Industry is all Abuzz with 3G: ProPakistani

by Unknown

Industry is all Abuzz with 3G: ProPakistani

Posted: 27 Nov 2011 07:05 PM PST

Major milestone in reaching 3G landmark was achieved last week when Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani, Prime Minister of Pakistan, nodded for a green signal on 3G policy. Though there are plenty of procedures left before we actually see a live 3G network in the country, but finally it now appears that 3G will indeed surface in Pakistan in less than a year, or say 18 months at most.
Cellular companies, which in the past seemed reluctant to embrace third generation technology, have at once come into hard play to look bolder and more desperate than others to get 3G license. Which is of course natural for them to pretend to be stronger, in a situation when post 3G era will give 3 operators a fresh start regardless of their current subscriber count, while remaining 2 will have to fight for their existence in the long run.
During my talks with operators, all of them were super confident about putting every possible effort to snatch a license to start 3G operations at earliest, however, deep in their thoughts one could sense the reservations. They knew that at most three of them will be able to experience the luxury of 3G, while the other two will have face uncontrollable sorrow plus a route to exit door down the line.
I can tell you that cellular companies didn't like this 3G policy approval, regardless of what they say before press. Just imagine a market with 108 million customers with established networks, no further capex, rollouts – it was almost fun for cellular companies to sit still and earn the lavish livings out of it.
But this has to change now. For those who want to earn 3G will have to invest at least US 700 million dollars up to US 1.2 billion dollars (license fee plus infrastructure cost), while others will have to become InstaPhone and Paktel of new era. So one thing is clear, they will have to abandon the luxury of sitting still. The time to play their best cards to keep their businesses on the roll has come.
One can argue that celcos can make more money with 3G enabled networks, which seems attainable, but industry estimates suggest that at most 10 million customers out of 110 million will opt for 3G services. I am told that mobile operators are unable to see immediate viability in the plan, but as said above, do or die situation has come.
Market experts opine that merger possibilities will be on the rise in coming weeks and months. They say that they can sensed the demand and probably this is the best time to consolidate to become a team to invest and harvest equally and evenly. Having said this, they rule out any immediate outcome as stock values are on the decline to hit ever low level.
Other experts wanted not to comment on the situation. They probably want to wait for Etisalat to react on the decision, which has an agreement with Government of Pakistan to not to auction new licenses till March 2013.
A segment of market believes that government of Pakistan will with-hold the license fee after auction, and will not allow operators to start operations before this agreed date of March 2013 with Etisalat. Though I haven't seen policy myself, so I can't determine how government will conduct the auction and remaining process, but if agreement will Etisalat is indeed in place then things can go shaky.
Etisalat will probably go to court, given GoP is unable to convince them and they aren't happy with the auction, which will buy government some more time, until March 2013 will come and everything will settle down.
Clearly government wants to make money out of this, this 3G policy approval has further confirmed that they want it quick – because the future of current government is getting uncertain with every passing day. So no matter what happens, one thing is sure: 3G bidding is going to happen soon, but when can you experience a 3G network still remains a question mark.
Let's wait for the time to see how this whole thing unrolls.

IT Sector Posts 120% Growth in FDI During Jul-Oct 2011

Posted: 27 Nov 2011 07:02 PM PST

computer monitor IT Sector Posts 120% Growth in FDI During Jul Oct 2011

Pakistan's IT industry has gained limelight as it foreign investors are seeking healthy opportunity to work with local software houses and service providers as shown by the substantial inflow of foreign investment in the country.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) statistics said the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the IT sector witnessed growth of 120 percent, attracting capital of US $ 9.4 million in the first fourth months of the fiscal year 2011-12 compared with corresponding period of previous year.
The FDI inflows were recorded in software development with US $6.5 million; IT services with US $ 1.8 million and hardware services with US $ 1.1 million respectively.
Despite lots of challenges, local IT companies and foreign companies with their subsidiaries are tapping potential of local market in various fields including software programming, mobile applications, networking services and hardware production.
Industry people said that global companies are seeking joint-ventures with local firms or planning to set up their outlets for exploiting talents of the local industry in different fields.
Foreign companies having offices in Pakistan are trying to scale up their business with expansion of their networks and production volume, they said.
Hence, the FDI witnessed handsome growth in the current fiscal year and a business volume has been increasing with number of employment in the IT sector.
According to Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), there are 83 companies, having comprehensive authorized and paid-up capital, were listed in the four months of current fiscal year (Jul-Oct 2011) in Pakistan.

Month	New Listed Companies
July	15
August	19
September	22
October	27

It is worth mentioning here that companies listed with SECP in IT sector are highest in numbers among all the listed sectors.
Most of the IT companies are listed as private corporations with medium sized operation footprint. These are local and foreign companies and are mainly based out of major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad etc,.

Copyright © 2010 ProPakistani.PK
To read more, click: IT Sector Posts 120% Growth in FDI During Jul-Oct 2011
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PTCL Offers EVLoad Service for EVO and Vfone

Posted: 27 Nov 2011 07:00 PM PST

PTCL is now offering its EVO and Vfone customers to recharge their accounts through EVLoad, a service similar to cellular-recharge procedures. However, PTCL's EVLoad recharge service comes with 5 percent service charges.
Company says that Evload Recharge service will give its customers a convenience to recharge their EVO or Vfone pre-paid accounts by simply visiting any authorized Uload retailer to recharge Evo or Vfone accounts with their desired amounts.
How to recharge Pre-paid account through ev load?
Step1: Visit any authorized Uload retailer
Step2: Tell the retailer your MDN number mentioned on the back of your EVO device or in case of V-fone please you can mention your V-fone number
Step3: Tell him/her your desired recharge amount
Step4: That's it. A confirmation SMS will be sent out to to your MDN or Vfone number.
Evload Recharge Validity:
Normal Evo Package validity would be applicable to EVO account recharged through evload. However, validity for V-Fone account will depend on recharge amount as following:

Load Denominations	Outgoing Validity	Incoming Validity	Temporary Out of Service
Rs. 20 – 49	02 Days	10 Days	45 Days
Rs. 50 – 99	07 Days	20 Days	45 Days
Rs. 100 – 299	30 Days	90 Days	45 Days
Rs. 300 – 499	60 Days	90 Days	45 Days
Rs. 500 – 999	90 Days	90 Days	45 Days
Rs. 1,000 – 1,999	120 Days	90 Days	45 Days
Rs. 2,000 & above	180 Days	90 Days	45 Days

Note:

The minimum recharge amount is Rs 20
The maximum recharge amount is Rs 2000
In case temporary or permanent account suspension, will have to get your account activated from PTCL in order to recharge your account through evload.
5% service charges will be applicable on each load through evload

TransWorld Data Center Inaugurated in Karachi: ProPakistani

by Unknown

TransWorld Data Center Inaugurated in Karachi: ProPakistani

TransWorld Data Center Inaugurated in Karachi

Posted: 25 Nov 2011 07:06 AM PST

TansWorld's state of the art data center has been inaugurated by Dr. Muhammad Yaseen, Chairman PTA, in Karachi today.
Inaugural ceremony was attended by executives of telecomm industry, media persons and employees of the company.
Data Center is equipped to offer its customers the colocation needs for multiple applications, through its state-of-the art, purpose built commercial Data center in Pakistan.
While addressing addressing the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Yaseen said that PTA is fully committed to the task of regulating, issuing new licenses and to introduce new spectrums and technologies, but the private sector also has an important role by investing in ventures.
Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said the telecom industry has had to battle a host of issues ranging from the rupee devaluation, the energy crisis, the security situation and inflation which has greatly reduced the disposable income of the common citizens of this country. However, the industry has proven itself to be remarkably resilient and there are some notable achievements that the industry can be proud of he added.
He said that Cellular service coverage is one of the best in the region; the cellular subscribers have crossed the 100 million milestone, there are multiple broadband options available to the consumer in every nook and corner of Pakistan, there are more than 1.5 million broadband consumers in Pakistan with the industry doubling year to year and 4 operational long haul networks in the country that connect various cities of Pakistan.
He said that with the increase in broadband adoption, the need of the hour for Pakistan is to continue to improve its internet infrastructure. He added that Internationally there are two independent operators that connect Pakistan to the internet and every destination of the world. Transworld being one of these.
Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said that Transworld's new data center is unique due to its location and state of Art Technology and new applications and contents can be hosted with minimum capex. Later he inaugurated the Data Centre.

Warid Joins White Ribbon Campaign, Calls to End Violence Against Women

Posted: 25 Nov 2011 04:12 AM PST

image thumb2 Warid Joins White Ribbon Campaign, Calls to End Violence Against Women

To mark National White Ribbon Day on November 25th, Warid Telecom joins White Ribbon Pakistan campaign that is aimed to end violence against women and girls in all its forms.
Men and boys in their various roles as individuals, community members, leaders, educators, fathers, family members have a responsibility and important role to play in promoting gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.
On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134).
The UN invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designated to raise public awareness of the problem on this day as an international observance.
Warid Staff members also celebrated White Ribbon Day while an awareness text was also broadcasted to the subscribers.

Group Photo of Warid staff members pledging gender equality and ending violence against women.

Copyright © 2010 ProPakistani.PK
To read more, click: Warid Joins White Ribbon Campaign, Calls to End Violence Against Women
ProPakistani.PK

wi-tribe Introduces Prepaid Packages

Posted: 25 Nov 2011 03:36 AM PST

image001 thumb1 wi tribe Introduces Prepaid Packages

wi-tribe today introduced long-anticipated prepaid WiMAX packages for it's customers, allowing them to buy internet hours in advance to avoid bills/rentals at the end of the month.
You can buy internet hours at Rs. 20 per hour through prepaid cards ranging from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1,000.
Customers won't have to pay the rental for duration they don't use the service. Simply pay for what you use, that's it.
Rs. 20 per hour might seem high to many, but this deal will attract those who want to avoid long term commitments or monthly rentals.
A statement issued by company says:

"As a service that provides "broadband by the hour", wi-tribe prepaid promises to be a catalyst of change for the industry. It allows customers to pay only for what they use, giving them the flexibility to use the internet as and when desired, without any hidden charges."

Initial deposit:

Device	Security Deposit	Initial Credit
Desktop Modem	Rs. 2,000	Rs. 1,500
Wi-Fi Modem	Rs. 2,500	Rs. 1,500
Pocket Modem	Rs. 2,000	Rs. 1,500

To put up-mentioned table in words, you will have to purchase a modem with initial costing of Rs. 3,500 in case of desktop or pocket modem or Rs. 4,000 in case of Wi-Fi modem.
Initial deposit of Rs. 1,500 will be automatically transferred to user account in three months, i.e. Rs. 500 every month, meaning that you you can use Rs. 500 for first three months. One can of course recharge account if usage exceed Rs. 500 limit.
Recharging your account:
You can recharge your account with prepaid cards of following values and validity:

Amount	Hours	Validity
Rs. 100	5	7 days
Rs. 250	12.5	15 days
Rs. 500	25	30 days
Rs. 1,000	50	30 days

Terms and conditions:

All devices come with speed of 512 Kbps
There’s no download limit for prepaid packages
Total initial charges: Security Deposit + initial recharge amount
Security deposit refundable upon return of device
3 days money back guarantee

Microsoft Launches MEA Windows Phone 7 Challenge

Posted: 24 Nov 2011 06:15 PM PST

Microsoft Gulf today announced the start of an exciting competition with the official launch of the MEA (Middle East & Africa) Windows Phone 7 Challenge in the region. Held in the region for the first time, the MEA Windows Phone 7 Challenge is a student technology contest which has been conceived to attract entries from students across the Middle East and Africa region to develop Windows Phone 7 compatible applications.
As part of this competition, contestants need to send innovative contest entries based on Microsoft Windows Phone technologies that address the theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems. This will involve the creation of an original XAP Application package in Silverlight or XNA Game Studio. For more information and to enter the competition to win attractive prizes, contestants can visit www.meawp7challenge.com.
"With opportunities like MEA Phone 7 challenge, you can go out and test yourself, your potential and your ability. This will motivate you to do more and more. For young students, it's a cool platform to get your momentum going" said Amir Ali Jivani, MEA Phone 7 Challenge Round 1 Winner.
The Contest is split into five Rounds with the fifth round being the final round to select the eventual winner. The last date for contest entries is on April 20th 2011. A panel of qualified judges with knowledge and experience in software development will review all eligible entries received and select the winning teams based upon criteria revolving around originality and innovation, Visual XAP Appeal, Consumer XAP Appeal and unique mobile-oriented features.
According to Amintas Neto, MEA Academic Relations Lead., " The MEA Windows Phone 7 challenge is a wonderful opportunity for talented students from across the region who can use this competition as a showcase for their creativity and innovation to develop the best applications on Windows Phone 7. The competition comes at an opportune time considering the high mobile penetration across the region which has been driven to a large extent by the youth who are eager users and want the latest applications. The aim of this competition is to tap into that talent pool and technical capabilities to create truly innovative and socially responsible applications on Windows Phone 7."
He added, "For Microsoft, this is another opportunity for us to highlight our commitment to supporting student talent in technology development to create advanced IT skills across the region."
"We wanted to create something that would have a unique impression on the user, solve their problems easily and also be fun to use," said Asad Ali Memon, MEA Phone 7 Challenge Round 2 Winner
Since its global rollout, Windows Phone 7 has attracted rave reviews from consumers around the world and in the region. For Microsoft, Windows Phone 7 represents an ambitious effort to deliver a fundamentally different kind of phone – one designed for an increasingly sophisticated and demanding consumer that is as engaged with their personal life as they are with work.