% to be exact, of the country’s total cellular base.

Moreover, broadband penetration or Internet density - the number of Internet connections divided by the country’s population size (200 million) - entered the 13% range for the first time at the end of December. However, the total number of internet users may be much higher given multiple users access internet through mobile WiFi devices sold by service providers.

The cellular mobile operators’ (CMOs) overall user base (voice and data users combined) increased by 1.6 million or 1.3% to finish at 125.8 million subscribers at the end of December.

Mobilink ended at the top with 36.2 million subscriptions at the end of the review period followed by Telenor Pakistan, which finished second with almost 35 million users in the same period.

China Mobile Pakistan (Zong), Ufone and Warid were third, fourth and fifth with 24 million, 19.7 million and 10.6 million users, respectively.

Also leading the mobile broadband category, Mobilink boasted over 7.2 million 3G users at the end of December followed by Telenor that had 6.4 million 3G users.

Mobile broadband connections surge to 15.8m

Zong remained third in the mobile broadband category increasing its 3G users to 4.7 million and its 4G subscriptions passed 280,000 users. Ufone’s 3G user base improved to 4.3 million while Warid surpassed 200,000 users on its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network at the end of December.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2016.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>Arrival of 3G, 4G: Date revenue for mobile operators increases threefold in last five years</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1034791/arrival-of-3g-4g-data-revenue-proves-to-be-cash-cow-for-cmos</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1034791/arrival-of-3g-4g-data-revenue-proves-to-be-cash-cow-for-cmos#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 16 00:38:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1034791</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Reached Rs115b or 25.6% of total revenues in FY15, up over 100%]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Data revenue of all cellular mobile operators (CMOs) has increased by more than three times during the last five years and now constitute a quarter of the sector’s total turnover, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) revealed in its annual report for fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015.


Released on Monday, the PTA’s annual report says telecom operators faced stiff competition from over-the-top (OTT) services, such as Skype, Viber and WhatsApp, which ate up a significant chunk of their voice revenues during the year under review.

Five million subscribers added to 3G network

“During the last two years, cellular mobile internet and broadband usage has had a significant impact on data revenue streams of mobile sector,” the report said, adding that these changing dynamics are closely reflected by the trends in voice and data revenues.

The telecom sector’s regulatory body noted that data revenues reached Rs115 billion or 25.6% of the total telecom revenues in FY2015, up by more than 100% compared to 12.4% in FY10.



The sector-wise break down of statistics shows that revenues of cellular segment increased more than three-folds during the same period (FY10-FY15) to Rs78 billion, which is 25% of CMO’s total (FY15) revenue.

The PTA said it expected the trend to continue in the coming years as subscription to data connections was increasing and data usage was expanding in the country.

Telecom review: Year of 3G and 4G growth

The cellular segment’s average revenue per user (ARPU) - based on 2.17 SIMs per user - increased to Rs440 at the end of FY2015, up by nearly 2% compared to Rs432 of FY14. However, ARPU per SIM remained at Rs203 in FY15, data showed.

The cellular segment’s ARPU is expected to rise in coming months as operators add more subscribers to 3G and 4G networks, the regulator said. The rising share of data revenue in the overall revenue also points towards the fact that data will be the new cash cow for the cellular industry, it said.

The smartphone influx

Highlighting another important trend, the report said availability of next-generation mobile services - 3G and 4G technology - has rapidly increased the adoption of smartphones, which account for 31% of the country’s overall market.

In 2015, Pakistan remained one of the fastest growing markets in the Middle East and Africa region for smartphone shipments, according to International Data Corporation (IDC).

Pakistan’s smartphone shipments increased by 123% between March 2014 and March 2015 as the country imported $1.2 billion worth of telecom equipment - imports of cellular mobile handsets constitute more than half of this amount.

“Smartphone adoption in Pakistan is expected to grow due to expanding 3G and 4G networks,” the PTA said, adding smartphones are expected to cross 55% of mobile phone imports in the next two years - a significant jump from 2012 when smartphone penetration was only 7%.

3G and 4G services cross minimum speed threshold

The report further said more affordable smartphones are available in the market while 3G services have reached in more than 200 cities and towns.

Quoting a July-2014 research from ‘Grappetite’, “77% of the smartphone users are between the ages of 21 and 30 years, which is the most adaptive segment for the use of smartphones.”

While both data services and smartphones showed significant growth, the telecom sector’s revenues remained under pressure during FY15.

Telecom sector’s revenues clocked in at Rs449.5 billion in FY15, down 3% compared to Rs463.5 billion of FY14 - it was for the first time in the sector’s history that revenues declined compared to the previous year.

Explaining the slump, the PTA said the wireless local loop (WLL) segment, particularly small players, was hit hard, witnessing a 40% decline in its revenues during FY15.

The cellular segment, too, saw its revenues decline by 2% on account of biometric verification drive and the resultant loss in subscriptions, the PTA said.

The sale of new connections also remained suspended at retailers and temporary outlets during the drive for 91 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2016.

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			<title>Mobilink says it is number one 3G player in Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1005235/mobilink-says-it-is-no-1-3g-player-in-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1005235/mobilink-says-it-is-no-1-3g-player-in-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 07 Dec 15 03:36:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1005235</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mobilink, quoting PTA figures, said it crossed the six million 3G subscriber mark during the fourth quarter of 2015]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Cellular service provider Mobilink said on Sunday it has overtaken its competitors to become the top 3G player in Pakistan after official figures were released by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Mobilink, quoting the PTA figures, said it crossed the six million 3G subscriber mark during the fourth quarter of 2015.


“We are delivering consistent underlying performance in a highly competitive environment while the industry continues to face regulatory pressure on revenue generation,” said Asif Aziz, VP Marketing Mobilink.
“The key to our leadership position is our consistent investment to further innovate on behalf of our subscribers by delivering not just the best 3G and voice network, but also improvements in customer service, and product lines,” Aziz said according to a press release
Mobilink’s leadership position within the industry continues to solidify as its subscriber base for 3G and voice services continues to rise.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th,  2015.]]>
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			<title>Israel, Palestine sign 3G mobile network agreement</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/994692/israel-palestine-sign-3g-mobile-network-agreement</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/994692/israel-palestine-sign-3g-mobile-network-agreement#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 15 13:16:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=994692</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Palestinian mobile operators still use 2G technology and lose money; want to offer 3G to meet surging bandwidth demand]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to allow a long-awaited third-generation (3G) mobile network in Gaza and the West Bank, they said on Thursday.

Israel said the decision was made after it concluded a security examination as well as other work with the Communications Ministry.

Under interim peace accords, Israel effectively has final say in allocating radio frequencies in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule.

Palestinian mobile operators Paltel and Wataniya, still using 2G technology and losing money, want to offer 3G to meet surging demand for data bandwidth for social media applications. 3G is mobile phone technology that allows users to make calls, texts and access the internet. 2G allows calls and limited data transmission.

Thursday's agreement "will enable the companies benefiting from the service to begin coordination with the Palestinian ministry of telecommunication to begin the implementation of the agreement on the ground," said Hussein al Sheikh, Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, in a statement posted by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

In the past, Israel has told the Palestinians there were not enough frequencies for 3G and that they should lease access to them from Israeli providers.

Earlier this year, Israel's Communications Ministry allocated a number of high-speed 4G frequencies to Israeli mobile phone operators.]]>
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			<title>3G and 4G services cross minimum speed threshold</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/970445/3g-and-4g-services-cross-minimum-speed-threshold</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/970445/3g-and-4g-services-cross-minimum-speed-threshold#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 15 04:55:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=970445</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Signal strength leaves much to be desired, reveals PTA’s quality of service survey]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[All cellular mobile operators (CMOs) exceeded the minimum threshold speeds for their third-generation (3G) and 4G services with significant margins, but none of them was able to meet the minimum signal strength, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority revealed in its first quality of service (QoS) survey for mobile broadband technology on Friday.


According to the QoS survey, all five CMOs boasted more than 1 megabit per second (Mbps) download speed in both hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) and file transfer protocol (FTP).



However, none of the five operators was able to produce signal strength of 100 dBm, the minimum threshold for signal power set by the regulator, show survey results - dBm is shorthand for power in decibel relative to 1 milliwatt, measuring the signal strength for telecom network in this case.

Expert’s opinion

The weak signal, according to Information and Communications Technology expert Parvez Iftikhar, reflects that either the point of sample was away from mobile tower or the number of users on that particular cell site was very high - the higher the number of users per site the weaker the signal.

Iftikhar said this might be an indication that there is a need for new cell site in that particular vicinity.

The PTA had been waiting for the CMOs to complete the initial phase of 3G rollout before it could conduct its first QoS survey of next-generation mobile networks. The cellular service providers were supposed to ensure at least 20% coverage of a minimum five cities including federal and provincial capitals by January 2015 - the industry’s deadline for first phase of rollout obligations.

The purpose of the QoS survey is to monitor licensed key performance indicators (KPIs) - network downtime, user data throughput (download speed), signal strength and service accessibility to name a few - of 3G and 4G networks to ensure that quality standards are met and users get the services at anticipated quality standards.

While the PTA’s official survey was delayed, cellular service consumers who had been waiting for 3G technology for years expressed lack of satisfaction regarding their networks’ speed.

Consumer response

According to a recent poll by ProPakistani - Pakistan’s most popular blog for IT and Telecom news - only a quarter of 5,440 respondents expressed satisfaction with their network speeds.

Of the total participants, 2,355 or 43% said they were not satisfied with the speed at all; 1,768 or 32.5% said they were somewhat satisfied and 1,317 or 24% said they were pleased with the speed, according to the poll.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="625"] DESIGN: NABEEL AHMED[/caption]

Though industry experts say Pakistan is still in the early phase of 3G rollout and it will take a while before the quality of service and user experience can be improved, they insist lack of spectrum is also a problem.

In many countries regulators offer up to 40 megahertz (MHz) per operator for 3G services while in Pakistan operators were offered 5 MHz and 10 MHz only, say critics. The government should bring more spectrum and auction it to the CMOs to cater to the growing demand for mobile broadband, they say.

The country now boasts almost 16 million 3G and 4G users, up 220% from 5 million of July, 2015.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2015.

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			<title>Partial payment: Spectrum licence winners to deposit $800 million soon</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/701600/partial-payment-spectrum-licence-winners-to-deposit-800-million-soon</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/701600/partial-payment-spectrum-licence-winners-to-deposit-800-million-soon#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 14 19:44:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=701600</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Telenor Pakistan pays remaining 50% of its licence fee.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[All four companies who secured a slice of the telecom spectrum in last week’s auction are expected to deposit 75 per cent of the total license fee, amounting to $800 million, soon, the government claimed on Monday.

The telcos are required to submit at least 50 per cent of the total license fee upfront, while they can submit remaining 50 per cent over a period of five years’ in installments with mark up of three per cent plus Libor.

On Monday, Telenor Pakistan submitted the remaining of 50 per cent licence fee of its 5 MHz band in the 2100 MHz spectrum.

China Mobile (Zong) had already announced that it would pay in full the amount for its 3G and 4G spectrum licences upfront in dollars. The amount, estimated to be around $516 million, is to be brought from outside the country.

Licenses would be issued after the spectrum auction fee is received from all four operators.

Compared to the spectrum auction for 2G in 2004, the government said the per MHz price of auction was calculated at $15 million, while this time around per MHz price was at $30 million. It is worth mentioning that the amount of spectrum in 900 MHz band which was auctioned in 2004 was 2.5 times more than spectrum auctioned in 1800 MHz this time.

Back in 2004, the operators were allowed to deposit their remaining fee in installments over 15 years without any mark up. While this time, 50% amount is being collected upfront and the remaining 50% over 5 years with a mark up of three per cent plus Libor.]]>
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			<title>All available spectrum to be auctioned simultaneously through SMRA: PTA chairman</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/697767/all-available-spectrum-to-be-auctioned-simultaneously-through-smra-pta-chairman</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/697767/all-available-spectrum-to-be-auctioned-simultaneously-through-smra-pta-chairman#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 14 16:24:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[azam.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=697767</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[All companies participating in the auction asked to ensure availability of 3G services at the auction.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Saturday that it would opt for the Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending (SMRA) mechanism instead of the traditional physical call out method by companies for the 3 and 4 G spectrum auction to ensure transparency.

The authority’s chairman Syed Ismail Shah told the media on Saturday that the auction is proceeding according to their pre-announced schedule with the auction set to take place in a private hotel on April 23. The SMRA is a web based mechanism for auction prevalent in other parts of the world.

Shah added that the bidders, all local companies who were announced on Thursday to have qualified for the auction, have been asked to ensure temporary availability of 3G service for those attending the auction.

All the four companies have been allotted different colors to participate in the auction. Shah added that all the spectrum offered will go under the hammer simultaneously.

A mock auction is scheduled for April 21, aimed at familiarising the bidders with the new auction process.

The PTA chairman said that in case any winning bidder refuses to get the license, 15 per cent of the bid money deposited with PTA would be ceased and a penalty would also be imposed on the successful bidder.

The government is hoping to generate over $1.3 billion from the spectrum auction and usher in modern communication technology in the country.

Pakistan had offered 50 MHz as part of the spectrum auction, where 30 MHz was in the 2100 MHz band, while 20Mhz was the 1800 MHz band. The government had later amended the memorandum to include provision for the sale of two blocks of 5Mhz of 3G spectrum if there is excess demand.

SMRA Auction Features

• All lots are auctioned simultaneously over a series of rounds.

• In each round, bids will be submitted on individual lots at the announced prices.

• At the end of each round, a standing high bidder is identified for each lot.

• The standing high bidder is committed to the lot and cannot withdraw.

• The standing high bidder is released from its commitment when outbid by another bidder.

• When a lot receives at least one bid, the price for the lot increases in the next round. The bid increments will be upto a maximum of 3% of the last bid price, which will be decided by PTA after each round in consultation with the consultant.]]>
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			<title>A step ahead: Telenor Pakistan already gearing up for the 4G era</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/544479/a-step-ahead-telenor-pakistan-already-gearing-up-for-the-4g-era</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/544479/a-step-ahead-telenor-pakistan-already-gearing-up-for-the-4g-era#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 04 May 13 21:22:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=544479</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Even though 3G licence is yet to be auctioned, Telenor is upgrading its network.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Regardless of whether the new government opts to auctioning the three-year-old 3G mobile spectrum technology or goes a step further by auctioning 4G spectrum licences, Telenor Pakistan’s network modernisation initiatives will reduce energy costs, facilitate the introduction of 3G services and provide a smooth transition to 4G, a top official of the company says.


“There are two major advantages of this [network upgradation] exercise: the first and the most obvious one is being ready for 3G technology,” Telenor Pakistan’s Chief Technology Officer Gyorgy Koller told The Express Tribune. “Secondly, there will be an overall benefit from using modern equipment that is energy-efficient and less taxing on the already scarce energy resources of Pakistan,” he said.

With the deployment of a state-of-the-art network infrastructure, reduction in energy consumption will be close to 20%, Koller said. The modern network, according to him, will also allow a smoother transition to 4G/LTE when required, which will obviously be superior in quality due to the use of the latest technology and optimised bandwidth provision.

The Telenor Group, a Norwegian telecom company, has mobile operations in 11 markets around the world, of which Telenor Pakistan is a major equity stake. In total, the Telenor Group has close to 150 million subscribers, out of which 30 million subscribers reside in Pakistan, making it the second largest cellular service provider in terms of consumer base.

Telenor Pakistan’s network modernisation project, according to Koller, is the largest-ever undertaking by the Telenor Group and ZTE – a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment company, which is also the world’s fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer by volumes.

Telenor Pakistan, according to Koller, contributes to about only 5-6% of the Telenor Group’s combined revenues. Telenor Group reported 26 billion Norwegian kroner, or $4.4 billion, in revenues for 2012. “We [Pakistan] are a low ARPU market with low mobile data consumption,” he said.

While expecting to complete the network upgrade by the end of 2013, the company is hoping to benefit from high speed mobile internet by improving its average revenue per user.

“Our experiences with high speed mobile internet across various markets around the globe have shown that there is a lot of potential to serve our consumers and enrich the lives of people,” Koller said. “It will allow us to open new horizons in communication, especially in areas such as e-learning and mobile health,” he said.

It may be added here that frequent suspension of mobile phone services in Pakistan also dampens the industry’s revenues. “The industry loses around Rs1 billion for every day the network is suspended countrywide, with the government itself losing 33% in taxes due to these suspensions,” Koller said.

Network glitches

While the company upgrades its network, its customers have at times experienced low quality services. The company acknowledges the fact, and says they may continue till the project is complete.

While responding to a question about the compromised service quality, Koller said their emphasis remains on establishing the future benefits that customers will receive if they stay with Telenor during this challenging period.

Explaining the difficulty of the task, he said: “We call the project ‘highly complex’ because live network equipment modernisation with 30 million active subscribers is not an easy task, and it requires extremely efficient processes and very competent teams.”

The scale of this network modernisation activity, Koller said, envelopes almost all components of the Telenor network: ie, core, radio and transmission. “A network upgrade of this nature involves meticulous planning to avoid any potential degraded user experience,” he said, adding: “Keeping in view the complexities involved in such major network upgrades, the standard timeline is around 1.5-2 years.” Telenor Pakistan has been consistently working to make sure that customers are aware of network modernisation activities, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013. 

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			<title>Unpaid fees: 3G consultants at loggerheads with PTA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/509335/unpaid-fees-3g-consultants-at-loggerheads-with-pta</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/509335/unpaid-fees-3g-consultants-at-loggerheads-with-pta#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 13 21:55:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=509335</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Auctioning process may also be entirely put on hold till a settlement is reached on the payment issue, says Official.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The country’s never-ending journey towards acquiring 3G cellphone technology appears to have taken yet another step backwards with consultants hired by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) for auctioning 3G licences initiating legal action against the telecom regulator over the non-payment of their fees.


The auctioning process may also be entirely put on hold till a settlement is reached on the payment issue, while legal action in British courts is also on the cards, said an official.

The legal action means PTA is liable not only for the unpaid fees – which amounts to Rs50 million or $0.5 million – but also for the legal costs associated with the case, consultants told The Express Tribune in a press release.

The lawsuit is a fresh blow to the federal body that has failed to launch the much-awaited technology on three occasions last year, despite already wasting Rs20 million in public funds for hiring 3G consultants.

On November 23, 2012, PTA had hired Rob Nicholls from the Australian law firm Webb Henderson; Dennis Ward, the former spectrum auctioneer for the Canadian Spectrum Management Program; and Martin Sims from the spectrum specialists PolicyTracker to assist in auctioning 3G licences.

However, PTA Member Finance Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi and Technical Khawar Siddiq Khokhar had initially opposed the appointments of these consultants. Khokhar and Ghaznavi maintained that their former chief Farooq Awan had hired these consultants against the law, adding that their advice was not requested at any stage of the process.

This opposition led to an internal turmoil within PTA with Awan and Khokhar and Ghaznavi at loggerheads.

The issue then came on the radar of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when it raised questions on December 21 about the process being adopted for auctioning 3G licences in the country.

“The NAB finds hiring of consultants for 3G/4G Spectrum (modern cellular phone technology) licences’ auction not in line with the Pakistan Procurement Regulatory Authority rules,” NAB spokesman Zafar Iqbal had said.

PTA eventually terminated the concerned contracts later in December, 2012.

The 3G consultants didn’t react to this breach of contract initially as they wanted to complete the auction instead, The Express Tribune reported on January 13. In the meantime, they made several attempts to contact PTA but no one talked to them, according to a source familiar with the matter.

As a result they have now engaged three Pakistani lawyers Waqqas Mir, Aiyan Bhutta and Umar Khan to take legal action against PTA and recover the money. The lawyers have already served a legal notice to PTA, the source said, adding that they are looking at a range of options including taking legal action in the UK against the “cheque fraud”, which is a criminal offence.

They are also looking for a civil recovery option. The consultants’ lawyers may also consider putting on hold the 3G auction till the issue is settled, the source said. Before their contracts were cancelled, the consultants had completed more than half of the work at their own expense – including a lengthy stay of 10 days in Pakistan – the PTA didn’t confirm this development until January 14, they said.

The consultants said they were not paid a penny for the work they had done. They were given individual cheques by the PTA for 10% of the agreed fee, but those could not be cashed as PTA had already cancelled them.

“This is cheque fraud, pure and simple, and punishable by a jail sentence under Pakistani law,” said consultant Martin Sims. Consultant Rob Nicholls said they would pursue every option available to them until they are paid.

“The contract cancellation letter sent by the PTA was ridiculous,” the press release said quoting Dennis Ward as saying. It claimed that the contract was void ab initio, a legal term meaning invalid at the outset, the statement said.

“That is something only a court can decide,” said Ward. “The PTA is legally obliged to honour contracts. It can’t appoint itself judge and jury and suddenly decide to pull out,” he said.

“PTA seems to be more influenced by politicians and lacks confidence as a body,” said an official who wished not to be quoted. The official, however, said the consultants are professionals and may still consider finishing the job, if PTA can negotiate with them.

“The PTA is being cavalier with public money,” said Rob Nicholls. “Instead of adopting this ‘head in the sand’ approach it should make an arrangement to settle its debts and bring us back after the election to complete the auction.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Breach of contract: 3G consultants rule out lawsuit against PTA, for now</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/493191/breach-of-contract-3g-consultants-rule-out-lawsuit-against-pta-for-now</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/493191/breach-of-contract-3g-consultants-rule-out-lawsuit-against-pta-for-now#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jan 13 01:17:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=493191</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Instead, they want to settle issue behind closed doors, get paid the agreed price.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Far from pursuing legal action, the three consultants – who had been assisting the government for the rollout of the third generation (3G) cellular spectrum till their contracts were not cancelled – have taken a flexible position on the issue: they are more interested in finishing the job than suing Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for breach of contract.


The 3G consultants Martin Sims, Rob Nicholls and Dennis Ward rubbished a recent media report, which said they were considering filing a law suit against PTA for illegally terminating their contracts – the report, which was based on anonymous sources, also said that the consultants wanted PTA to pay their consultation fee.

The consultants – who share among them, 60 years of combined experience in advising governments on telecom issues – further said they were in a professional relationship with the telecom regulator and “it will be unethical on their part to anonymously brief the media” on details of that relationship or to release details of confidential discussions.

“We have no desire to take legal action against the Pakistani government or the PTA,” they said in a joint statement while responding to the queries of The Express Tribune. “Instead, we prefer to come to an amicable arrangement whereby we do the work that we were contracted to do at the price agreed and the people of Pakistan get the auction they paid for,” said the statement, which was emailed by Martin Sims.

Since day one, the appointment of these consultants had remained a bone of contention among the three members of the PTA – of whom any two members, being the majority, can exercise the power of telecom regulatory authority.

Two members of PTA, Khawar Khokhar and Nasarul Karim Ghaznavi had refused to cooperate with their own chairman Farooq Awan for 3G auction on the grounds that the hiring of these consultants had violated the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s rules and The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act.

The squabble within PTA set the stage for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to intervene. The NAB, after listening to all stakeholders, declared the hiring of consultants as illegal. This led the authority to terminate contracts of the aforesaid consultants in the last week of 2012 – a development that ended 3G process prematurely for the third in the same year.



The government, PTA to be more specific, had already spent Rs20 million in 3G related advertisements without achieving any results so far – it will cost even more if the consultant chose to seek legal options.

Though the consultants ruled out a lawsuit, at least for a while, they confirmed that they want payment for services delivered already.

“We are very happy to be flexible in finding a way to resolve this but we are professionals and ultimately we must be paid for the work we have done,” their statement said.

They further said that they did not receive any payment from the telecom regulator, not even for the expenses they already made in this regard.

“None of us received any payment for the work we have done nor received any compensation for the expenses incurred in software development and travelling to Pakistan,” they said.

Explaining, they said they were issued cheques for the deposit, which was stipulated in their contracts but two of the cheques were cancelled by the PTA. “The third has yet to be honoured and we are assuming it will also be cancelled,” they said.

“It is our understanding that this cancelation is illegal as the cheques were payment for services already rendered,” the statement said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2013.

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			<title>3G spectrum auction: Govt cancels contracts of foreign consultants</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/487222/3g-spectrum-auction-govt-cancels-contracts-of-foreign-consultants</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/487222/3g-spectrum-auction-govt-cancels-contracts-of-foreign-consultants#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 31 Dec 12 20:52:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=487222</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Auction may be delayed yet again, PTA has already paid Rs10m to the experts.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Reacting to reports of violation of set procedures and hiring of experts at an exorbitant fee, the government has cancelled contracts of foreign consultants, who were selected for preparing a roadmap and monitoring auction of 3G spectrum licences.


“The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has cancelled contracts of three consultants,” said Information Technology Secretary Aamir Tariq Zaman Khan while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology here on Monday.

Khan said the decision was taken following objections raised by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over the award of contracts. The contracts were cancelled on December 21.

This is likely to further delay the auction of 3G licences, expected to fetch around a billion dollars.

The IT Secretary told the committee that the PTA chairman had taken the decision to hire the three consultants.



In the previous meeting of the committee, PTA Chairman Farooq Ahmed Awan had referred to Sections 3(8) and 10(2)(c) of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act 1996 and Regulation 115 of the PTA Employees Service Regulation 2008, which, according to him, said “the chairman is empowered enough to hire consultants.”

The IT Secretary had also endorsed Awan’s view that the chairman had powers to hire a consultant for a specific time period without consulting other members of the authority.

“We have pointed out several times that PTA is violating rules in appointment of foreign consultants for the 3G auction and it has been proved today,” said Committee Chairman Barjees Tahir.

He held the PTA chairman responsible for the loss to the national exchequer as foreign consultants were hired at a cost of Rs50 million and Rs10 million had already been paid to them.

However, PTA Director General Sajjad Latif Awan told the committee that the PTA chairman had hired the consultants on the instruction of Auction Supervisory Committee (ASC) and rules were properly followed. The consultants did not want to work because of the objections raised, he added.

Members of the committee stressed that any payments made to the consultants should be recovered from the PTA chairman.

Shafqat Hayat Khan of PML-N said for the third time 3G auction had been delayed, which would earn a bad name to the country as no one, in future, would be interested in the auction process.

The committee members were also annoyed with PTA over its inaction against grey traffic, which is causing a loss of $1 billion per annum.

Barjees Tahir was of the view that PTA was reluctant to take action against influential people. The IT secretary also admitted that PTA’s initiatives to control grey traffic were not sufficient as the authority could only monitor 13% of the traffic.

PML-N’s Anusha Rehman pointed a finger at the rulers, saying people involved in grey traffic were sitting in the power corridors and government departments were facilitating them.

The committee also expressed its dissatisfaction over the performance of Universal Services Fund (USF) as billions of rupees could not be recovered from defaulting companies. It told the IT ministry that it may blacklist all the defaulting companies and take stern action against them in order to recover the unpaid amount.

The panel further said the ministry may direct PTCL authorities to increase pension of its retired employees in accordance with Supreme Court’s decision and report back in the next meeting.

With additional input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2013.                  

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			<title>3G: PTA members squabble over hiring of auction consultants</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/484289/3g-spectrum-pta-members-squabble-over-the-hiring-of-auction-consultants</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/484289/3g-spectrum-pta-members-squabble-over-the-hiring-of-auction-consultants#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Dec 12 21:01:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=484289</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Revised information memorandum for inviting bids not yet published.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Despite a common goal – an early auction of the third generation (3G) mobile cellular spectrum licence, the officials responsible for the auction are far from reaching a consensus on the legality of hiring 3G consultants.


Because of the difference of opinion among its members, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not been able to publish a revised Information Memorandum (IM) – the main document for inviting bids for 3G spectrum licence.

Last week, the National Accountability Bureau also declared the hiring of consultants as illegal and asked PTA to either fix the violation by December 26 or rehire the consultants as per rules.

This development has once again created hurdles for PTA and the Auction Supervisory Committee that were all set to complete the auction in January 2013.

Earlier, PTA had failed to hire a consultant firm for 3G rollout on two different occasions and spent more than Rs20 million on advertisements.

In a third attempt, PTA Chairman Farooq Ahmed Awan formed a four-member team that hired three advisers on short-term contract to assist the authority in carrying out the auction. The consultants revised the IM and presented it for PTA’s approval.

However, PTA Member Technical Khawar Siddique Khokhar and Member Finance Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi objected to the hiring of consultants, saying it was in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.

Both Khokhar and Ghaznavi told The Express Tribune that they were not consulted during the hiring process and they didn’t approve the IM because they had not read that.

The IT ministry and PTA chairman, on the other hand, have insisted that the hiring was in accordance with the law.

“Recruitment and procurement are two different things,” Prime Minister’s IT Adviser and Auction Supervisory Committee member Basit Riaz Sheikh said. These consultants were hired on a short-term contract and PPRA rules don’t apply to this situation, he added.

The participation of consultancy firms declined from nine in the first phase to just three in the second, Sheikh said, explaining why they chose to hire individual advisers. “We feared that we may not receive any application this time, therefore, we decided to hire individual advisers instead of a company,” he added.

Responding to a question about NAB’s intervention, Sheikh said, “We don’t agree with NAB’s interpretation of PPRA rules.” He said they would meet NAB on January 1 to address its concerns.

Defending the position of PTA chairman, Sheikh said the chairman is empowered to appoint these consultants according to Sections 3(8) and 10(2)(c) of the Pakistan Telecommunication Re-Organisation Act 1996 and Section 115 of the PTA Employees Services Regulations 2008.

Section 10 (2)(c) shows that the authority can appoint advisory bodies, consultants and advisers on contract. However, the term “Authority”, according to the Act, means the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority while Section 3(2) states that the authority shall consist of three members. The section doesn’t mention if chairman is the authority.

Section 3(8) states that the powers of the authority (PTA) in matters relating to its administration and staff shall be exercised by the chairman, including those mentioned in Section 10 (appointment of advisers on contract) – the section, apparently, provides the basis for Awan’s decision.

Sheikh also said PTA needs the consent of other members for regulatory functions but for administrative functions, the chairman alone is the competent authority.

Khokhar, however, said the administrative functions also follow some procedure. He referred to Section 3(9) of the Act, which states that the decision of the authority shall, subject to Section 3(8), be taken with the concurrence of majority of its members – which didn’t happen in the case of hiring 3G consultants.

It is important to note that Ghaznavi has opposed the hiring and refused to approve the IM, but Sheikh said Ghaznavi had signed the documents, which empower the chairman to hire individual consultants.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Watchdog growls: Hiring of 3G auction consultants against rules, says NAB</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/482379/watchdog-growls-hiring-of-3g-auction-consultants-against-rules-says-nab</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/482379/watchdog-growls-hiring-of-3g-auction-consultants-against-rules-says-nab#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 12 04:03:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=482379</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[NAB asks PTA to meet procurement rules by December 26.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The launch of third generation (3G) telecom services hit further bureaucratic snags when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) declared the hiring of consultants for 3G bandwidth auction in violation of PPRA (Public Procurement Regulator Authority) rules.


The accountability bureau has asked Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ensure that the laid out rules are met by December 26.

Sources in NAB said that the PTA have been asked to either fix the existing violation of PPRA rules or re-hire the consultants as the existing ones would be illegal. “There are 41 PPRA rules and a violation of even one of them renders a project illegal,” said the official. The government is moving very cautiously with the 3G bandwidth auction to avoid any scandal as witnessed in India during the 2008 2G licence auction that has landed the then Indian telecom minister in jail.



The PTA chief Farooq Awan told National Assembly Committee on Information Technology early this week that NAB had raised no objection after the authority gave them a detailed briefing on the project.

In a letter to Secretary Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), NAB has also asked for a detailed presentation to NAB chairman on the issues of tax evasion, GST evasion on SMS, Universal Services Fund (USF), E-Governance and auction of broadband frequency on 1 January 2013.

NAB has identified that tax evasion by the cellular companies occur because of absence of forensic auditing and facility of interlinking exchanges. The Bureau has also found out that the 19.5% GST that cellular companies were charging on SMS was very high and asked MoIT to clarify the violation of this rule.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Transparency International to monitor auction of 3G licence</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/479927/transparency-international-to-monitor-auction-of-3g-licence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/479927/transparency-international-to-monitor-auction-of-3g-licence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Dec 12 00:48:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahbaz Rana]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=479927</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PTA signs pact to address transparency concerns.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As the government faces criticism over the way it has selected consultants for auction of over a billion-dollar 3G telecom spectrum, the telecom regulator has signed an integrity pact with Transparency International Pakistan to allow the watchdog to monitor the transaction aimed at ensuring transparency.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between TIP and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) here on Friday and witnessed by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

The inking of the MoU suggests that transparency concerns, expressed by parliamentary committees and industry people, are not misplaced as this is the third oversight arrangement to address corruption allegations.



Earlier, Auction Supervisory Committee (ASC) of the cabinet and five-member Oversight Committee have been constituted for the purpose.

“Our sole purpose is to make sure that no kickbacks or underhand deal is done in awarding 3G licence,” said Sohail Muzaffar, Chairman of TIP, after the signing ceremony. He said TIP will go through all the documents to ensure transparency in the process.

Marred by suspicion of underhand deals, so far all attempts to auction the 3G spectrum have remained fruitless. The government has estimated to receive at least $1 billion through the auction.

Controversy over hiring of consultants erupted again last month when PTA Chairman Farooq Awan himself shortlisted three consultants at hefty packages and claimed that the Auction Supervisory Committee had selected them.

The finance minister, who heads the ASC, distanced himself from the selection process. Responding to a question, he said the PTA chairman was of the view that it was the PTA’s mandate to hire the consultant.

Shaikh, however, maintained that TIP may also scrutinise the hiring of the consultant. Earlier, in May this year the ASC had rejected a panel of consultants chosen by then PTA chairman Dr Mohammad Yaseen.

Shaikh said the signing of the MoU will address increasing concerns over transparency in the auction process.

He admitted that the government was grappling to address governance issues and has decided to take all stakeholders into confidence.

The minister refrained from committing the timeframe for completing the auction process. The government wants to complete the transaction as early as possible but will not compromise on transparency, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Ban on retail outlets: Telenor increases SIM prices to avoid slump in profits</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/478969/ban-on-retail-outlets-telenor-increases-sim-prices-to-avoid-slump-in-profits</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/478969/ban-on-retail-outlets-telenor-increases-sim-prices-to-avoid-slump-in-profits#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Dec 12 23:07:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=478969</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The increase in SIM prices by Telenor is a strong sign that other operators will follow suit.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In what may be regarded as the telecom industry’s first reaction to the recent ban on retail outlets, which will hit the industry’s profitability, Telenor Pakistan has increased the price of its SIMs. Other operators may take similar measures to protect profitability, say telecom sources.


In a background conversation early this week, a telecom official said following the closure of retail outlets and top-up shops – two major sales channels – the telecom industry is reconsidering its position. The restriction, he said, will adversely affect profitability of cellular mobile operators (CMOs).

“Sales will drop but operational cost will remain the same,” the official said, adding, “CMOs, therefore, will have to pass additional costs to the consumers to protect their profitability.”

In an official notification dated December 6, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) banned the sale of cellular SIM cards through retail outlets with immediate effect. The telecom regulator directed the operators to sell mobile SIMs only through company-owned customer service centres and franchised outlets.

“The network of sales channels has been reduced from 100,000 outlets to about 2,000 outlets as a result of the December 6 notification,” the official said. This will greatly reduce the sales volume – 362,195 is the number of SIMs, the telecom industry has sold in July-September quarter, according to latest statistics available on PTA’s website.

Anticipating a decline in sales, the industry may take various steps including an increase in SIM prices and possible layoffs, especially at call centres, the official said.

The closure of one of the major sales channels had already led to job cuts and will further affect about 2,500 direct employees working for these multinationals as profitability will soon begin to nosedive, he said.

In the first sign of industry’s response to the restriction, Telenor increased prices for SIM Starter Pack and replacement SIM by Rs100 and Rs40 respectively on Tuesday.

“The recent change in sales process has virtually shut down 99% of our points of sales. This has resulted in substantially lower sales while costs remain the same,” Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Marketing Officer of Telenor Pakistan, said in a statement emailed to The Express Tribune.

Under the given circumstances, Ibrahim said, the company had no option but to pass some of the cost on to the customers. “We hope that the government will consider the adverse impact of the decision in the longer run and support reopening of regular sales channels at the earliest.”

Telecom is one of the heavily taxed industries, which contributed Rs117 billion to the national exchequer in 2010-11 in the form of taxes, fee and R&amp;D support.

It is the only industry, which has reduced prices whereas all other industries have increased prices to deal with rising inflation and rupee depreciation, a telecom source said.

Giving an example, the official said the activation tax charged from every new subscriber has been reduced from Rs2,500 a few years ago to Rs250 now. The telecom sector has always kept low cellular tariffs, but it has to think about their profitability now, he said.

The increase in SIM prices by Telenor is a strong sign that other operators will follow suit. However, a rise in cellular tariffs may not be on the cards, according to telecom sources.

Unlike telecom sources, industry analysts rule out the possibility of immediate layoffs. CMOs need resources for 3G rollout, Muhammad Raza of Elixir Securities said.

Both government and CMOs are going through a transition period to find a middle ground, Raza said. Explaining, he said, selling SIMs through pan walas (small stalls and shops selling betel leaves) won’t work for the government while blocking all retailers is economically not viable for the industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>New committee to supervise 3G auction</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477956/new-committee-to-supervise-3g-auction</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477956/new-committee-to-supervise-3g-auction#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 12 02:21:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=477956</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Committee will comprise media, civil society, NAB, telecom experts.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[After reports of alleged kickbacks in hiring of consultants for supervising auction of billion-dollar 3G telecom licences, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf constituted an oversight committee to monitor the transaction.


This was decided at a meeting of 3G Auction Supervisory Committee chaired by the premier held at the PM House.

The committee having representatives from the media, civil society, National Accountability Bureau, technical experts and an economist had been constituted despite an Auction Supervisory Committee working under the Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh already in place. This highlighted that the supervisory committee had failed to perform its job, providing an opportunity to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to exploit the loopholes.

People of repute, standing and impeccable integrity will now be associated with the Oversight Committee to ensure transparency and due process at every cost. “I stand guarantee as the prime minister that not a single penny will be embezzled,” he affirmed.

Ashraf said that 3G was a valuable asset which will boost the economy, encourage foreign investment and promote economic activity in the country.

A presentation was made by International Consultants including Spectrum Valuation Expert Dr Rob Nicholis, Auction Design Expert Dennis Ward, Auction Software Expert Marton Semis, through videoconferencing from Canada, Australia and England.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Oversight committee to monitor 3G licence auction for transparency: PM</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477755/oversight-committee-to-monitor-3g-licence-auction-for-transparency-pm</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477755/oversight-committee-to-monitor-3g-licence-auction-for-transparency-pm#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 12 15:55:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumaira.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=477755</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Ashraf constitutes oversight committee after reports of alleged kickbacks from hiring of consultants.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday constituted an oversight committee to monitor the billion dollar 3G licence auction, after reports of alleged kickbacks from hiring of consultants for supervising the auction.

The decision to establish the oversight committee, which will consist of media persons, civil society officials, National Accountability Bureau officials, technical experts and an economist, was finalised at a meeting of the 3G Auction Supervisory Committee held at the prime minister’s house

The new committee has been constituted despite a previously existing auction supervisory committee, working under Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

Ashraf said that the government’s aim is to introduce the latest technology in the country and named 3G technology to be a valuable asset which will boost Pakistan’s economy, encourage foreign investment and promote economic activity in the country.

People of repute, standing and impeccable integrity will be associated with the oversight committee to ensure transparency and due process at every cost, Ashraf said.

A presentation was given by a panel of international consultants through video conferencing from Canada, Australia and England. This was the first time that a video conferencing facility was utilized during a meeting at the prime minister’s house.

It is expected that 20,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created with the introduction of 3G in the telecom sector.]]>
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			<title>No Rest in Hell</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477023/no-rest-in-hell</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/477023/no-rest-in-hell#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 12 17:20:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[saroop.ijaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=477023</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Everybody has a stake in this quarrel. The Ahmadi graveyard vandalism and the Shia killing is everyone’s problem.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Towards the end of Hamlet, two gravediggers are engaged in an absurd discussion of whether Ophelia deserves a Christian burial or not, having committed suicide. However, they soon realise the futility of the conversation and move on to their job of digging the grave. One gravedigger asks, “What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright or the carpenter?” The fellow gravedigger replies, “The gallow-maker, for that frame outlives a thousand tenants.” The first after some musing ends saying, “A grave-maker. The house that he makes last till doomsday”. The gravedigger is wrong in Model Town, Lahore; not all graves last till doomsday. Some are vandalised earlier. We, unlike the jester gravediggers, have not realised the futility of discussing the legitimacy of burials yet. We today are worse, we attack graves.

Token outrage has been expressed and perhaps some more will be expressed. However, are we really outraged? I don’t think so. Being outraged in this country is becoming too exhausting a job. However, it does lower the spirit that this happened in Model Town, Lahore. Not only because it literally, physically happened in the backyard of the Chief Minister of Punjab’s palatial residence/s. It is also disheartening because this is the Lahore of Madhu Lal Husain. The great Sufi poet Shah Husain and his Hindu friend Madhu Lal are buried together in one shrine. Such is the oneness that not only the shrine but Shah Husain himself is now commonly referred to as Madhu Lal Husain. Shah Husain would not have survived a week in today’s Lahore. This is the Punjab of Baba Guru Nanak, where his birth anniversary is still celebrated by devout Muslims. To this day, Baba Nanak remains a saint (as he should be) to many of the faithful. This is the land where the Kalam of one of the greatest ‘Muslim’ Sufi poet of all times, Baba Farid, has reached us only through ‘Guru Granth Saheb’. I am not sure, how many of those who go to Baba Faird’s urs at Pakpattan know that.

One can go on — however, not convincingly. This is not their land, not anymore. This is where mediocre bureaucrats decide to mutilate the tombstone of our first and only Nobel laureate from, “Abdus Salam, the First Muslim Nobel Laureate” to the ridiculous, factually incorrect, “Abdus Salam, the First Nobel Laureate.” What great service to Islam. We seem today to be living in a Garcia Marquez novel. This is where Hazrat Bulleh Shah wrote such verses, which today, I cannot reproduce here, for the fear of some faithful interpreting it too literally and acting on his “faith”. Lahore today does not need the Taliban to burn down schools (although they are always there to help); we do quite an admirable job ourselves, as displayed recently. This is where historic temples are razed with no commotion. This is where having the wrong sounding name will get you killed. This is the Punjab where the leaders of banned sectarian outfits openly proclaim that the ruling party in Punjab won the by-elections with their support.

Now, let us consider our response to these challenges. We decide to ban YouTube because of one substandard, idiotic video made thousands of miles away. If a fraction of anger displayed at that one video is devoted to the vandalism of the dead and the murder of the living, only if. The Military Intelligence (MI) has apparently decided to do what it does best. What else, to collect detailed information on journalists. Sure, obviously they pose the greatest threat to our ‘national security’. Once the MI has successfully completed the dangerous mission of gathering door-to-door information on journalists, I am sure it will direct its attention to lesser matters like militant organisations, terrorist groups, etc. This is closely followed by ‘immoral’ text messages sent and received by ‘late-night’ cellular phone packages, the transcripts of which are being discussed at the highest state level. Then their other matters of grave concern like should it be mandatory for female television anchors to cover their heads. Lest we forget that egregious assault on the moral fabric of our society, i.e., the Katrina Kaif advertisement. The message is clear: the Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus should not be impatient. Once we have tackled the important issues stated above, we will be glad to attend to their continued murder and persecution.

While media oscillates between juvenile frolics of the PTA and Young Arsalan, it is open season on minorities and soon it will be for everyone. Ladies and Gentleman, this is how nations sink, this is how people die. Everybody has a stake in this quarrel. The Ahmadi graveyard vandalism and the Shia killing is everyone’s problem. I cannot propose a solution to all of this and am condemned to repeat clichés. Yet, this hate will get to everyone, to you and me, eventually it will.

‘Rest in peace’ will never mean quite the same thing in Lahore again. The attack on the graveyard in Lahore reminds me of some lines of Faiz Ahamd Faiz on death as a liberating experience, “Fikr-e-sood au ziyaan tau chhootay gi: Minnat-e-ee au aan tau chhootay gi. Khair dozakh mein mai milay na milay: Sheikh sahib se jaan tau chhootay gi.” (One will be rid of the anxiety of gain and loss, of seeking this and that. A drink in hell, there may not be, but one will be rid of sermon mongers). Not anymore, it seems.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Who killed General Zia?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/476508/who-killed-general-zia</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/476508/who-killed-general-zia#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 12 18:06:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[khaled.ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=476508</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ijazul Haq blamed General Beg for trying to hide the effects of a missile fired into Zia's plane from another plane.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Ijazul Haq, son of army chief General Zia, has accused Zia’s then vice-chief General Aslam Beg of being a part of the conspiracy to kill his father. He appeared on Geo TV on December 1, 2012, and said he was sorry that General Hameed Gul, who was the ISI chief at the time, took no notice of his officers plotting to kill his father. He added that General Beg caused the wreckage of the plane to be removed to hide the effects of a missile fired into the plane from another plane. He also prevented autopsies of the dead to hide the fact that everyone on the plane had died from gas poisoning. A report by an air force officer, Zaheer Zaidi, was suppressed because it focused on the “other plane”. He said Beg had reacted to his certain impending replacement with General Afzaal as vice-chief.

No one can say who killed Zia. But when he took Beg as the army vice-chief, Zia was deeply committed to the Arabs in the post-Bhutto period. He was to offer Islamisation in return for funds that went into buying Pakistan’s sorely needed 40 F-16 warplanes and seed-money for the Zakat Fund. Islamisation was also meant to restrain revolutionary Iran. (Tehran was seen as destablising the Gulf states with acts of terrorism.) In 1980, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was created and Zia could not resist being secretly its ‘military teeth’.

According to Christopher M Davidson in The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers), 2005, p.206 and p.244, the plan for an anti-Iran axis existed up until 2001: “Until September 11, 2001, many of the strongly anti-Iranian emirates had favoured a ‘Sunni axis’ comprising the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the Afghan Taliban, in an effort to curb potential Shia expansion.” The author footnoted that his information had come from “personal interviews, undisclosed locations, 2003”.

In 1980, Zia imposed Zakat on the Shia on the basis of a law written by Maruf Dualibi, an adviser to the Saudi King, while sitting in the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). Islami Nazriati Konsal: Irtaqai Safar aur Karkardagi Council of Islamic Ideology: Evolution and Activity — (Dost Publications, Islamabad, 2006) records that “Dr Maroof Dualibi visited the offices of the Council” p.961. However, the Council’s own report to the government in December 1981, observed that Hudood laws were discussed by the Council and the Law Ministry under the guidance of Dr Maroof Dualibi who was specially detailed by the Government of Saudi Arabia for this purpose.

During the Iran-Iraq war, Zia became peacemaker and tried to intercede with Imam Khomeini but was not treated well by him because of the GCC affair. (Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future, Norton, 2006, p.162.)

The Arabs and the US were funding Zia’s jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The Shia were excited by the Khomeini phenomenon but were under pressure from the anti-Shia Afghan militias centred in Peshawar. In 1987, when he appointed Beg as vice-chief, Zia had allowed a jihadi lashkar to stage a massacre of the Shia in Parachinar in Kurram Agency. The Arab-Iran sectarian conflict was relocated to Pakistan.

In 1985, the Deobandis got into the act, creating the Sipah Sahaba in Jhang (Punjab). In 1986, the Saudi-funded Rabita Alam Islami head of Nadva tul-Ulema madrassa of Lucknow in India, Manzur Numani, decided to compile apostatising fatwas targeting Shias. All the Deobandi madrassas of Pakistan sent fatwas to him to be compiled in a book, later distributed in Pakistan. In 1988, two incidents exacerbated the sectarian war: the massacre of Shias in Gilgit and the murder of Shia top leader Ariful Hussaini in Peshawar.

As Gordon Corera noted in his book Shopping for Bombs: Nuclear Proliferation, Global Security and the Rise and Fall of the AQ Khan Network (Oxford University Press, 2006, p.59-60): “At this point, without a green signal from Zia, Beg got together with Dr AQ Khan to sell Iran nuclear technology crucial to building an Iranian bomb.”

Dr Khan was already into selling his wares globally. Iran was the first country to receive centrifuges from him. According to the IAEA, he made the sale to Iran of all the required elements in 1987 in Dubai, collecting payment in Swiss francs. Zia did not know. He did not know either that Beg too had got into the act. (After Zia’s death, prime minister Nawaz Sharif was shocked that Beg had signed a secret nuclear deal with Iran without telling him.)

Zia had the Pakistan-specific Pressler Amendment to duck to keep the US dollars rolling in. Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar tricked Dr Khan into blabbing about the bomb, which sent Zia ballistic. At this point, the plot to kill Zia may have taken shape involving diverse categories of people, including the two pilots of the doomed C-130.

A report appearing in London’s Sunday Times titled “Pakistan’s Dr Nuke bids for the Presidency”, (August 24, 2008) by Simon Henderson revealed: “Khan’s activities give a new explanation for the crash of President Zia’s C-130 plane in 1988…. Wing Commander Mash’hood Hassan, the plane’s pilot, had also been flying Khan’s centrifuge equipment to China. On one such trip he confided in a colleague of Khan that he hated Zia, holding him responsible for the murder of a local religious leader [Ariful Hussaini]: “The day Zia flies with me, that will be his last flight”.” Hardly 10 days after Hussaini’s murder, on August 17, 1988, his co-pilot, Sajid, had told his mother he was going to do something big as he left home.

In 1993, Ijazul Haq forced prime minister Nawaz Sharif to set up an inquiry commission. The Justice Shafiur Rehman Commission ended the work saying the Pakistan Army did not let it conduct investigation into the Bahawalpur crash. Its report was sealed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>3G auction may be put off for third time yet</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/474659/3g-auction-may-be-put-off-for-third-time-yet</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/474659/3g-auction-may-be-put-off-for-third-time-yet#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 12 21:15:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=474659</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mobile companies unhappy with certain terms and conditions]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Telecom­munication Authority (PTA) has been actively promoting the auction of third generation (3G) spectrum mobile cellular licences; behind the scene developments, however, indicate that the auction may be prematurely aborted for the third consecutive time.

A well-informed telecom source – who was present in a recent meeting between Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and senior telecom executives – told The Express Tribune that the auction could be delayed for multiple reasons.

“Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) have serious reservations regarding the terms of payments for licensing fees,” the source revealed. “They have already communicated their reservations to Dr Basit Riaz [the prime minister’s adviser on IT],” he added.

“The spectrum price has to be reasonable and the terms of payment should be flexible,” the source said, conveying the industry’s main reservations. “If these reservations are not addressed in the revised IM, it may result in further delay.”



He said that despite reasonable cash flows and positive earnings before income tax depreciation and amortisation, the net profits of the top three CMOs are negative – as their operational expenses are pretty high. “The 60-day payment method, therefore, won’t work,” he explained. “CMOs should be given a long-term and flexible payment option,” he added.



Besides the time limit for payment, CMOs are also concerned about the timing of the rollout. If this government conducts the auction and receives licence fees in full, CMOs fear lack of cooperation from the interim government or the next government.

“On the other hand,” the source continued, “if the industry’s reservations regarding long-term payment are addressed, the present government may lose interest, thus causing a further delay to the auction – which may then become the first source of revenue for the next government.”

According to Dr Basit Riaz, the man behind the 3G auction, delays in the auction are costing the cash-strapped economy roughly Rs68 million in opportunity costs on a daily basis. If implemented according to the plan, the auction – as per the government’s estimate – will bring in $1 billion in licence fees and another $1 billion in infrastructure development, besides creating more than 40,000 jobs.

It has been officially communicated to CMOs, the source said, that PTA will advertise a revised Information Memorandum for 3G auction this week and execute it within six weeks once the IM is published, if things proceed as planned.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012]]>
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			<title>Utopia in our dystopian lives</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/474565/utopia-in-our-dystopian-lives</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/474565/utopia-in-our-dystopian-lives#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 12 17:40:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[tazeen.javed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=474565</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Present-day world, characterised by sense of impending doom and pessimism, there still are traces of utopia around us.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The 21st century society is a dystopian one. No matter what part of the world we live in, our lives are marred by a sense of doom — an apocalyptic foreboding of endings. If one section of the world is threatened by terrorism, be it in schools, workplaces, airports or shopping malls, the other is hyper-aware of political instability; if economy is collapsing somewhere, then the threat of environmental destruction is threatening lives and livelihoods in another. Even aesthetics, arts and culture seem rather tedious and are dominated by the neoliberal bottom line, which insists on dumbing it all down and says that if it doesn’t sell and appeals only to the lowest common denominator of society, it’s not worth anything. Does that mean that the 21st century society is doomed for misery and utopias are a thing of past?

The answer is a resounding no. The biggest problem that lies ahead of us is not the energy crisis or food security — though they are very serious concerns — but getting rid of this dystopian melancholy that permeates every thought and action of ours, hindering our capacity to look for solutions. This fatalism can only be cured by cultural energy which actually helps us in making any sense of the problem and our approaches to dealing with it — sort of creating a utopian escape route. Society in general, and thinkers in particular, need to consciously imagine this.

Thomas More first coined the term in the early 16th century to describe his ‘good place’. Perhaps, the first known example of utopia was Plato’s Republic, which was a social and political manifesto desirous of a perfect state. It is not just Plato but the idea of utopia as the driving force behind any radical social and political ideological change has been here all along. Take the French, Russian, Chinese and Iranian Revolutions or the Taliban takeover in the 1990s of Afghanistan, for example. All these political movements were attempts to radically reconstruct society along lines set out in the ‘utopian’ thought of their thinkers such as Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx and Ruhollah Khomeini, who thought society would benefit from a new, hitherto untried method.

In the present-day world, which is characterised by a sense of impending doom and pessimism, there still are traces of utopia around us, perhaps, because people will never cease to look for ways to run away from misery, poverty, disenfranchisement and apathy. The Islamic fundamentalism, the Christian Revivalism, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the efforts to save the planet, the quest to go back to socialism in Latin America are examples of our utopian desires. However, utopia is not as simple as imagining a good place because the challenge to change the world comes with its own set of risks and unseen scenarios as was witnessed in the case of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan — a nightmarish dystopia which represents the mirror image of the good place.

How does one deal with that? Picasso once said that that everything that you can imagine is real and we, too, can deal with this probability with imagination and idealism. Just because utopia originates in the human imagination does not mean it cannot work in reality. If history has taught something, it is that Utopian thought may have originated in fiction and philosophy but it has always managed to find popularity in the social and political discourse.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Mobilink: $1b to be invested to enhance nationwide network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/473820/mobilink-1b-to-be-invested-to-enhance-nationwide-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/473820/mobilink-1b-to-be-invested-to-enhance-nationwide-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Dec 12 21:45:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=473820</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mobilink is seeking to enhance its voice and data services ahead of a planned 3G roll out - as soon as it is licensed.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Mobilink will be investing over $1 billion towards enhancement of its voice and data services, paving the way towards introducing 3G services as soon as it is licensed in Pakistan, said Jo Lunder, Group CEO, VimpelCom – Mobilink’s parent company – during a meeting with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf at the PM House, according to a press release.


VimpelCom continues to have a positive outlook on its operations in Pakistan, with Mobilink already having invested over $3.9 billion till date as part of its vision to reshape lives through connectivity. The additional investment of $1 billion is part of VimpelCom’s aggressive plans to further consolidate its leadership position in Pakistan with the deployment of state-of-the-art next-generation mobile network equipment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Bringing 3G to a city near you</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/469227/bringing-3g-to-a-city-near-you</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/469227/bringing-3g-to-a-city-near-you#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 21 Nov 12 20:23:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[dr.basit.riaz.sheikh]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=469227</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan is the only country in the South Asian region not to have tasted the wonders of 3G mobile services.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan is the only country in the South Asian region not to have tasted the wonders of 3G mobile services. Twice this year alone, the process of bringing 3G mobile services to Pakistan had to be aborted prematurely. Incompetence and vested interest both have been at play. This alone is costing us roughly 68 million rupees every day in opportunity cost.

The first question that comes to mind is what is 3G? Short for 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology, 3G is an upgrade on the currently deployed 2G technology in Pakistan. To put it in layman terms, 3G is to 2G what motorway is to GT road: faster, smoother and wider, 3G enables high-speed broadband connectivity in your handheld device. Speed comparisons in India have shown Internet on a 3G network to be 20 times faster than on a 2G network. A question that is often asked is why not 4G instead? It is important to understand that like most countries in the world, Pakistan practises a technology-neutral regime. The Government of Pakistan only auctions the frequency lots. The choice of a particular technology is left to the mobile operators. In the current scenario, the reason the impending auction is commonly referred to as a 3G auction is primarily because the spectrum being auctioned is preferable for 3G services, its ecosystem has fully evolved, whereas for 4G, the price of terminal devices is still too high for wide-scale adoption.

The next pertinent question is why should a common man care about 3G? Tomorrow, 3G can enable a student in a far-flung area of Balochistan to benefit from online lectures of top global universities from the palm of his hand. A farmer in a remote area could explore new techniques of harvesting without having to travel long distances. A lady health-worker in a rural area could bring state of the art health care to every doorstep by linking her digital ultrasound machine with a specialist doctor stationed hundreds of miles away. Access to 3G mobile connectivity will empower people by bringing essential and richer communication to their doorstep. As per the World Bank study, every 10 per cent increase in 3G broadband proliferation leads to a 1.4 per cent growth in a country’s GDP. In short, it is a digital revolution that will not only benefit the country at large, but also the people at every tier of society.

There are many who have already written off the possibility of 3G services coming to Pakistan any time soon. But as the legend goes, when there is a will, there is a way; we have not only managed to keep the process going against all odds, with the hiring of renowned international telecommunication consultants, we are just a few steps away from the actual proliferation of 3G mobile services across Pakistan. Dr Rob Nicholls, who will be advising on spectrum valuation and regulatory issues and Mr Dennis Ward, who will be the lead auction design expert, have amongst each other conducted frequency spectrum auctions yielding over 10 billion dollars in licence fees across the globe. Their enriched experience will help ensure a fully transparent and optimal auction, which could generate valuable foreign exchange of over one billion dollars in licence fees for Pakistan. It would lead to approximately another one billion dollars in infrastructure development over the next couple of years and create over 40,000 jobs.

An auction facilitation centre would be set up to keep media and all stakeholders abreast of all developments. To further enhance transparency, the actual auction would be conducted in the presence of leading media personnel. Our goal is to make it a model auction with transparency and optimal yield as prime objectives. We look forward to ideas and suggestions (which can be emailed to advisor@moitt.gov.pk) from everyone to further enhance its optimality.

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride. Without the unflinching support of the president, the prime minister and the finance minister, this auction would have been long sabotaged. With the internationally reputed consultants onboard, the wheels have been set in motion and the end goal is within two months sight. The government is fully determined, the regulator is all geared up, the mobile operators are zealous and the consumers have long awaited this. All that is needed now is the collective will and ownership of all of us to cross the finish line. Together, we shall.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>3G spectrum auction: Unsatisfied with proposals, PTA scraps plan to hire consultant</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466925/3g-spectrum-auction-unsatisfied-with-proposals-pta-scraps-plan-to-hire-consultant</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466925/3g-spectrum-auction-unsatisfied-with-proposals-pta-scraps-plan-to-hire-consultant#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Nov 12 20:54:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=466925</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Instead advertises to hire advisers to help with much-delayed transaction.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The auction of third generation mobile spectrum licence may face further delays as the telecom regulator has scrapped the idea of hiring a consultant firm and has instead decided to hire individual advisers for conducting the auction.

According to a November 6 advertisement, PTA has invited applications for short-term positions of Spectrum Valuation Adviser, Spectrum Auction Design Adviser, Auctioneer/Auctions Software Adviser and Spectrum Regulator Policy Adviser.

The advertisement came after the telecom regulator, which has been tasked with auctioning the 3G spectrum licence, rejected all three firms that had sent proposals in response to PTA’s earlier advertisement for hiring a consultant firm for the auction.

The first company, according to sources close to the matter, was rejected because it didn’t send the processing fee of $1,000. The second company, which was from Hyderabad, India, had made a consortium with consultants from America and Denmark. The Denmark consultant didn’t meet the minimum education requirement as he had no Masters degree, sources said, adding the firm didn’t even nominate a team leader besides lacking seriousness and workmanship.

The third company was from the United Kingdom, which had also written the 2004 cellular policy, according to sources. The firm met the technical requirements and secured 75% marks. It, however, failed to convince the authority with its financial feasibility by asking for commissions based on financial slabs for the total sale price of three 3G licences.

PTA has restarted the whole process, which will cause further delay as the authority is once again in the process of interviewing candidates who have responded to the ad.

Responding to queries from The Express Tribune, PTA Chairman Farooq Awan admitted the auction would probably be delayed by another 15 to 20 days. He, however insisted the auction would be held this year.

“We found it to be the best way out for timely auction,” Awan said, when asked why the authority was hiring advisers instead of a consultant firm. PTA has wasted a lot of time and faced difficulty in hiring a consultant, he said.

Hiring individual advisers, who will work as PTA employees, will also serve the purpose, the chairman said. After hiring the advisers, PTA will not need to hire a consultant firm, he said. “In fact, this way we will not rely on a single firm but on people with diverse experience.”

PTA violating PPRA rules

This advertisement is “a DOA [dead on arrival]” as it is in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, commented a PTA official who requested not to be named.

Explaining, he said the response time in PTA’s ad is just seven days while it is supposed to be at least 15 days for national bidders and 30 days for international bidders as per Article 13 of PPRA rules.

He said there is no internal communication within PTA about the ad and officials don’t know what’s happening in the case of hiring of a consultant in the ‘third phase’ (hiring of consultant for the third time).

“This advertisement has nothing to do with PPRA,” PTA Chairman Awan said while responding. “We are required to hire a consultant of international repute, be it a firm or an individual,” he said, adding this is a separate matter and they don’t have to comply with PPRA rules.

“To ensure transparency of the auction, we have formed an auction oversight committee that has members from media and civil society,” Awan said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Online learning in Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466757/online-learning-in-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466757/online-learning-in-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Nov 12 16:58:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Muhammad Hamid Zaman]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=466757</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It is high time our institutions engage, encourage their best teachers to create content in Urdu, regional languages.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The cover story of the November 12 Forbes issue will be about Salman Khan. No, not the one that most Pakistanis are familiar with. This is not the action-oozing heart-throb from Bollywood but the founder of the Khan Academy, a quieter but more effective hero. The Khan Academy provides free, easy to understand ‘micro-tutorials’ to anyone in diverse topics, ranging from cosmology to art history, mathematics to healthcare. Over the last six years, the Khan Academy has made a tremendous impact, reaching 190 million viewers of its lectures. Among the viewers is Bill Gates, who often quotes Khan and talks about how he uses these lectures to teach himself and his children key concepts in science, arts and mathematics.

The Khan Academy is not the only venture of free, online and accessible learning for the masses. Another endeavour, called EdX, includes premier higher learning institutions like MIT, Harvard, Berkeley and UT Austin. This initiative offers university courses, taught for free by faculty for anyone who wants to take the course. Whether it is introduction to circuit theory or a complex topic in finance, anyone can be a part of the experience. Enrolment in these courses often tops over a 100,000 students. These and other similar efforts have started to reshape the landscape of higher education as we know it. A course offered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, can now be taken by anyone in China, Chile, Cameroon and Cambodia simultaneously. How this may reshape the existing models of higher education, both in the developed and in the developing world, is a discussion for another time. Right now, I am interested in analysing what this may mean for Pakistan, both in terms of benefitting from it and also in learning from these endeavours.

First, Pakistani students and non-students, academics and non-academics, can all benefit from quality, free and accessible education. The Khan Academy provides easy-to-understand tutorials on topics of fundamental and applied knowledge in a variety of areas. Conspiracy theorists and water-car supporters can all benefit from some general understanding of thermodynamics. Same can be said about students who may wish to take a course offered by EdX. Yet, there is also a catch. It is important to realise that online learning can certainly complement but not substitute higher education in Pakistan. The instructors may not realise the training of our students; there are language barriers and certainly, most courses do not incorporate the local cultural, environmental and social context. This may not be relevant in theoretical physics but advanced topics in a variety of disciplines, including public health, agricultural sciences, economics and certainly, policy and humanities need to keep context in mind. The tendency to jump on the online learning bandwagon without analysis of the content of the course would be counterproductive to say the least and can be disastrous for our already struggling higher education sector.

In addition to benefiting from the content of these courses, there is also a lesson and a tremendous opportunity. We cannot deny that we have an education crisis in the country. Our universities are overcrowded, yet a large portion of society has no access to quality education. But we also have entrepreneurs, innovators and certainly, a fair share of scientists and engineers who believe in a better Pakistan. I believe that there is a tremendous opportunity for our institutions to think outside the box and create opportunities for access. I believe that it is high time that our institutions can engage and encourage their best professors, with the help of entrepreneurs, mobile phone companies and field experts to create content in Urdu, English and regional languages, aimed at general and field-specific education at all levels, including higher education. Many universities have a national outreach programme but let’s not just focus on bringing the students to the universities, where we have little room and only a select few make it; let us also take the university to them.

We have to recognise both the importance of education and the educational crisis we are currently facing. Denying either would not help our cause, as it has not helped in the last 65 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>NFC award reasonable, finance ministry official counters Shaikh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466441/nfc-award-reasonable-finance-ministry-official-counters-shaikh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466441/nfc-award-reasonable-finance-ministry-official-counters-shaikh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 12 20:17:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahbaz Rana]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=466441</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says centre did its homework before transferring resources to provinces.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Contrary to Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh’s outcry over the seventh National Finance Commission Award that according to him has brought the central government to its knees, a senior official of his ministry says the NFC award is reasonable and practical.

Before agreeing to transfer an additional 10% of resources to the provinces, the central government had done its homework about implications of the move, said Rana Assad Amin, Adviser to the Finance Ministry.

Speaking in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue here on Thursday, Amin said the condition to increase national revenues by one percentage point of gross domestic product (GDP) – the total size of economy – per annum had been made part of the agreement to offset the impact on central government’s finances.

Amin was responding to a question whether the finance ministry had assessed the financial implications of the award.

Committee Chairperson Nasreen Jalil of MQM also referred to Shaikh’s statement in a cabinet meeting in which he criticised the NFC award and termed it the cause of central government’s fiscal woes.

“Even if the minister said that I did not agree,” said Amin, the problem was with implementation of the award, as an important condition – increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio by one percentage point every year and taking it to 15% of GDP by 2014 – remained unfulfilled.

At the time of finalising the award, the tax-to-GDP ratio was below 10% and has still not crossed it.

The five-year seventh NFC award was enforced in July 2010, increasing the share of provinces in federal taxes by 10% to 57.5%. This has led to an additional transfer of Rs1 trillion to the four provinces so far.

Provincial governments and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani were also partly responsible for the central government’s fiscal woes. Provinces refused to take some of the responsibilities and Gilani created 10 new ministries and devolved these to provinces to accommodate allied parties in the ruling coalition.

The standing committee also sought a list of functions that had to be handed over to the provinces, but remained with the central government.

The panel criticised the finance ministry for its flawed economic planning, terming it one of the main reasons behind fiscal and economic woes of the country. It observed that for four successive years all the targets had been missed by wide margins.

The government’s forecasts have become meaningless and sanctity of the budget and economic forecasts has been lost, said Senator Osman Saifullah of PPP. He said the finance minister should neither be optimistic nor pessimistic, but realistic in his projections.

Every year, the government missed its targets and it was high time to discard the economic models that experts had so far been applying, he suggested.

He argued that against projected budget deficit of Rs1.1 trillion in the current year, independent economists were forecasting a gap of Rs1.7 trillion. The government and people should not be kept in the dark by the finance ministry by painting rosy pictures, he remarked.

Defending budget projections, Amin said the budget deficit was always calculated on the basis of certain assumptions. Major reasons for higher-than-targeted deficit were delay in receipt of roughly Rs80 billion through sales of 3G licences, delay in reimbursement of coalition support fund and higher-than-expected subsidies, he said.

Amin said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also believed that the government would not be able to complete 3G transaction and similarly Etisalat would not pay $800 million in outstanding dues on account of purchase of PTCL shares. The IMF was of the view that this would widen the budget deficit beyond the target of 4.7% of GDP or Rs1.1 trillion.

“But we do not have any reason to exclude these amounts from our calculations,” said Amin.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>As Israel attacks Gaza, Palestinians find an unlikely ally</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466092/as-israel-attacks-gaza-palestinians-find-an-unlikely-ally</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466092/as-israel-attacks-gaza-palestinians-find-an-unlikely-ally#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 12 03:17:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[gibran.ashraf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=466092</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hactivist group Anonymous 'fights' Israel by helping keep Palestinians in Gaza strip connected. Israeli sites...]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Facing the brunt of Israeli missiles and a stifling blockade as part of a new offensive in the Gaza strip, Palestinians have started receiving some help from an unlikely quarter, hacktivist group Anonymous.

The group, which has in recent years emerged as global political force with a view to resist oppression, started their latest campaign, #OpIsrael in response to Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense.

Initial skirmishes for Anonymous have echoed both aspects of their hacktivist moniker.

The group managed to deface a top Israeli security and surveillance website http://falcon-s.co.il. The account @Op_Israel tweeted:
“Hacked http://falcon-s.co.il | Top Israel Security &amp; Surveillance | Stop bombing #Gaza#OpIsrael#GazaUnderAttack#Anonymous”
In its second salvo, it managed to take down the website of the Israel Ministry of Defense, IDF.il. @AnonymousPress tweeted:
“idf.il [Israeli Defence Forces] #Up &amp; #DOWN | #OpIsrael |#Anonymous”
Though another twitter account linked to the group tweeted that defacing or taking down websites was not a priority for the group, rather it was ensuring that Palestinians on the ground had access to internet, cut off by Israel, so that communications with aid providers and rest of the world continue unhampered.
“Taking down websites is not a priority at the moment. Ensuring internet access to get information out of Gaza is the #1 priority.”
Multiple accounts linked to the group or supporting the group tweeted online tutorials on how to stay connected to the internet when the government shuts down internet service providers.
"#ProTip: How To Remain Connected If Your Internet Gets Shut Off http://www.movements.org/how-to/entry/how-to-prepare-for-an-internet-connection-cut-off/ … #Gaza#GazaUnderAttack#OpIsrael#Anonymous#RETWEET”
While others called for help in translating Arabic to English and vice versa to keep lines of communications with Gazans open.]]>
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			<title>New age: Israel’s Gaza conflict announced first via Twitter</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466090/new-age-israel%e2%80%99s-gaza-conflict-announced-first-via-twitter</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/466090/new-age-israel%e2%80%99s-gaza-conflict-announced-first-via-twitter#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 12 02:49:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[gibran.ashraf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=466090</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Israeli Defence Forces use their verified Twitter account to announce Operation Pillar of Defense, post updates.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As Israel launched a series of air strikes into the heart of the Gaza strip, taking out targets, it managed to break new technological ground.

However, it is not the “Iron Dome” missile shield, to which many, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have pointed out for its efficacy in shooting down rockets fired at Israeli settlements.

In a first, a military conflict was officially announced via the microblogging social media network Twitter, instead of in a prepared press statement read out before mass media outlets like television or radio, like US President Barack Obama announced the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

The Israeli Defence Forces official Twitter account, @idfspokesperson (a verified account) tweeted at around 9.30am (US Eastern time) that they had embarked on Operation Pillar of Defense:
“The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites &amp; operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets.”
A subsequent tweet added the ominous warning:
“All options are on the table. If necessary, the IDF is ready to initiate a ground operation in Gaza.”
The IDF revealed the objectives of their campaign in a tweet:
“There are 2 main goals of this IDF operation: to protect Israeli civilians and to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in the #GazaStrip.”
The IDF has since continued to use their Twitter account as their primary mouthpiece on the Gaza conflict providing routine updates about the attacks. They account even posted a link leading to a video of their attack on Hamas commander Ahmed Al-Jabri.]]>
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			<title>Mobile number portability banned permanently due to security fears</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/465855/mobile-number-portability-banned-permanently-due-to-security-fears</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/465855/mobile-number-portability-banned-permanently-due-to-security-fears#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Nov 12 20:18:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=465855</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Telecom authority issues directives to all operators, with immediate effect.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed telecom operators to permanently ban Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service with immediate effect, another shock to the telecom industry that is yet to recover from a recent blow – they can’t sell SIMs through sales channels from December 1.

PTA sent this directive to all telecom operators in a notification on Wednesday, a telecom industry source told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity. However, those who have already shifted networks will not be affected.

The ban was imposed for security reasons, the source said while referring to media reports that say MNP makes it difficult to trace the whereabouts of terrorists.

On its website, The Express Tribune reported on Monday that PTA had received several instructions from the Ministry of Interior about tackling unregistered SIMs including an immediate ban on MNP facility, which allows the user to switch to a different service provider while retaining the same number.

A recent PTA notification also directed cellular mobile operators (CMOs) to retrieve the entire stock of SIMs from their sales channels – customer service centres, franchises and retailers. The regulator asked CMOs to permanently stop selling SIMs through these channels from December 1.

Among other directives, the notification also required the telecos to deliver new SIMs at the CNIC address of customers.

“We are clueless as to what threats MNP can pose to national security,” the source asked. “The MNP service was initiated in March 2007 by the government itself to benefit consumers willing to switch to a better package while keeping the same mobile number.”

This facility was popular among the consumers. By March 2011, according to PTA’s annual report, about 11 million people had availed the MNP facility. This number, according to industry sources, reached 25 million in September 2012.

The Ministry of Interior has come down hard on telecos recently by imposing restrictions including suspension of mobile networks on special occasions to control law and order and stem the threat of terrorism.

There were three major cellular outages – Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha and Yaum-e-Ishqe Rasool – recently and another one is apparently just round the corner at Ashura, an industry source said.

Telecom losses for the first two outages, the source said, amount to Rs2.6 billion and Rs600 million respectively while government losses in terms of taxes amount to Rs507 million and Rs180 million respectively.

Talking about Tuesday’s notification about closing the sales channels, the source said, “This decision, if implemented, will change the whole dynamics of the cellular industry, the way it is supporting the national economy, investment, jobs, liaison, vendors, marketing, etc.”

CMOs, according to telecom sources, have a network of 1,850 franchises and 196,000 retailers. Nearly half a million people will be directly affected by the decision, the source said.

Franchises and retailers also sell scratch cards and easy loads, but they only earn 3% on each card sold or each mobile load, he said. If SIMs are not allowed to be sold through franchises and retailers, their monthly profits will come down by 50%, which will go up to 70% over time due to decrease in commission, the sources claim.

“We were not consulted about the viability of this solution,” another telecom industry source said, adding no one is denying the problem, but it has to be sorted out by working together and one sided directives won’t help.

Mailing SIMs to the CNIC address is not practical as many people live in a different place and have different address on their CNICs, the source said. Those under 18 years of age neither have a driving licence nor a CNIC, the main requirements for getting a new SIM. The source also questioned how the rural sector would be catered to under these directives. The PTA directives may not send positive signals to the investors at a time when 3G licence is in the pipeline, the source said, such a situation will make telecom investors reluctant.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Mobilink to get network upgrades for 3G rollout</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/464790/mobilink-to-get-network-upgrades-for-3g-rollout</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/464790/mobilink-to-get-network-upgrades-for-3g-rollout#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 12 00:46:58 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[farooq.baloch]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Signs five-year deal with Huawei, Alcatel for expansion, modernisation]]>
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				<![CDATA[With Islamabad still in the process of launching third generation (3G) cellular spectrum, Mobilink awarded a nationwide network expansion and modernisation project to Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent.

Orascom Telecom – the Egypt-based parent company of Mobilink – signed a five-year agreement with China’s Huawei and France’s Alcatel-Lucent to provide for the design, purchase, deployment, and maintenance of next-generation mobile network equipment and supporting services from two of the world’s leading telecom hardware providers; company’s website said on Sunday.

Huawei was awarded 50% of the radio network and 100% of the core and value-added services network, while Alcatel-Lucent was awarded the other 50% of the radio access network.

It is relevant to mention that Mobilink – Pakistan’s largest mobile phone operator – had raised Rs2 billion in secured loan through institutional investors, according to a notice sent to Karachi Stock Exchange in June, 2012. It, however, did not specify if this was meant for network expansion, 3G roll out or mobile banking.

The cellular giant was yet to make an official announcement about this agreement locally. The monetary value of the project was also not made public either by Orascom or Mobilink.

Mobilink refused to give any details, saying the development was not made public in Pakistan.

“Any cellular company that is seeking a long-term future in Pakistan has to invest in 3G,” Hussain Ali Talib, company’s manager of corporate communications said in a comment that he related to a press conference by CEO Rashid Khan in January, 2012. Khan had announced Mobilink’s participation in 3G bidding and their network expansion plans for 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2012.

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