3G, 4G service: Rs260b tax will be collected in treasury every year, says Nawaz

Premier also says appreciation of rupee against US dollar is the biggest achievement of his govt.

ISLAMABAD: A month after the auction for next-generation telecom spectrums, which raised over $1.1 billion with the sale of 3G and 4G licences, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif praised his government for getting the new technology in Pakistan and termed it a major accomplishment.

Speaking at a special ceremony held in Islamabad on Thursday to hand over the 3G and 4G mobile spectrum licenses to the successful mobile companies -- Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone and Zong -- the premier claimed that Rs260 billion will be collected in the treasury every year because of the new technology.

In the next four years this first-of-its-kind technology will create millions of jobs in the service sector, he added.

Commenting on the progress of the country, Nawaz said that "today's Pakistan has developed a lot as compared to the Pakistan on June 5 last year."

The prime minister also spoke highly about the various projects that the government was working on to avert the energy crisis, claiming them as some of the successful achievements of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) government.

Nawaz also stated that the appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar was the biggest achievement of his government.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority chairperson Dr Ismail Shah were also present at the ceremony.