Supernet Limited, a technology-focused enterprise in Pakistan, disclosed the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday.

“Supernet Limited is proud to announce that its subsidiary, Supernet Secure Solutions Pvt. Ltd., has been awarded multi-year, multi-million dollar cybersecurity solution contracts by one of the country’s largest telecom operators,” read the notice.

While the name of the telecom operator was not disclosed, Supernet emphasised that these long-term, high-value projects mark a significant milestone for the company and reflect the growing trust of Pakistan’s leading enterprises in its subsidiary’s capabilities to manage and implement robust enterprise cybersecurity solutions.

Supernet approves merger with Supernet Technologies Limited

“This partnership not only strengthens Super Secure’s footprint in the industry but also contributes meaningfully to the enhancement of Pakistan’s national data security infrastructure,” the notice added.

The announcement comes at a time when Pakistan is intensifying its cybersecurity defences. Last month, Pakistan intensified its cybersecurity measures to safeguard its capital market infrastructure institutions against potential hacking attempts by India, thereby ensuring the continued smooth operation of its currency and capital markets.

Meanwhile, Supernet further noted that the latest contract win is expected to have a positive impact on Supernet’s business outlook and “aligns seamlessly with the broader growth strategy-further reinforcing its position as a key player in the country’s technology and cybersecurity landscape”.

Supernet is the first technology company to be listed on the GEM Board of the PSX.

Founded in 1995, it is one of the country’s leading telecommunications service providers and systems integrators.

This was stated by PTCL which shared the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday.

“It is to inform that the Board of Directors of International Finance Corporation (IFC) has approved the debt financing up to $400 million to PTCL for the acquisition of Telenor Pakistan,” read the PTCL notice.

The company shared that the finalisation of workstreams to sign financing agreements with IFC is underway and expected to be completed on or before July 31, 2024.

“The details of the debt financing shall be disclosed upon the finalisation of financing agreements,” it added.

Following the announcement, PTC’s share price rose to Rs17.12, up 5.74% at the time of this report.

Last year, in a major consolidation of the telecom sector, PTCL entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the shareholders of Telenor Pakistan for the acquisition of 100% shares for Rs108 billion ($385 million) on a cash free, debt free basis.

Back then, PTCL informed that the acquisition would be financed by external debt.

“The transaction provides an opportunity for in-market consolidation in the telecom market which will predominantly lead to an improved long-term outlook of the telecom sector,” PTCL said in a statement then.

“The transaction will also improve the capabilities of the combined entities and result in improved coverage and quality of services to customers and enable wider access to communication solutions for businesses while supporting economic growth of Pakistan,” read the notice.

The telecom giant added that the transaction will further strengthen the position of PTCL Group as a leading operator in mobile, fixed, and micro-financing serving more than 70 million customers, upon completion of the transaction.

PTCL’s major assets include Ufone, a mobile operator in Pakistan with over 20 million customers. Etisalat, with a significant minority stake, runs it under an agreement with the government of Pakistan, which has the majority stake.

As per the company’s latest financial results, PTCL Group’s revenue increased by 25.8% YoY to Rs190.6 billion, mainly driven by strong performance in the consumer segment.

Caretaker Information Technology (IT) Minister Dr Umar Saif announced the development in a video message on Thursday. “We have established a specialized telecom tribunal, which would help resolve their cases much faster,” said the interim minister in a message on social media platform X.

“It was a long-standing demand of the telecom sector, that their court cases and disputes were resolved on a fast-track basis,” said Dr Saif. “Due to these issues companies in the telecom sector were unable to make key decisions including investments and expansion of operations.”

The government believes the establishment of the tribunal will help lower the burden on high courts concerning the adjudication of technical matters.

The caretaker minister said that a notification in this regard has been issued.

He shared that amendments in the Telecom Act have been approved by the President.

“In the absence of parliament, the tribunal will work under the Presidential Ordinance,” said the minister.

Sharing the technical details, the caretaker minister said that the Ministry of Law will nominate the tribunal’s chairperson and members as per the ordinance.

The chairperson of the tribunal can only be a High Court judge or a lawyer with 15 years of experience. Moreover, the telecom tribunal shall have 2 technocrats as members. The number can be increased or decreased as per requirement.

“The tribunal will be bound to decide within 90 days on the appeal against the decision of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA ),” said Dr Saif.

Last month, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) constituted a single portal committee for operationalising arrangements required for the launch of a single portal for filing sales tax returns of the telecom sector in all tax jurisdictions.

Bamatraf was speaking to an audience during an event in Islamabad that was was held after PTCL formally announced its acquisition of Telenor Pakistan.

In a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange earlier in the day, PTCL said it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the shareholders of Telenor Pakistan (Private) Limited (TPL) for the acquisition of 100% shares for Rs108 billion (roughly $385 million).

While responding to a query from Business Recorder at the event in Islamabad, Bamatraf explained that the sector has seen erosion of value because there are so many players operating in the space.

“Relooking and consolidating the market into three players will actually protect the value,” Bamatarf said.   

He said the change in the structure of the market was due since the four companies have not been in a healthy position.

He said he was expecting the approval of the transaction by the regulators to be quick as well, stressing that this is actually a correction to the market.

Telecoms: consolidation on the cards?

“We don’t want to drag it for months,” he said.

Baratarf said that many will benefit from this transaction “but the primary beneficiary would be the customer”.

He added this will lead to technology advancements as well such as 5G, AI, IOT, and improvement in infrastructure.

Revenue and profitability

While talking to Business Recorder, PTCL Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Khan said synergies will be the biggest drivers for profitability for PTCL.

As a group, he said that it is estimating Rs45 billion EBITDA after the Telenor acquisition immediately, which will improve profitability and add to synergies.

“Call it cash flow if you don’t like EBITDA. It will be equal, in just over two years, to the investment of Rs108 billion,” he said.

Telenor’s turn to go?

“We will reduce operating and capital expenditures, and we will be able to serve a much larger customer base, offer much better coverage and quality. Better coverage is going to drive both the topline and EBITDA,” he earlier said in the programme.

On the issue of how payment will be made for Telenor transactions and whether the State Bank will allow such a huge transaction in dollars, Khan said their investors are foreigners so there will be no issue as such, hinting that payments will be made abroad from investors or financiers abroad.    

Market share after the acquisition

When this transaction materialises, the consolidated company will command a share of 37% in the cellular mobile operators’ space (adding up market share of Ufone and Telenor as per Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) data), which is almost equal to Jazz, the current market leader in Pakistan.

Telenor may consider closing operations

Mobilink or Jazz had also acquired another telecom company Warid in 2015 to become the market leader in the country.    

On the legal issue whether Ufone and Telenor are allowed to share their respective spectrums, PTCL officials said that it has happened in the past in the case of Jazz and Warid and they don’t see it as an issue.

Another official told Business Recorder that Ufone and Telenor have contiguous spectrum – meaning their respective spectrum comes after one another and there is no company spectrum between them.

He said that this will give better service and experience to the user.

PTCL shared the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Thursday, putting to rest reports around Telenor Pakistan’s future in the country that had been the subject of much debate over the past year.

Telenor pushes ahead with plan to sell Pakistan operations: report

“Further to our letter dated August 29, 2023, whereby the Board of Directors (BoD) of PTCL had authorized the company to offer a binding offer to the target company.

“In view of the above, this is to notify your good office(s) that consequent to the approval of the BoD of the company, it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the shareholders of TPL for the acquisition of 100% shares of TPL, based on an Enterprise Value of Rs108 billion on a cash free, debt-free basis,” read the notice.

The transaction will also improve the capabilities of the combined entities and result in improved coverage and quality of services to customers and enable wider access to communication solutions for businesses while supporting economic growth of Pakistan: PTCL

It shared that the transaction will be financed by external debt that will be raised by the company.

PTC’s share price already hit the upper limit on Thursday, with over 1.76 million shares changing hands. It was priced at Rs13.01 at the time of this report.

Pakistan business: Telenor CEO eyes strategic solution by year-end

Telenor Pakistan is a mobile operator serving nearly 45 million subscribers with reported revenue of Rs112 billion based on last twelve months (LTM) September 2023 financial reporting.

PTCL’s major assets include Ufone, a mobile operator in Pakistan with over 20 million customers. Etisalat, with a significant minority stake, runs it under an agreement with the government of Pakistan, which has the majority stake.

“The transaction provides an opportunity for in-market consolidation in the telecom market which will predominantly lead to an improved long-term outlook of the telecom sector,” PTCL said in a statement.

“The transaction will also improve the capabilities of the combined entities and result in improved coverage and quality of services to customers and enable wider access to communication solutions for businesses while supporting economic growth of Pakistan,” read the notice.

The telecom giant added that the transaction will further strengthen the position of PTCL Group as a leading operator in mobile, fixed and micro-financing serving more than 70 million customers, upon completion of the transaction.

Telenor: at a loss?

“We expect that the combined infrastructure assets of both entities shall unlock value in synergies. PTCL efforts to build a prosperous and digitally connected nation and position PTCL as the national champion to support Pakistan’s digital transformation,” read the notice.

Telenor’s statement

Telenor Group, in a separate statement, said the transaction values Telenor Pakistan at NOK 5.3 billion on a cash-and-debt-free basis.

“This includes repayment of intercompany loans of NOK 3.5 billion and reduced interest-bearing liabilities of NOK 1.8 billion, including leases,” it said.

Sigve Brekke, CEO, Telenor Group, commented: “Our decision to pursue the sale of our Pakistan operations follows 18 successful years of operations in the country, which started as a greenfield rollout.

“By selling to the country’s largest integrated ICT company, we believe this consolidation move would help strengthen Pakistan’s telecoms sector, creating opportunities in new areas of growth to the benefit of consumers in Pakistan.”

Petter-Børre Furberg, Head of Telenor Asia, added: “We systematically considered all alternatives during the strategic review process and believe that, following a sale, the market will be better served by a strong local champion.”

“We thank and acknowledge the commitment of the Telenor Pakistan team and partners, who will continue to serve customers well in the transition. Looking ahead, Telenor Asia will remain an active owner for the three market-leading businesses which make-up our Asian portfolio.”

The Norwegian company said Telenor Pakistan will continue its business as usual and focus on delivering services to its 45 million customers.

“The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary terms and conditions. The transaction is expected to be completed during 2024,” it added.

Earlier in August, PTCL informed the bourse that its BoD had authorised the company to explore potential investment opportunity(ies) in the telecom sector in Pakistan.

“Now it has been decided that no website or app will be closed in any case,” Haq said while speaking at an event titled ‘Accelerating US Investments in Pakistan’ here at a local hotel in Karachi on Friday.

Pakistan has a history of banning social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and recently also suspended Wikipedia as well.

“Banning can never be a solution. Any such thing will go through the IT ministry and I am telling you now that there will be no ban from now.”

While responding to grievances and suggestions by IT industry officials such as Indus Valley Capital’s Aatif Awan and President Open Silicon Valley Junaid Qurashi, Haq said that there are severe bureaucratic hurdles at the Finance Division, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

“When we ask anything from the Finance Division, the first answer we get is a ‘no’,” he said.

However, he added that his ministry has been persistent and able to get many things done such as IT export companies being able to retain 35% dollars in their accounts.

However, the minister praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for supporting the Digital Pakistan vision despite all the bureaucratic hurdles.

Telenor’s full-year net profit rose to 44.9 billion kroner ($4.52 billion), including a one-time gain of 32.9 billion kroner booked in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the year, the Norwegian company completed the tie-up of its Malaysian subsidiary Digi with Celcom, owned by local group Axiata.

Continuing its strategy of linking up with local operators to boost its business in Southeast Asia, Telenor said it had also made good progress in the planned merger of its subsidiary Dtac with True in Thailand.

Excluding the non-recurring capital gain, Telenor posted a gross operating profit, or EBITDA, of 43.1 billion kroner in 2022 – up by five percent from the previous year.

The increase was partly attributed to growth in mobile phone services in Pakistan, Norway and Thailand, which more than offset declining revenues related to the operation of its copper network, rising costs and a soaring electricity bill.

Annual sales came in around 99 billion kroner, up from 97.1 billion in 2021.

At the same time, the number of subscribers worldwide fell slightly, to 158.3 million at the end of 2022 from 161.9 million a year earlier.

The drop was attributed to a ban, since lifted, on the sale of SIM cards in Bangladesh and floods in Pakistan which caused network interruptions.

Telenor maintained its earnings forecast for the current year and proposed a slight increase in its dividend for 2022, to 9.40 kroner per share from 9.30 the previous year.

TPL Properties, the parent company of TPL RMC, shared the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday.

“We are pleased to announce that the parent of one of the largest telecom tower operators in Pakistan, has conditionally accepted the offer, subject to signing of definitive agreements, all necessary corporate approvals and receipt of relevant regulatory approvals, made by our subsidiary TPL REIT Management Company Limited in partnership with TASC Towers for acquisition of their subsidiary (Telecom Tower Infrastructure Company) which owns and manages more than 10,500 telecom towers in Pakistan,” read the notice.

Last month, TPL RMC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TPL Properties Limited, along with TASC Towers submitted a firm bid for the acquisition of TTIC. TPL RMC entered into a strategic partnership with TASC Towers in September for the acquisition of a telecom tower infrastructure company.

Earlier Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Veon Limited, a Dutch-domiciled multinational telecommunication services company, is close to selling its tower assets in Pakistan to a consortium comprising Pakistan’s TPL Corp and TASC Towers Holding Limited.

The acquisition of towers could become Pakistan’s largest deal in more than a decade, said the report.

It had said that the discussions were at an advanced stage and the transaction, which involves Veon’s 10,000 to 12,000 towers in Pakistan, could be announced in the coming weeks. The deal could fetch more than $600 million, according to the Bloomberg report.

TPL REIT is the first and largest Shariah-compliant Development Impact REIT Fund in Pakistan and its eventual size is envisaged at Rs80 billion, which will be raised from local and international investors.

Meanwhile, TASC, headquartered in the UAE, is a leading global operator of mobile telecom towers and has deployed and is managing over 14,000 towers in multiple geographies.

The acquisition of towers could become Pakistan’s largest deal in more than a decade, added the report.

Discussions are at an advanced stage and the transaction, which involves Veon’s 10,000 to 12,000 towers in Pakistan, could be announced in the coming weeks. The deal could fetch more than $600 million, added Bloomberg.

One of the people, quoted in the report, said the TPL-TASC group has emerged as the most probable buyer after beating out rival bidders including other telecom companies.

Last month, TPL REIT Management Company Ltd (RMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TPL Properties Limited, along with TASC Towers submitted a firm bid for the acquisition of Telecom Tower Infrastructure Company, which owns and manages around 10,500 operating towers in Pakistan through an infrastructure real estate investment trust (REIT).

Back in September, TPL RMC entered into a strategic partnership with TASC Towers for the acquisition of a telecom tower infrastructure company.

In a separate development, Veon Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu, during his two-day visit to Pakistan, said that the investment of Jazz, a subsidiary of Veon, has crossed $10.3 billion in Pakistan. Terzioglu reiterated the Group’s full support towards the government’s Digital Pakistan vision.

During the meetings with various ICT industry stakeholders, the VEON delegation also highlighted that a healthy and stable telecom sector, the foundation of a country’s digital ecosystem, fuels virtually all sectors of the economy and is a prerequisite for consistent improvement in service quality for users.

However, the telecom industry’s financial health has recently been impacted due to an unprecedented rise in the cost of operations: primarily fuel, electricity, interest rates, constantly increasing USD pegged spectrum installments, and most recently severe damages caused to critical digital infrastructure by floods to the extent that now it threatens the very survival of telecom sector.

The telecommunication authority had on Tuesday informed that a dual cut had been reported in the terrestrial segment of the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5 (SEA-ME-WE 5) between the cities of Abu Talab and Zafrana in Egypt.

“Work is underway to remove the fault,” the telecom authority said.

“Faults in the terrestrial segment of SEAMEWE-5 were repaired at 2am PST. Internet services are operational as per normal routine,” PTA wrote on Wednesday morning.

The SEA-ME-WE 5 is an optical fibre submarine communications cable system that carries telecommunications between Singapore and France. The cable is approximately 20,000 kilometres long and provides broadband communications with a design capacity of 24 terabits per second between South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe.

According to NetBlocks, a global internet monitor service, the internet disruption on Tuesday impacted multiple countries including Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Yemen, Oman, Somalia, and Chad.

Currently, there are seven submarine internet cable systems connecting to Pakistan, of which four are operated by PTCL, two by Transworld Associates, and a new cable system that recently came online is owned by a Chinese company.

Earlier in August, Pakistan saw internet service disruption as several areas of the country reported connectivity issues amid a “technical fault/cut in PTCL optic fiber network due to unprecedented floods,” the PTA said back then. However, the issue was resolved and services were restored within one hour.

The DCB is an online mobile payment method that allows users to make purchases by charging payments to their mobile phone carrier bill.

Google country director says 5G rollout will help Pakistan's tech ecosystem

How does the development affect users in Pakistan?

Customers in Pakistan using mobile payments as the mechanism to purchase apps on Google Play Store and Apple's App Store may face hindrances as the international companies move to block services, industry experts told Business Recorder.

Parvez Iftikhar, an international consultant on Telecom Policy and Regulation, said that subscribers of any telecom operator can purchase apps, using mobile balance, through the DCB.

“Due to dollar shortage, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has imposed a number of restrictions to prevent dollar outflow. DCB as of now stands suspended,” he said.

Some telecom companies have partnerships for Google App store payments where they could deduct the payment to buy an app through the balance available in a mobile account, informed the ICT expert.

“Such payments have been stopped temporarily,” he said. “Users can continue buying apps with credit and debit cards.

“However, Google Play services will remain available, and are not being removed in Pakistan,” said Iftikhar.

The IT expert informed that Google Play Store is the most used platform for app purchase due to the high number of Android mobile phones in Pakistan. “Google Play Store would be the most impacted,” he said.

The expert explained that the shutdown of app payment would affect telecom operators as well amid a decline in data consumption, which is an essential component of offerings by telecom companies.

“This will impact their traffic, and may stagnate growth in data usage.

“Moreover, the suspension of services could also hamper the revenues of Pakistani app developers as well. It has far-reaching implications."

However, Iftikhar was optimistic that the issue would be resolved soon since the amount payable (around $34 million) is not much. "It seems like a temporary development," he said.

The development comes after it was reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and four cellular mobile operators (CMOs) have written a letter to the SBP on Friday, asking it to reconsider its decision of revoking the DCB mechanism.

Federal Minister for Information and Technology Amin ul Haque expressed concern over the SBP's suspension of payment to Google, and in a letter urged the Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Google to commence operations next month: Senator

The development is in contrast to recent reports that a Google team would be visiting Islamabad next month to commence operations in Pakistan.

“A delegation of Google will visit Pakistan on December 11 to start operations,” said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnan Ullah.

Also read:

TPL RMC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TPL Properties Limited, shared the development in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday.

Back in September, TPL RMC had entered into a strategic partnership with TASC Towers for the acquisition of a telecom tower infrastructure company.

The notice sent to the bourse read that the consortium is a partnership “with a vision to strengthen Pakistan’s digital infrastructure and support the rapidly growing digital economy”.

“TPL Group (including PSX listed companies TPL Corp, TPL Insurance and TPL Properties), has been attracting institutional and strategic investors to Pakistan and this transaction will result in significant foreign direct investment,” read the notice.

The company said that the proposed acquisition is being supported by one of the largest national financial institutions, which is providing debt structuring advisory and arrangement services.

TPL REIT is the first and largest Shariah-compliant Development Impact REIT Fund in Pakistan and its eventual size is envisaged at Rs80 billion, which will be raised from local and international investors.

Earlier in March, TPL RMC successfully secured its first funding round of Rs18.35 billion for its TPL REIT Fund I.

The company aims to capitalise on the real estate development and management expertise of its parent company, TPL Properties Limited, and tap into the gap in Pakistan’s real estate market.

TASC, headquartered in the UAE, is a leading global operator of mobile telecom towers and has deployed and is managing over 14,000 towers in multiple geographies.

“Together, TPL RMC and TASC have participated as a consortium in an auction process for the acquisition of a telecom tower infrastructure company through an infra REIT subject to receipt of all relevant approvals and consents from the regulatory authorities,” read the notice.

"The acquisition is being supported by one of the largest financial institutions, which has been mandated to provide Debt Structuring Advisory & Arrangement services, while there are ongoing discussions with several international institutions to raise equity for the equity component required for consummation of this transaction.

"Further, the parties will be exploring the opportunity to acquire more Telecom Tower assets in the near future," the notice added.

Pakistan to see its first set of developmental REITs

TPL REIT is the first and largest Shariah-compliant Development Impact REIT Fund in Pakistan and its eventual size is envisaged at Rs80 billion, which will be raised from local and international investors.

Earlier in March, TPL RMC successfully secured its first funding round of Rs18.35 billion for its TPL REIT Fund I.

The company aims to capitalise on the real estate development and management expertise of its parent company, TPL Properties Limited, and tap into the gap in Pakistan’s real estate market.

TASC, headquartered in the UAE, is a leading global operator of mobile telecom towers and has deployed and is managing over 14,000 towers in multiple geographies, according to information on the PSX notice.

Salim Ghauri, founder and CEO NetSol Technologies, cited the example of the game of cricket to advise startups to reflect on their approach to shape the modus operandi for success in their endeavours.

“It was a painful last seven or eight months for startups,” said Ghauri, who was speaking on the opening of the three-day ITCN Asia - Information Technology and Telecom Show organised by the Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd at the Expo Center Karachi.

The seasoned IT sector businessman lamented that the main goal of most startups at the moment was to raise funding when their goal should be to start a solid business that goes on to benefit people long after they have gone.

His comments come as a number of Pakistan startups announced either shutting down or trimming operations after a record year of fundraising in 2021.

CarFirst, a Lahore-based startup, recently announced that it has decided to shut down operations in Pakistan, affecting nearly 400 people who had added CarFirst as their employer on LinkedIn.

Earlier in June, VavaCars said that it will shut down operations in Pakistan. Careem also suspended its food delivery business in Pakistan, while another startup Truck It In said it is “recalibrating its strategy” due to which some employees “will be moving on to solve other challenges”.

But the biggest of them all was the downfall of Airlift Technologies, the posterchild of Pakistan's startup scene that was responsible for the country's largest single private funding round in history.

Ghauri said founders need mentoring. “They have to realise they need to go long because businesses need time to establish."

Syed Aminul Haque, Federal Minister IT and Telecommunication, seconded Ghauri’s point of view.

However, another IT sector expert Jehan Ara, Founder and CEO Katalyst Labs, said that the failure rate of startups was 90% not just in Pakistan but around the world.

Startup failure should not be seen as the end of the road for the sector, she said.

Meanwhile, Haque said that the ministry’s target is to take IT sector’s exports to $15 billion in the next few years.

“A target of $5 billion dollars has been set for IT export for next year.”

IT exports stood at $2.61 billion last fiscal year, higher by 87% from $1.4 billion two years ago.

Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITeS (P@SHA) General Secretary Hira Zainab lamented lack of policy continuity for the IT sector.

Zainab said the IT sector has been the fastest growing one for the last five years in the region and it needs special treatment.

Meanwhile, Haque said that they have been working on reforms, reduction of taxes and other recommendations given by the industry.

He said a committee has also been formed to discuss incentives for the IT sector in order to achieve these targets.

5G to be rolled out before next elections

The minister said that the rollout of 5G technology has been delayed due to political turmoil, but the ministry expects it to be done before the next elections.

Haque further said that the MoIT was overseeing the establishment of the Center for Excellence in Gaming and Animation at Karachi University.

He added that preliminary work has been done for establishment of an IT Park in Karachi at a cost of Rs31 billion and its foundation will be laid soon.

“National Incubation Centres will soon be set up in Hyderabad and Faisalabad as well.”

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The number of cellular subscribers in Pakistan increased by 1.32 million to 194.58 million by end-June 2022 compared to 193.29 million by end-May 2022.

The teledensity for cellular mobile increased from 87.8 percent by end May to 88.34 percent by end June. The total teledensity increased from 88.94 percent by end May to 89.53 percent by end June 2022.

The Monthly Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) penetration increased from 51.73 percent by end-May 2022 to 52.55 percent in June 2022.

Jazz’s total count for 3G users declined from 6.068 million by end May to 5.947 million by end June, registering a decrease of 0.121 million. Jazz 4G user numbers jumped from 37.168 million by end May to 38.039 million by end June.

Zong 3G subscribers decreased from 3.272 million by end May to 3.197 million by end June, while the number of 4G users increased from 28.317 million by end May to 28.906 million by end June.

Telenor 3G subscribers decreased from 3.613 million by end May to 3.542 million by end June, while the number of 4G users of Telenor increased from 21.496 million by end May to 21.831 million by end June.

Ufone 3G users stood at 3.509 million by end June compared to 3.576 million by end May. The number of 4G users of Ufone increased from 9.052 million by end May to 9.419 million by end June, registering 0.367 million increase during the period under review.

The PTA received 20,191 complaints from telecom consumers against different telecom operators, including (cellular operators, PTCL, LDIs, WLL operators, and ISPs) as of June 2022. The PTA said it was able to get 19,847 complaints resolved i.e. 98 percent.

Cellular mobile subscribers constitute a major part of the overall telecom subscriber base. Therefore, the maximum number of complaints belongs to this segment. The total number of complaints against CMOs by June stood at 19,496 where 19,215 were addressed i.e. 98 percent.

According to the PTA data, 7,191 complaints were received against Jazz, 6,135 against Telenor, 4,427 against Zong and 1,735 complaints were received against Ufone. The PTA also received 176 complaints against basic telephony, where 160 were addressed during June 2022. Furthermore, 499 complaints were received against ISPs, where 453 were addressed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022

The MTR is the “price that a Cellular Mobile Operator (CMO) charges to another mobile operator for terminating its off-net calls on its network”.

Official documents revealed that the PTA in the review of 2019, Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) fixed at Re 0.70 per minute from January 2020 onwards. Still on the higher side, while benchmarking, the 2021 review of the MTR determined the rate to be at Re 0.50 for January 2022-June 2022, which will be further reduced to Re 0.40 for period of July 2022 to June 2023 and will be finally set at Re 0.30 from July 2023 onwards.

3rd instalment of licence renewal fee: PTA receives Rs19.39bn from Telenor, Jazz

Generally, the end-users are not aware of wholesale termination charges, which are settled among the operators. Higher termination charges expect to favour larger players as compared to smaller operators; hence, role of the regulator is important to provide a level playing field by rationalising the termination rates in the telecom sector.

The PTA issued a determination on the above rates of MTR on November 24, 2021, and determined these MTR for Pakistan, AJK and G-B for all types of calls (i.e. local, long-distance and international incoming calls) terminated on mobile networks from other mobile networks or fixed networks.

Reduction in the MTR was made after thorough consultation with the telecom industry. The PTA is of the view that lowering of the MTR would allow more competitive and innovative offerings such as free minute off-net bundles for the consumers.

It is expected to make market healthier and beneficial in terms of lower tariffs for making off-net calls. It would also benefit smaller operators in terms of reduced net payments to be made to the bigger operators.

In July 2021, the PTA issued a consultation paper, wherein, it was observed that current MTR of Re 0.70 per minute in Pakistan is still higher than the benchmarking results of the MTR determination of 2018 and the MTRs prevailing in regional countries.

Further, the PTA had also received requests from telecom operators to review the existing mobile termination rates. Majority of the responses received, supported the PTA’s recommendation to lower MTR.

However, there were opposing responses too. After industry hearing and thorough analysis, the PTA determined the MTR for all types of calls (i.e. local, long distance and international incoming calls) terminated on mobile networks from other mobile networks or fixed networks in Pakistan, AJK and G-B, to be Re 0.50 per minute from January to June 2022, Re 0.40 per minute from July 2022 to June 2023 and Re 0.30 per minute from July 2023 onwards.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022

This development, it said, could result in massive layoffs.

In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Friday, the association said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has advised commercial banks to take its prior approval before opening any LCs for mobile phone CKD kits under HS Code 8517.1211.

The HS Code refers to cellular mobile phones in CKD/SKD condition and customs duty is 0%, if imported by local assemblers/manufacturers duly certified by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) subject to quota determination by the Input Output Co-efficient Organization (IOCO).

"For the last two weeks, the SBP, due to foreign exchange constraints, has not permitted opening of any LCs for mobile phone CKD kits. As a result, the local industry is running out of raw material," the letter added.

Aamir Allawala, PMPMA's Senior Vice Chairman, urged the "SBP to immediately allow establishment of LCs" for the import of these items below $100, arguing that in terms of import value, this category (<$ 100) only requires 30% of total foreign exchange consumed by the industry.

In the letter, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder, the PMPMA said that for category above $100, the decision can be made by the SBP later subject to foreign exchange constraints.

"This strategy will ensure that 70% of the production facilities will continue to function and 35,000 jobs can be saved. Hence, this will minimise hardship and unemployment," it added.

“The mobile phone industry fully understands the very difficult economic conditions inherited by the new government and is willing to support through attracting foreign investment, creating jobs and targeting exports of mobile phones,” he said.

Allawala, however, added that his companies – Transsion Tecno Electronics and Tecno Pack – would also be reducing its contracted workforce by 1,800 people in case the LC issue persists.

“We cannot pay a monthly payroll of Rs50 million. We are being forced to send our workers home temporarily since our CKD stock is about to end,” Allawala said.

There are a total of 31 cellphone assemblers in the country, catering to 92% of the local demand. The rest is met by imports.

Allawala said that almost all manufacturers will face depletion of their stocks and would start downsizing.

The event was arranged by TECNO to join hands and lead the market in Pakistan towards greater technologies. The new Spark 8C was also officially unveiled and unboxed by Tech YouTuber, Bilal Munir from Video Wali Sarkar, live for the event participants.

TECNO gave away a net worth of USD 200,000 gifts among the MDs at this event. The Rewards for best MDs of Q4 2021 included Special Gifts for all, Motorbikes (51), Thailand Tour (36), Luxury Europe Tour (22), Loyal UK Tour (5), and Business Cars (10).

Adeel Tahir, Sales Director of TECNO Mobile Pakistan shared some insightful knowledge regarding the New Plan and Sale Strategy of 2022 with the audience.

He said, “We thank all our partners for being with us in our journey and trying to expand more in 2022. We are now one of the Top 50 Chinese Cross-border Brands, also China’s TOP 500 Private Enterprises, and have become one of the Top Influential Chinese Overseas Brands in no time. In Pakistan, we recently received the Brand of the Year Award 2021 award for being the Fastest Growing Brand of the Year.

"As Camon 18 in Pakistan exceeded 200% getting the No.1 position globally, we are aiming for the High-end and Flagship market by launching Camon 19 and Phantom in Pakistan soon. Moreover, we have established a TRANSSION Pakistan Manufacturing Centre, a joint venture between Pakistan and China to manufacture 49 percent of its mobile phones in Pakistan in the coming years.”

He also added, “We shall be working more to improve the product experience, especially in design +OS; establish the brand image of ‘professional imaging’, ‘stylish design’ and ‘surprise experience’. Also, with our shop coverage increased to 96% across Pakistan, we’ll invest marketing budget in Camon and focus on share improvement and countless other BTL investments.”

Furthermore, Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan, thanked all the participants for joining and shared insights on the next plans.

He shared, “Thanks to our partners for their work and I hope for a successful 2022 for everyone. We started with mid-range and budget-friendly devices in Pakistan, but are now aiming for the higher budget segments with our Camon and Phantom series. You’ll soon be able to get your hands on our Camon 19 and the latest Phantom phone in Pakistan. We believe in mutually growing so our success is in the success of our partners.”

In the end, a lucky draw was held for all the event participants, where people won gifts such as LEDs, Motor Bike, and TECNO Phones. There was also a musical segment arranged by TECNO. The UK Sahara band performed taking the event to another level with their lively and energetic performances.

Spark is TECNO’s entry-level to mid-range series phone with high-tech features. The all-new Spark 8C comes as the latest addition to the most selling smartphone series of TECNO. With expandable memory, memory fusion technology, iconic design, and a stylish camera, Spark 8C gained a huge fan base even before its launch.

The new phone comes in two variants 4+128GB (PKR 23,999) and 3+64GB (PKR 19,499). With an 8MP front camera, 13MP Rear AI dual camera, 6.56” HD+ Dot Notch Display, 90Hz refresh rate, and 5000mAh Battery, Spark 8C comes as a competitive device in the entry-level segment. Moreover, the phone will be available in four aesthetically stylish colors – Magnetic Black, Turquoise Cyan, Iris Purple, and Diamond Grey.

This is not all, the new Spark 8C brings its users new innovative features such as expandable memory, customized beauty, rear camera decoration and fingerprint sensor design, SOPLAY, other special audio features, and much more.

Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan shared his view on the latest launch, “We are happy to introduce this latest budget-friendly device for our Pakistani consumers. With every new Spark device, we try our best to bring an innovation that makes our device remarkably more valuable than our competitors. Hence in Spark 8C, features like Memory fusion, its iconic design, and the stylish colors are our effort to bring more quality in less budget.”

So do not forget to get this amazing device from your nearest retailer. For more, follow TECNO’s official social media platforms.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) added that the tax exemption benefit was the biggest demand of the sector.

"The other fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for the industry were proposed by the MoITT," it said.

Read Business Recorder's earlier report here: Freelancers: MoITT prepares incentive package

"Long-outstanding issue of IT companies regarding easy inflow/outflow of foreign currency has also been addressed as specialised foreign currency accounts (FCY) for IT/ITES companies and freelancers will be introduced to meet their operational needs."

The approval was made in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday. Officials of MoITT, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Special Technology Zone Authority and Ignite National Technology Fund were also present in the meeting.

Faulty submarine cable causes internet disruption in Pakistan

According to the MoITT statement, the PM has directed to allow IT/ITES Companies and freelancers to retain 100% amount of remittances received through proper banking channels, in FCY Accounts without any compulsion to convert them into PKR.

Furthermore, there will be no restriction of outward remittances from FCY account for PSEB-registered IT Companies and freelancers.

PM Imran bets on IT sector to generate employment, dollar inflow

The prime minister has also directed the SBP to introduce financing streams for IT/ITES sector and freelancers keeping in view operational architecture and industry needs for these sectors.

"Recommendations of the Pakistan Technology Startup Fund was also approved by the Prime Minister as part of this historic package for the creation of a public-private partnership venture capital fund. Ignite National Technology Fund will create this Fund through Public private partnership."

Earlier, Business Recorder reported that the MoITT has prepared a package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for freelancers including the proposal of reduced sales tax rate, not exceeding two percent, as well as income tax holiday on exports income/ revenue/ receipts till 2030 and fast-track and simplified opening of foreign currency bank accounts to create a favourable business environment.

As per the report, the MoITT wanted to re-align the government strategies to attract a reasonable chunk from global spending on outsourcing and freelancing services in Pakistan, which, according to the ministry, will help create thousands of new jobs for freelancers in different sectors in line with the current government policy of creating high-end and well-paying white-collar jobs for youth employed in the digital economy.

The Canadian company has decided to pull the plug on new updates of its operating system, meaning most BlackBerries that became synonymous with the emerging mobile digital culture of recent decades — and were embraced by politicians and business executives — will not operate correctly after January 4.

“As of this date, devices running these legacy services and software through either carrier or Wi-Fi connections will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 (emergency) functionality,” the company said on its website last month.

The “end-of-life” (EOL) move, as Blackberry called it, impacts BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions.

The company did say, however, that devices using Google’s Android operating system, including the BlackBerry KEY2 released in 2018 and designed by China’s TCL Group, would not be affected by the changes.

The EOL decision marks the end of an era in mobile telephony, which reached its peak in the late 2000s when BlackBerry met with widespread commercial success, especially among professionals.

The large QWERTY keyboard for easier emailing and the simple, uncluttered design were favored by business leaders, celebrities, politicians and journalists.

Former US president Barack Obama was famously addicted to his BlackBerry and insisted on keeping his phone in the White House after his election in 2008, forcing his security detail to build him a custom model reduced to basic features to keep his data safe.

The series includes three phones – the Camon 18 Premier, Camon 18P, and Camon 18t. Each device has gained its own fanbase as they come with unique features and enhanced technology.

Improved camera technology:

The Camon 18 series continues the Camon legacy of bringing upgraded camera features. Equipped with TAIVOS technology, each smartphone has exceptional features that make them stand out. The Camon 18 Premier comes with advanced Gimbal Camera Technology, which offers steady and Anti-Shaky Videos. It has an incredible 64MP back and 32MP front camera, which captures clear and vibrant shots. The Camon 18P is equipped with a 48MP rear and 16MP front camera, while the Camon 18t also offers a great photography experience with 48MP cameras for front and back. Each device comes with remarkable additional features, lenses, filters, and much more!

Clear display and fast processors:

A smartphone’s processor truly defines its worth. The Camon 18 series come with incredible display resolution and processors. The Premier device in the series comes with a 120Hz AMOLED display, which makes watching your favorite videos and switching between apps a piece of cake! Moreover, the Helio G96 processor makes scrolling even smoother. The Camon 18P is equipped with a 120Hz LCD Screen with the G96 advanced processor whereas, the Camon 18t has a 6.8-inch FHD screen paired with the Helio G85 processor.

Other remarkable features:

The Camon 18 series is equipped with some of the best features available in smartphones. Along with exceptional camera quality, display, and fast processors, they come with a massive 5000mAh battery, unlimited storage, and an aesthetic design. You have the choice to choose whichever design and color suit your style from the available options. With the Camon 18 series, you won’t miss out on anything because these devices have it all be it the technology or the chic look it adds to your style.

If you still haven’t gotten your new smartphone, now’s the time! The Camon 18 series is currently available online and offline nationwide with a special discount of PKR 1000 for December. So hurry up and get your new device before stock runs out!

Air Link Communication Limited already has the licence to manufacture mobile phones of Transsion Holding’s major brands i.e. Tecno & iTel.

Earlier this month, Xiaomi, the global consumer electronics and smartphone giant, joined hands with Select Technologies (Pvt) Limited (SELECT), as its manufacturing partner for Xiaomi mobile phones in Pakistan targeting a production of initially around 2.5 million to 3 million handsets annually.

"This is a significant milestone for the economy as it will reduce the import bill and create jobs for the local population," said the company in a press release. "This is a result of the government’s policies to enhance localisation and stimulate the industrial growth of the country."

Air Link announces wholly-owned subsidiary for mobile device manufacturing

Earlier in October, Air Link Communication Limited had announced that it will incorporate a wholly-owned subsidiary 'Select Technologies (Pvt) Limited that would manufacture mobile devices of ‘selected brands.’

The company added that it would be making an investment of Rs500 million at Rs10 per share for the purpose.

The company is one of the largest mobile phone distributors of Pakistan with a market share of around 20% within imported mobile phones, Ismail Iqbal Securities had said at the time of the IPO.

The company also started to manufacture mobile phones locally in Pakistan in April with a monthly capacity of 400,000 units per month, which is expected to reach up to 550,000 units per month by FY23.

Pakistan’s smartphone market has witnessed a surge of international players in recent months, as the country’s young population has become an attractive market for mobile phone manufacturers.

However, despite the increase in local production of mobile phones, the import remained on high side and mobile phones worth $644.673 million were imported during the first four months (July-October) of 2021 compared to $557.961 million during the same period of last year, registering a growth of 15.54 percent.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) data revealed that this trend reflects a positive uptake on the PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorization regulatory regime, whereby, local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in production of 18.87 million phones in a short span of 10 months, including 7.93 million 4G smartphones.

As per the PTA data, 52 percent mobile devices are smartphones and 48 percent 2G on Pakistan network.

The successful implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) along with conducive government policies including the mobile manufacturing policy has created a favourable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan.

It has also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market providing a level-playing field for commercial entities and has created trust among consumers due to the formulation of standardised legal channels for all sorts of device imports.

The government had introduced a mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan.

The PTA in light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on 28th January 2021.

Till now, 26 companies have been issued MDM Authorisation enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan.

The companies included renowned brands e.g. Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile etc.

The establishment of 26 manufacturing plants has brought in an investment of over $126 million and created over 10,000 jobs in a short span of 10 months.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, the overall telecom imports into the country during July-October 2021 increased by 22.40 percent by going up from $691.644 million in July-October 2020 to $846.553 million in July-October 2021.

On month-on-month basis, the import of mobile phones into Pakistan decreased by 28.37 percent during October 2021 and remained $149.713 million when compared to $209.013 million imported in September 2021, the PBS data revealed.

On year-on-year basis, mobile phones witnessed an increase of 130.08 percent when compared to $65.069 million in October 2020.

On month-on-month basis, the overall telecom imports into the country decreased by 22.95 percent during October 2021 and remained $208.678 million, when compared to the imports of $270.823 million in September 2021. On year-on-year basis, overall telecom imports witnessed 105.82 percent growth when compared to $101.390 million in October 2020.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

Apart from benefitting telecom operators, the provision of 5G would enable users in remote and far-flung areas to access services at higher speeds, improving not only experience, but also availability to a larger number of people at the same time.

Pakistan's pupil-teacher ratio at the primary level is 44 to one, according to the World Bank that cited 2018 data by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

In a high-income country, the ratio improves drastically to 14 to one, while in lower-middle income places, the number is still better than Pakistan's at 29 to one.

Experts say 5G services, with its low latency and widespread applications, can help overcome part of the challenge.

"You can deliver high quality and new types of content like virtual reality or omega reality," Nikos Papagiannopoulos, senior project manager ITT Data Services at Athens International Airport, told Business Recorder at the Dubai Airshow. "You can provide full classroom experience through 5G networks."

However, the official said, much like any new technology, countries will have to explore and experiment. "There are so many capabilities. If you decompose 5G into its elements and characteristics, and see what they do better, you can use those to build the applications required."

The official's remarks echo those of a report by global consulting firm McKinsey that said cases identified in just four commercial domains – mobility, healthcare, manufacturing, and retailers – could boost global GDP by $1.2 trillion to $2 trillion by 2030.

In its Discussion Paper published in February 2020 titled, 'Connected world: An evolution in connectivity beyond the 5G revolution', McKinsey said although gaps will remain, enabling more people to plug into global flows of information, communication, and services could unlock greater human potential and prosperity in many developing nations.

Healthcare application

The paper also said that connectivity-enabled innovations can make it possible to monitor patients remotely, use AI-powered tools for more accurate diagnoses, and automate many tasks so that caregivers can spend more time with patients.

"Having remote medical operations and surgeries in remote areas where doctors are scarcely found or surgeon specialities are missing, you can have robotics undertake those tasks and have very low latency and very good accuracy of having operations on patients," said Papagiannopoulos.

Similarly, Ramki Doraiswami, director at Technology Solution Delivery, said in terms of healthcare, where a lot of heavy images are captured and need to be transferred before an analytical report is produced, 5G could be a key enabler.

Doraiswami added that the technology could also help a country where a large number of students are paired with one teacher. "(In this case) when you require a lot of bandwidth, 5G could play a key role."

While the application usage of 5G in Pakistan is still far away, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom says the aim is to roll out the technology in 2023.

Nokia wants to help develop 5G ecosystem roadmap in Pakistan: officials

On its official website, the ministry said that it has constituted an advisory committee for 5G Planning in Pakistan (5G Pakistan Plan Committee) to define a roadmap and finalise recommendations for 5G Technology readiness in Pakistan.

"The Committee will develop strategic plan and roadmap for 5G technology in Pakistan with the formulation of working groups for 5G Spectrum Management, telecom infrastructure development, telecom regulations review including health and safety and 5G applications and use cases.

The committee comprises members from the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Frequency Allocation Board (FAB), PM Office SRIU (Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit), PM Taskforce on IT & Telecom, academia, Cellular Mobile Operators and Telecom vendors, it said.

These views were shared by Jazz’s Chief Business Officer Ali Naseer, at the ‘Gen D - Nurturing a Digital Pakistan’ event held by The Millennium University College (TMUC) in Islamabad.

"As a country lagging behind its peers, Pakistan cannot implement policy decisions that don’t drive this objective," said Naseer.

Citing the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Inclusive Internet Index (3i), he highlighted that Pakistan ranks at 90th place out of 120 countries, the lowest in South Asia.

Ali argued that despite good progress in terms of connectivity and the availability of digital technology in the last few years, Pakistan is still getting left behind.

PTA renews Jazz licence

“Even today, half of Pakistan is offline. This is the reality despite all the gains of the last few years. Unless immediate attention is given to this, Pakistan’s proclaimed ‘digital dividend’ may unfortunately turn in to an unavoidable ‘digital divide’.

“The policy makers deserve credit for taking necessary steps, including the right of way policy, granting industry status to the telecom sector, and reducing WHT and FED on services.

"However, instead of focusing on incremental improvements, we need bold steps to harness the true potential of digitalisation,” he added.

“Globally, the adoption of digital technologies is taking place at such a rapid pace and scale that we simply cannot compete without the right public-private partnerships that implement a holistic digital ecosystem at the grass-root level.”

Giving an example, Ali mentioned that Pakistan only contributes 0.1 percent in the global cloud market, which is bound to remain constant in the years to come.

Number of 3G, 4G users in Pakistan reaches 103.12m: PTA

To break this cycle and speed up the adoption of digital technologies, Naseer stressed the importance of bringing people, who were connected to cellular networks but not using the internet, online.

He urged both the industry and policymakers to make a substantial transition towards a smart society envisioned under the ‘Digital Pakistan’ initiative.

Unless immediate attention is given to this, Pakistan’s proclaimed ‘digital dividend’ may unfortunately turn in to an unavoidable ‘digital divide’: Jazz Chief Business Officer Ali Naseer

“It is highly impractical to expect a digital revolution when a large number of people own and use 2G-only handsets. Out of the 13.05m mobile phones locally manufactured between January and August, 5.48m were 4G compatible smartphones. The government must cut the cord on both the import and local production of 2G phones. Widespread penetration of 4G will boost digital adoption and unlock tremendous socio-economic opportunities for masses,” he mentioned.

Pointing towards the students amongst the audience, Ali emphasised that the youth has a very important role to play in breaking this inertia as well.

“You have the power to change the local digital landscape, to empower millions with the tools required for success. Use technology to create solutions positively impacting society today. Private sector players are more than willing to assist you in realizing your ideas.”

Citing the example of DeafTawk, an online sign language services provider enabling people with hearing impairments, Ali mentioned how the company’s accelerator programme, Jazz xlr8, along with the National Incubation Center helped the startup scale its unique idea into a successful business venture. The startup recently received a grant of $250,000 under the GSMA Innovation Fund for Assistive Tech and plans to scale up the application, building the capacity of its interpreters, in order to reach both national and international audiences.

Naseer ended the discussion by highlighting the importance of pivoting for the young generation.

“There is no such thing as future proof. The world is changing rapidly and constantly. You need to be resilient in various ways and use innovations, networks and collaborations to design a sustainable future. He left the audience with the advice to be “curious and not judgmental.”

Telenor’s business solutions have been an integral part of the organisation’s porftfolio since its inception and the business suite has evolved over the past years to provide sophisticated products and services while equipping businesses with the tools necessary for efficient operations to look at the future with certainty. Telenor Business suite started off from providing best in class voice and data services to now providing productivity, marketing and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Telenor Pakistan strives towards providing best in class customer services to business clients and the servicing platforms are digitalised to be future ready.

For businesses and enterprises seeking to manage their costs and equip their ventures for the future, Telenor Business suite has brought forward an extensive portfolio spread over four key streams including Internet of Things (IoT), Self-Servicing Platform for corporate clients, Customized Enterprise Solutions and Data as a Service (DaaS).

These solutions aim to equip businesses of any size to thrive in a complex business environment, be it a growing startup, small and medium enterprise or any large organization. They also aim to provide one window operations with reliable and secure infrastructure, improved business efficiency with visibility into operations and performance, secure digital access and advanced monitoring and analytics.

“Running a successful business in this fast-evolving era means dealing with and overcoming innumerable fears and challenges on a daily basis” said Omer Bin Tariq, Chief Business Officer at Telenor Pakistan. “Telenor Pakistan’s Business solutions offer greater flexibility for businesses especially when it comes to protecting and growing what matters the most, when it matters the most. We keep our customer needs at the core which enables us to provide digitalised customer servicing through automation to allow flexibility and control to our business clients. With our leading position of introducing latest technologies in the country, Telenor Business promises the best in class solutions that bring our business partners at par with global standards.”

Currently, Telenor Business offers an array of business solutions in the four streams including state-of-the-art fleet and asset management via IoT, advanced data analytics to make informed decisions and customized enterprise solutions such as hospitality solution for hotels. For further details, please visit: https://www.telenor.com.pk/business/

“Xiaomi, the global consumer electronics and smartphone giant, has joined hands with Select Technologies (Pvt) Limited (SELECT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air Link AIRLINK as its manufacturing partner for Xiaomi mobile phones in Pakistan,” read a notification sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday.

Last month, Air Link announced that it will incorporate a wholly-owned subsidiary 'Select Technologies (Pvt) Limited'. "The primary objective of this wholly-owned subsidiary would be to take on additional mobile device manufacturing of certain selected brand(s),” Air Link had stated.

Air Link announces wholly-owned subsidiary for mobile device manufacturing

Xiaomi's share of the global smartphone market grew 83% year-on-year in the quarter, ended in June, according to research firm Canalys. It shipped 52.8 million phones, making it the world's second top-selling brand for the first time in history, behind Samsung and ahead of Apple.

Meanwhile, Air Link said that it is “targeting a production of initially around 2.5 million to 3 million handsets annually subject to the smooth supply chain which is expected to add approximately $450 million annually in top-line revenue numbers and will have a material incremental impact on the EPS of the company other than the normal course of business,” the notification said.

Air Link said that the production facility will be located adjacent to its existing mobile manufacturing facility at Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate, Kot Lakhpat Lahore. The production facility is anticipated to be operational within the month of January 2022.

Xiaomi plans to set up smartphone assembly unit in Pakistan

The statement further clarified that SELECT will be the manufacturing partner whereas AIRLINK will continue to be the distributor of Xiaomi phones in Pakistan.

“Courtesy the manufacturing of Xiaomi phones by SELECT, AIRLINK expects to substantially increase its distribution and retail business of Xiaomi phones in Pakistan,” it added.

Boasting a young and tech-savvy population, and a low-cost labour advantage, a number of international technology companies have entered or are in the process of entering the Pakistan's market.

The government had also introduced a mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan.

Till now, 26 companies have been issued MDM Authorisation enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan, said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

The companies include Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile among others.

The development comes as a welcome relief for Pakistan’s entrepreneurs who have for years seen the e-commerce giant grow its operations in neighbouring countries like India. Past practice has seen most Pakistani sellers registering their companies in other countries to bypass this barrier to entry.

However, Dawood said the government has been engaging with Amazon since 2020 to clear this hurdle for Pakistan. As digital penetration and investment increase in the country, access to Amazon's marketplace would prove to be a growth opportunity for small and medium-scale enterprises, women entrepreneurs, and young talent in Pakistan.

"It is a big accomplishment for our e-commerce and will open up vast opportunities for a new breed of young men and women entrepreneurs. We congratulate everyone involved," said Dawood.

Vice President of Amazon International Seller Services Eric Broussard, who was quoted in the tweet by Dawood, said that Amazon is eager to work with “Pakistan's dynamic business community, including small and medium-scale sellers, and help connect them with customers around the globe”.

Pakistan's e-commerce market size grew by over 35% in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021 to Rs96 billion compared to Rs71 billion over the same period last year, according to data provided by the Ministry of Commerce,. These trends point towards the growing inclination of Pakistani consumers towards online channels.

Other factors such as increase in mobile broadband penetration, enhancements in international payment methods and government support for e-commerce are also positive signs.

As part of a beta roll-out, the Swedish audio streaming company will also begin auto-transcriptions of some exclusive and original shows in the coming weeks.

In addition to this, Spotify users will now be able to read the transcript with or without audio and can click on the text to move to a specific part of the podcast. This will also be a great feature for those who prefer reading rather than listening to a podcast show.

Spotify also hopes to eventually enable transcripts across all podcasts on its app, according to reports by the Verge.

Other updates to the app will be launched today. These include several visual changes to the app's button colours, text and size. The company plans on making the app easier to navigate for people with low vision and visual impairments through these new updates.

Spotify explains that these features will also maintain a high quality experience for users in situations with low lighting or high screen reflections.

iOS Users can enjoy these new features by changing their accessibility settings and setting a larger text size.