Telecom conference: Executives urge government to play its role

Industry players call for developing broadband sector.

ISLAMABAD:

The government should take steps to bolster the telecommunication industry and in particular deploy 3G (third generation) technology which is long overdue, according to Wi-tribe Chief Technical Officer Tanveerul Haq and Nokia-Siemens Network Country Manager Saad Muzaffar Warraich.

Speaking at the 4th Pakistan 2011 Telecommunication Conference on Tuesday, Haq and Warraich pointed out that the real need today was to have access to faster and more reliable broadband, as consumers were more inclined to video downloading as opposed to data sourcing.

PTA Chairman Muhammad Yaseen stressed that broadband was considered the next ‘big thing’ and offered services platform for converging computing, communications and broadcasting.

He said this sector had developed since mid-2007 and Pakistan had emerged as a lucrative market for broadband service providers, owing to the huge potential it offered in the wireless broadband market.

According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s Information Economy Report, Pakistan is among the five dynamic economies of developing Asia in terms of increased penetration of mobile phones, internet and broadband. Yaseen said this was a new beginning to reap business, entrepreneurship and social benefits of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure.

Conference Chairman Menin Rodrigues said though Pakistan had been very proactive in deploying modern technology in this arena, the quest for delivering the next generation of cellular services had become a complex debate for the industry.

According to Alcatel-Lucent Technologies CEO Adil Rauf, a radical and sustainable approach was required to meet eco-sustainability challenges.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th,  2011.