Business

Mobile users reach 100 million mark

Gilani says Pakistan has moved from comparative advantage to competitive advantage in the global market.

Express September 30, 2010

ISLAMABAD:

The number of mobile phone SIMs issued in the country has reached 100 million.

According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, Chairman Dr Mohammad Yaseen “presented SIMs of five operators to commemorate the 100 millionth subscription” to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani here on Thursday.

Gilani said that “Pakistan offers immense investment opportunities while the government has formulated policies to create a business friendly environment”.

He also said that Pakistan has moved “from comparative advantage to competitive advantage in the global market”. Yaseen said that estimates and forecasts made for Pakistan’s mobile industry proved to be counterfactual and the subscriber proceeded with growth higher than that forecast.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2010.

COMMENTS (3)

Sheikhemad | 14 years ago | Reply The active users are not more than 40 million. The prime focus of mobile co.s nd Govt is revenue generation.

zeya bacha | 14 years ago | Reply and the net result of this increase in mobile fone users is more and more money going out of the country, more and more unethical activities. cellular service providers have targeted youth of the country by devising packages for them resulting in wastage of time and resources.

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Syed A. Mateen | 14 years ago | Reply CPP was introduced in the country when I wrote to the then Prime Minister make incoming cellular phone calls free of charge at the time when U-fone was about to launch in the country. Since then the subscribers of cellular phones started increasing in Pakistan. Thanks to the then Prime Minister who passed orders on my letter to PTA devise such a policy. As regards to the subscribers of Universal Access Numbers (UAN) are concerned, PTA has formulated a code of conduct which is anti-UAN subscriber's policy. UAN was introduced in the year 2005. The basic charge to obtain a UAN number was to pay Rs.20,000 to PTCL as security deposit, in addition to Rs.1,000 which was charged on quarterly basis by PTCL in advance. In 2010, PTA has started sending bills to all UAN subscribers in Pakistan and have asked them to pay the outstanding amount against individual UAN starting for 111 since 2005 and have also asked the subscribers to pay the plenty charges. No telecommunication company in the world has adopted the idea to force its subscribers to pay double the amount, one in PTCL account and the other in PTA account without issuing any invoice or demand note? I think that Prime Gillani is not aware of the fact that how many UAN subscribers in the country are dissatisfied with the PTA and there is no one in the country who should listen to the grievances of UAN subscribers. The present PTA policy towards UAN subscribers will force to discontinue facility, as the subscribers can manage to communicate with each other without having a UAN number. This is going to reduce PTA UAN clients day by day.

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