‘Access to information key to bright future’

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s future hinges upon information technology. Access to information and communications technology should be made more affordable, especially for the children.

This was said by Intel Pakistan Country Manager Naveed Siraj at an Intel Mobility Day ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday.

He said when tech companies consider shifting their manufacturing business to Pakistan, they look at basic indicators such as existing infrastructure for technology and the level of education.

“At this time, the hardship is that the broadband internet pipe in Pakistan is suboptimal,” Siraj lamented.

He said an enabling environment needs to be created for local manufacturing by improving the status of education.

Information and communication technologies can help remove the education emergency, he said.

Earlier, Siraj introduced new 22-nanometer Atom chipsets. The chipsets — aimed at smart phones and tablets — are based on its new “low-power, high-performance” Silvermont Microarchitecture, which Intel claims will deliver better performance and longer battery life than the current-generation chipsets used in existing smart phones.

New Atom-processor based tablets and smart phones will provide better performance in terms of seamless switching between apps, faster web surfing, and longer battery life, he said.

Siraj said the launch dates for some of the Intel Atom processor-based tablets and smart phones in the Pakistani market will depend on different manufacturers, but he expected some devices to be available by the third quarter of 2013.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2013.