Yahsat is the first ground communications satellite station in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE
KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the league of the world’s big players in satellite communications in April 2011 by launching its first satellite into orbit – now it has two. The satellites are managed from Yahsat Satellite Tracking Ground Station in the UAE. A veteran Pakistani IT expert, who assisted in network installation of this project, is now aiming for a skilled IT workforce for his homeland.
Built by Astrium of the United Kingdom – a wholly-owned subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services – Yahsat is the first ground communications satellite station in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Yahsat Satellite Ground Tracking Station is a flagship project of Texpo, a leading technology infrastructure provider based in Dubai. Texpo’s CEO Dr Sarfaraz Alam said, the company was responsible for cable networking installations. This involved sub-communications systems installation based on the requirements of its client Astirum UK Ltd.
Besides that, Texpo also won a tender for e-government in 2006 to evaluate 22 services of different government departments of Dubai, he said.
Born in Karachi, Alam belongs to a middle-class family with the aspiration for quality education to get the best life has to offer. After completing his schooling from Karachi, he moved to the United Kingdom for higher studies.
He founded Texpo in 2000 in the basement of his residence in London while he was a masters’ student at Academy of Professional Studies College, an affiliate of Fredrick Taylor International University. In 2003, he completed his doctorate in information technology, along with business, majoring in Advance IT Infrastructure from Brunel University London. He was recently awarded CIO of the Year award by Teradata.
The company started as a software developer but soon realised that businesses were outsourcing their projects to companies in India and Pakistan because of their low costs, Alam said.
“We, therefore, decided to do something different and create a niche of our own,” he said. “I started building expertise in data centres and moved to Dubai in 2005 because it provided immense opportunity for our business and there weren’t many companies offering such services.”
Texpo has established itself as a leading IT solutions provider with a client base in the Middle East, Central and South Asia and North America, earning over $5 million in revenues annually. Texpo is also looking forward to strategic expansion into different regions.
“We have initiated our business plan to commence operations in Brazil, Canada, Sydney and neighbouring GCC countries,” Alam said.
Texpo has also extended its operations to Pakistan by opening a Karachi office three years ago – the reasons for which are not limited to commercial aspects only.
“I have come back to Pakistan for two reasons. I want to create 100,000 jobs in the ICT sector of the country during next five years and serve the country by developing highly skilled IT workforce,” Alam said.
Texpo is in the process of facilitating talent in IT through its project ‘Mentoring a talent’, which began last year to groom students who have the right IQ for IT. “Under this programme, we are giving scholarships to students from Karachi to Gilgit-Baltistan. We have already given 20 scholarships,” he said.
In the first stage, Texpo pays full university fee for those who qualify for its scholarship programme by passing their online exams. Once the students acquire degrees, they have to sit through another exam. Those who pass this exam are offered a paid internship in any of Texpo global offices for six months.
In the third stage, these students take another exam and those who are successful secure a permanent job placement in Texpo.
“This procedure is because I acknowledge the importance of students learning how to build different operating systems or platforms by hand rather than just through software.”
COMMENTS (23)
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Read the false claims of Sarfaraz Alam & Texpo in 'designing the whole satellite station through his own hands'. People like him are a shame for the country & it's pride.
Click http://www.itribune.net/2013/06/yahsat-refutes-claims-of-it-expert-for-designing-communications-system-for-emirate-satellite/
I am a graduate of Brunel University and I don't remember him at the graduation in 2003. If you go to Brunel University website, there was no Ph.D graduate name for Safaraz Alam.
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/siscm/disc/postgraduates/study-for-a-phd/graduated-phd-students
Please check LinkedIn site for Sarfaraz Alam. He graduated from Wilson High school and that is the highest education that he said that he's received. I don't know where people are saying that he got a degree from Frederick Taylor University or Brunel University in London. Has anyone seen his degree? Please post only facts that can be validated.
@Nadeem K : well good to hear that u and your friend got the scholarship, this only shows the best intentions of the company as i could not imagine what might they have gain by handing you and your friends scholarship ? I hope they will continue doing this. We need these people who work selflessly for others benefit And to all others above who are criticizing first go and do something yourself then only you can point fingers
After reading all comments I feel sorry for those who are Pakistani but when they find that other Pakistani achieve something either Small or Big they become jealous & try pulling leg MAY I KNOW WHY? Pakistani youth got chance to go USA UK CANADA for education & after completion they never return & try to get Passport of that country & preferred work regardless the nature of work? MAY I know what is your status “Shaami” where you live right now. If u feel sorry, then why don’t you open your research center in Pakistan & do research do u have courage ? Look at us, we always called ourself educated people & always do easy work criticism upon others. Why can’t we leave this & always things positive for others. May ALLAH forgive upon our all sin.
I am a graduate of computer science from Peshawar uni. I belong to a v poor family and getting higher education was my dream. I got a complete scholarship from Texpo and 5 of my other friends. I could not believe earlier that someone could pay the entire fee only to appreciate merit and talent!! Who gives even 1 rs to anyone now these day and Texpo people have paid us our entire fees without knowing us….my eyes r al tears now…may god bless u texpo. You all r v good people….u just get many and many more successes in life..ameen
Well done Texpo, Great work!
Well, I have just came back from UAE after finishing my 5 years of contract being a senior project manager, luckily for the same site you guys all are discussing.
@Shaami @A.Khan @Observer
I have find your statements rather amusing and to be very honest quiet ridiculous.
Who can know this project and this company better than me as I have firsthand experience dealing with them on daily basis. I have just checked their website and its working fine, perhaps some of the readers have not paid their internet bill on time. I can write many things about this project and its success and tremendous contribution by superb IT fellows of my country, but I choose not because the successful delivery of the project is the testament of its success and pride.
Well-done to those Pakistani engineers whom I met and worked with on this project of all these years, I salute your dedication and courage to do something this remarkable which does not require any additional praise by anyone or comments specially from those who are sounding fishy by letting our fellow countryman down.
@Raj Kafir:
Frederick Taylor University that this guy claims to have gotten his degree from is one of those bogus online "universities" that sell degrees. Many bogus Indian students especially have been flocking to these bogus "universities" in the past six plus years. These bogus students join and immediately start working in far off places in the US taking an occasional made up online course to pretend they are students. The US has shut down many such bogus schools. Tri Valley University, Northern Virginia University are some examples.
@Shaami: @A. Khan: You guys are spot on. This seems to be a propaganda article for Sarfaraz Alam and his Texpo. There is something very fishy and screwy here. The website to his "company" just does not work.
Even assuming he and his company are legitimate, the article claims a lot of boast for a company that has a "reported" sales of $5M. This is less than even peanuts after eight years of company's existence.
The article also makes it sound like this gentleman was a big player in the UAE satellite program when all he might have done is to coordinate a LAN system, that couple of IT guys can easily do.
I am not throwing cold water here, but something here doesn't smell right.
@A. Khan: Well people dont get a chance for even building up a LAN connection yet they seem to be envious of the guy who actually did it for a satellite and not some cyber cafe. We as a nation need to encourage ourselves and our people for what may seem to be a little achievement. Unless you are an Indian of course. You can call a spade a spade or whatever then.
This is certainly a step forward. Yes, we are not innovating but so are many of the developing countries. Take an example of India. A decade ago, they did not invent a light bulb or a new computer chip to set their country in right direction. All they could do was speak English and it landed them thousands of jobs. Call centers do not require rocket scientists. Similarly, if setting up LAN can get us 100,000 jobs, as Mr. Alam aspires to do so, then he has all my support and prayers! He has already achieved something by helping 20 students to higher education. Who knows, maybe 1 of them will be the next Abdus Salam!
So pathetic of ET to allow the Indians to comment on this website under fake muslim/Pakistani names talking down about any/all feel-good stories about Pakistan and Pakistanis.
This man doesn't need anyone's applauses, nor he owes anything to anyone. Whatever he achieved he is and should be proud of! Sir, Pakistan and Karachi is proud of you. There are those who do great things, and then there are those who pick keeras!
Way to go buddy...
@FAZ: If that is what it takes to call a spade a spade, then so be it.
Unfortunately, us desis have a habit of hyping trivial everyday matters. And you seem to have a chip against Mr. AQ Khan for some reason.
He graduated from Frederick Taylor University is a state approved, but unaccredited private institution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FrederickTaylorUniversity
In 2012, the New York Times reported that it is located in an office building in Moraga where it occupies a "cramped office on the second floor".[4] The institution lists six faculty members, led by Mansour S. Saki and his wife, Zhilla Nayeri Saki. Mansour Saki reports holding a Ph.D. from the CSM Institute of Graduate Studies, while Zhilla Saki reports a doctorate-level degree in business administration from the same school. According to the New York Times, CSM relinquished its accreditation in 2004. The Sakis' daughter, Maryam S. Boller, is also on the faculty.[4] Boller holds a bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree from the University of London.[5]
sounds good, all the best Alam for the valuable efforts
Dear Alam, building a communications satellite is what counts as an achievement worth-bragging, not erecting a LAN network for a ground station. I am sure you must be the lowest bidder. I say this because I know people who built many such Ground Systems. As you can see, it is EADS which built the satellite. As of now, now Gulf country is capable of building its own communications satellite.
@A. Khan: I hope you are not Abdul Qadeer Khan? You certainly sound like him..
@A. Khan: I from this sector as well and i have to agree with you. We Pakistanis are not good in Research and Development rather we are only good to work as Technicians and installing the Products of Western Telecom companies. Hyping us as the best is all we can do. Unfortunately the names of Pakistanis are almost non Existent in the top journals and top IEEE research papers for a longer time now. Pakistan is so much lagging in Development sector of Telecom that even in order to have a small magnetron and a Coupler for a Microwave antenna that was developed in world war 1 in West we have to beg other countries to buy us one. Time is ripe to open our eyes and rather than boasting ourself we should develop some products and then should feel proud it.
Sorry to burst the bubble and the hype but such companies are a dime a dozen around the world. There is nothing unique or innovative in this. It was contract for setting up the LAN network... read the article. I had to read it twice to understand what this company actually did as the headline suggested something else.
Good for Alam but this is definitely not the next Tumblr or Summly.
Very impressive. Thank u for contributing in the development of youth.
Well done! . Pakistan is proud of you. Don't just pick talent from one city. Choose the best from across Pakistan. Choosing the most talented will be most beneficial to the country!