National security: Telenor chief asks consumers to fulfil civic duty

Says all stakeholders should play their role to end terrorism.

KARACHI:

The telecom sector is closely working with the law enforcement agencies on national security and trying hard to complete the re-verification of cellular SIMs in the best way possible, Telenor Pakistan CEO Michael Patrick Foley said on Monday.

“The citizens should fulfill their civic duty by getting their SIMs verified as early as they can,” Foley said in a media roundtable, which was meant to clarify the responsibilities and stance of the telecom industry regarding national security.

Though Foley only reiterated the commitment, which was collectively expressed by all five mobile operators last week, it was the first time that a head of a telecom firm held a question-answer session with the media post-December 16 – the day when terrorists killed over 132 children in Peshawar’s Army Public School.



Wearing Pakistani attire – brown Shalwar Qameez and dark brown waistcoat – the Canadian stressed the importance of national security, adding everybody should play their part to end terrorism.

“What we [telecom industry] have been asked to do is very small,” Foley said, referring to the government’s directive under which the cellular mobile operators (CMOs) have to re-verify 103 million SIMs through Biometric Verification System (BVS) in 90 days.

“Pakistan is one of the best places to invest,” he said of the country’s business environment, adding, “The only concern we have as investors is the uncertainty created by violence. We must end it.”

Far from criticising the government’s directive, which appears to be a highly challenging task, Telenor Pakistan’s chief was clear in his message and showed a positive body language while expressing the company’s commitment to the country.

Giving an example, Foley said Telenor Pakistan had invested $230 million in 2014 and the total amount invested will be $2.5 billion by the end of the current calendar year.

“We [CMOs] are the enabler of Pakistan’s economic success,” he said, adding telecom is one of the largest private industries and an integral part of the country’s economy that employs 22,000 people.

Highlighting the industry’s supportive role, Foley said they had launched data verification exercises in the past. This includes the 668 process of 2009 and 789 verification process in 2011, which cost the industry Rs22 billion.

The BVS was introduced in 2014 and the industry has so far invested $25 million on the provision of around 60,000 BVS devices. The re-verification process has already cost the industry Rs2.5 billion – the number would explode because of the ongoing re-verification drive, he said.

Foley said both 668 service and 789 service were the best solutions of their time. “BVS is the best tool we have available now.”

He, however, clarified that bad people can still abuse the BVS for it is not fool-proof.

“It won’t solve the problem, but it will certainly help.” He also stated the industry had conveyed it to the interior ministry that NADRA’s database has to be cleaned to achieve the desired results.

It is a huge exercise, says Foley. The industry has about 60,000 devices and has to verify 103 million people in 90 days – almost one million SIMs a day or 664 SIMs per minute.

Moreover, the industry will not be selling any new SIMs at the retail level till the process is completed – only franchises and company-owned outlets will sell the SIMs during this time. This means almost no sale for the industry in the next three months, he said.

However, he said there will be queues and difficulties along the way. People should, therefore, get it done as early as they can to avoid any inconvenience later on.

“After deadline, SIMs will be cancelled and the consumers will have to visit their nearest BVS facility to get it registered,” Foley said. The deadline for consumers with two or more SIMs is February 26 and for those with two or less SIMs is April 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th,  2015.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.