Broadband forsustainableDevelopment:

Every unconnected vil-lage with 100 populationwill be connected by2018.

Under a mas-sive ConnectivityProgram of con-necting the un-connec ted ,the Ministryof IT & Tele-com has pro-vided tele-c o mservices toover 10,000Villages inthe remotestparts of thec o u n t r y .Around 7000

kms of fiber opticis being laid to con-

nect the remotestparts of the country

under Broadband for Sus-tainable Development Pro-gramme, every 100 populationunconnected village will beprovided connectivity by 2018.

Control over Grey Traffic:Legal traffic increasesfrom less than 400 millionminutes to over 1.5 billionminutes.

The phenomenon of grey traf-fic was one of the key concerns in2012 due to uncalled for conse-quences of ICH regime. The legalincoming minutes were reduced

from some2 billion minutes before ICH

regime to less than 400 millionminutes. The ICH regime also ledto exponential increase in callrates for oversees Pakistanis andprovided arbitrage for the greytraffickers resulting in seriousconcerns among overseas Pak-istanis.

Continued on page II

Four glorious yearsfor IT & telecom sector

The News Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T

96% Growth in ITExports in last 4 years& Strong Growth inLocal IT Industry.

Pakistan’s IT exportsgroew by 96%. Over thelast four years IT & ITESare estimated to havecrossed $2.9 billion ayear including exports

generated by ITcompanies andfreelancers. Total

revenue of IT industryincluding exports anddomestic revenue is

estimated to be around$3.4 billion this year.Pakistan SoftwareExport Board is

facilitating IT growthwith Software

Technology parks. ASoftware TechnologyPark is being setup inIslamabad with KoreanExim Bank financing.

BroadbandUsers from lessthan 3million in 2014jump to over 42Million:Due to successful auction of 3G/4Glicenses, Broadband penetration inPakistan has increased from less than 3million in 2014 to over 42million now.This has allowed better connectivity,reception and introduction of DigitalApplications. People in Pakistan nowcommunicate, share video/audio, shop andbank and do business in themost modernway and comparable to any country in theworld. Productivity has increasedmanifolddue to faster upload and download speedsof 3G/4G networks. As announced byMinister of State for IT Ms. AnushaRahman Khan, now Pakistan ispreparing for the test of 5G services,which will further improve thequality, and range ofbroadband services inPakistan.

Three 3G/4G Auctions yieldRecord PKR 205,884 Billion:The three auctions of 3G/4G Next Generation

spectrum Licenses since 2014 has resulted in totalcontribution of PKR 205.884 Billion (including tax)

to treasury. It’s to the credit of Minister IT &TelecomMs Anusha Rahman Khan and team toexecute the three auctions in a transparent and

successful manner.The last PPP government failed to conduct the

3G/4G Auction during its tenure. A clear and welllaid out professional policy concluded by the

Auction Supervisory Committee headed by SenatorMohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance,

Revenue, Statistics & Privatization yielded PKR119.796 billion (including tax) in an auction

conducted in 2014. This yield was much greaterthan the budgetary estimates made for theauction. Later on the Auction Supervisory

Committee was headed by Minister of State forInformation Technology Ms. Anusha Rahman Khanfor the two consecutive auctions held in 2016 &

2017. Due to growth of the market and theproactive professional policy management by all

stakeholders ensured that the remaining frequencyspectrum lots were further successfully auctionedat winning prices of PKR 48.095 billion and PKR35.339 billion (including taxes) in the FY 2015-16

and FY 2016-17 respectively.The Auction Supervisory Committees ensured toset right kind of base prices of USD 395 Millionand USD 295 Million for 10 MHz blocks in 2016and 2017 auctions respectively which led tooptimal sale of the scarce asset of the State.

Minister of State for IT & Telecom Ms Anusha Rehman Khan receives“GSMA Government Leadership Award 2017” at the Global MobileAwards in Barcelona

Information and Communication Tech-nologies (ICTs) are the key enabler forthe sustainable economic developmentand technological revolution in a coun-try. Implementation of comprehensiveand collaborative ICT policies and pro-

grams can be differentiating factors in achiev-ing sustainable fiscal and social targets of na-tional development agenda. A big step in thisdirection was introduction of mobile broad-band services (3G and 4G) in Pakistan in 2014and onwards, that are serving as bedrock formodernisation of ICTs in the country.

Latest ICTs are re-shaping the communica-tion norms in every facet of human society. Thetraditional way of information flow has in-

creasingly changed with the digital networksthat have huge impact on personal and busi-ness relationships. According to theWorld Eco-nomic Forum (WEF), this is now considered asthe fourth industrial revolution which is evolv-ing at an exponential pace and transformingthe entire systems of production, managementand governance.

In Pakistan, the major hurdle in ICT prolif-eration was the unavailability of sufficientbandwidth, which was addressed by spectrumauction in 2014. Both operators and broadbandusers in Pakistan responded overwhelminglyand resulted in an exponential growth ofbroadband subscription. Keeping in view theextra-ordinary demand for mobile broadband

and to facilitate furthergrowth in broadbandservices, Ministry ofIT & Telecom

(MoIT) and PakistanTelecommunication Au-

thority (PTA) adopted a strategyto make the availability of requiredspectrum on continuous basis andthereby auctioned additional spec-trum in 2016 and 2017. Now out offour mobile operators, three opera-tors are providing the cutting edge 4Gservices. These policy decisions haveincreased broadband subscribersfrom 3.8 million, in June 2014, to 42.4million in a short period of only threeyears, which is an exemplary policy-induced growth for other sectors in

Pakistan.The fast

paced broad-band adop-tion is trans-

formingthe land-scape ofb u s i -n e s s e s

in Pakistan.The impact on e-

commerce industryand mobile financial ser-

vices has been fascinating.More and more products and ser-

vices are now being made availableonline in Pakistan with e-commercewebsites/portals being rolled out. It isestimated that the size of Pakistan e-commerce market is around USD 100million and expected to increase toUSD 1 billion by 2025. More than 90%of the e-commerce transactions are

done byCash onDe l i v e r y( C A D )

system, which provides huge potential for mo-bile payments and e-payments solutions. Pak-istan is also making good progress on the Busi-ness to Business front as the software industryaims to achieve the goal of USD 5 billion exportmark by the year 2020. Approximately 10,000new IT graduates are being produced everyyear. E-commerce can provide entrepreneur-ship and self-employment opportunities to theyouth.

In recent years, SBP and PTA have takenregulatory initiatives with a more focused ap-proach towards financial inclusion by capital-ising on modern technologies that can be usedto improve financial access in the country, inparticular, through improved payment systemsand branchless/ mobile banking networks.Since 2014, there has been a tremendousgrowth in the mobile banking accounts andtransaction activities. Today, mobile bankingsector has 20 million m-banking accounts withannual transaction volume of over Rs 2100 bil-lion compared to only 4 million m-banking ac-counts with a transaction volume of Rs 1353billion in 2014. The m-banking agents networkhas been expanded to every nook and cornerof the country, in particular, serving a largepopulation in the rural areas where traditionalbank branches are not available. Keeping inview the demand of e/m payments, local ex-perts are developing innovative payment solu-tions / apps whereby users can avail financialservices of multiple services providers from asingle platform.

Now, companies are coming forward withsolutions to transform almost all manual andtedious jobs in the society to make them digi-tal through apps and mobile services. Mobilecompanies, technology firms and police depart-

ments have now launched payment of traffic'challans' through mobile money solutions.SBP and PTA have also provided necessaryregulatory framework for Third Party ServicesProviders (TPSPs), Payment System Operators(PSOs) and Payment Service Providers (PSPs),which will play a catalyst role for the expan-sion of interoperable financial and payment so-lutions in the economy.

Some of the local portals have emerged asleading online businesses in Pakistan. The autoportal PakWheels has emerged as the leadingonline car classifieds in Pakistan. It hasreached a listing of over 160,000 cars, over24,000 motorcycles and is accessed by morethan 100,000 unique visitors every day. Za-meen.com is the leading online real estatedatabase that connects real estate dealers, de-velopers, estate agencies with general buyers,sellers and renters in Pakistan. Foodpanda,Pakistan's leading food delivery app, estimatesthat it has generated a staggering one billion ru-pees in additional sales for the restaurant in-dustry during the last year. Rozee.pk enjoys anexalted standard as Pakistan's #1 job websitewith plenty of nationwide vacancies advertisedeach day. Daraz.pk is the largest online shop-ping mall, which provide platform to multiplevendors and one-stop shop to consumers.These portals are now also providing mobileand online solutions for payments.

Looking at the internet usage trends in Pak-istan, the use of social media platforms andsearch engines are the favorite activities of in-ternet users. Facebook is the most popular so-cial platform/website which handles more than3 billion connections per day. Google is the sec-ond most accessed website in the country withover 2.5 billion connections per day. Twitterand Instagram are also among the toppers inthe list of most online hits per day.

Another big factor in the fast adoption of in-ternet is the exponential use of Over the Top(OTT) services such as Skype, WhatsApp,Viber, Tango, Facetime, IMO etc. The tradi-tional means of voice communication are intough competition with the OTT services.Skype is one of the most popular OTT servicesin Pakistan in terms of connections per day.

The spread of high-speed internet connec-tions within households in Pakistan and thesuccess of broadband applications provide aneasy means for businesses and individuals topublish music, audio, video or text/picture dig-itally. The entertainment industry is shifting itstraditional way of production, packaging, deliv-ery and marketing to the online environment.Other industries are entering the territory ofcontent production, creating fierce competi-tion.

Many students are now adopting online ed-ucation in Pakistan.

Continued on page IV

Latest applications trend afterbroadband growth in Pakistan

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TII The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

02011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Rs billions

209

492

802

1,353

1,8722,097Amount Transacted Through

M-banking Accounts(during Jan to Dec)

500,00

450,000

400,000

350,000

300,000

200,00

150,000

100,000

50,000

-2013 2014 2015 2016

Used InternationalInternet Bandwidth(Mbit/s)

Continued from page IThe present government after taking office in June 2013

handled the issue on priority. Ministry of IT & Telecomunder the leadership of Minister of State for IT Ms. AnushaRahman Khan reinvigorated the essence of de-regulation inthe LDI sector and hence discontinued the ICH regime inJune 2014 and most aggressively fought all cases and got therevised policy directive implemented in letter and spirit. A keyingredient of the revised directive was to put APC on zero for

the time being in order to ensure complete deregulated envi-ronment around international incoming telephony. The imple-mentation of the Revised Policy Directive, the LDI segment isfully deregulated resulting in increase of legal/white interna-tional incoming traffic from less than 400 million to around 1.5billion minutes/month now. The increase in legal traffic meanssignificant improvement both in terms of quality of service aswell as revenues of the industry with proportionate increase intax collection. International incoming call rates have de-creased significantly to benefit of expatriate Pakistanis andquality of incoming calls has improved as well.

Four glorious yearsfor IT & telecom sector

Minister of State for IT & Telecom Ms Anusha Rehman Khanreceiving Global achievement GEM TECK award by UNWomen and ITU in New York

IT Incubators for Startups:MoIT has already setup a National

Incubation Center (NIC) at Islamabad,which is to host 40 incubatees every yearfor the next five years. Likewise, NICs arebeing setup, one each in Karachi, Lahore,

Peshawar and Quetta.

ICT for Girls:226 Girls Schools in Islamabad are being

equipped with computer labs and Microsoft4C training. In addition 150 Women

Empowerment Centers across Pakistan arebeing equipped with Computer Labs and

Microsoft 4C training.

By Dr. Syed Ismail Shah Chairman PTA

Friday, June 2, 2017III THE NEWS SPEC IAL REPORT T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

With an estimated popula-tion of over 200 million,over 50 million of which isyouth in the age group of18-29 years, Pakistan is anamazing place that is full

of great potential and opportunities. Havingan average annual GDP growth of 4.91 per-cent, the country is on the road for furthereconomic stability and boost with increasedforeign investment. Some recent develop-ments, such as inclusion of the Pakistanbourse in the MSCI's 'Emerging-MarketIndex, foreign acquisition of PSX shares1,and the enormous CPEC project, hint to thefact that the only way Pakistan's economyis going in the future is up.

Pakistan is presently undergoing a digitaltransformation and, with increased public-private sector collaboration, is determinedto do away with the hurdles holding it backfrom achieving its full growth potential. Asthe country aims to bring itself at par withthe developed world in terms of advance-ment and opportunities, it has made digitaland financial inclusion two of the key con-stituents of its Vision 2025. Realising the op-portunities of financial inclusion in the coun-try, Pakistan has also developed a NationalFinancial Inclusion Strategy aimed at'building a dynamic and inclusive financialsector to support Pakistan's growth in the21st century.'

Financial inclusionThe current digital and financial inclu-

sion figures suggest that there's still muchleft to achieve. International Telecommuni-cation Union's (ITU) ICT DevelopmentIndex 2016 has placed Pakistan 146th out of175 countries. Despite being among the top10 countries of the world in terms of num-ber of mobile users, share of broadband andmobile users in Pakistan is still low withonly 16.7 million people having access tobroadband services as compared to the 130million people who actually need them. Asfor financial inclusion, less than 15% Pak-istani adults have a formal bank accountwith less than 5% women included in the for-mal financial sector. This shows large un-tapped potential in both digital and financialservices spheres.

Operating in Pakistan for 12 years now,Telenor Pakistan knows the ins and outs ofthese dynamics. Having emerged as thecountry's second largest cellular operatorand its primary digital lifestyle partner, Te-lenor Pakistan has become the frontrunnerof the ICT-powered digital and financial rev-olution that the country is witnessing today.With a vision of empowering the Pakistanisociety and the mission of digitising Pak-istan, Telenor has been contributing its best

towards the socioeconomic development ofthe country while lending its complete andincessant support to the Government of Pak-istan for reaching the shared goals of inclu-sion and empowerment faster.

To bridge the gaping financial inclusiondivide, Telenor has pioneered branchlessbanking in Pakistan with Easypaisa thattoday enjoys the largest financial footprintin the country with over 75,000 Easypaisashops in more than 800 cities across thecountry, and over 650,000 transactions con-ducted every day by 20 million active cus-tomers. To boost the e-commerce industryin Pakistan, Telenor also introduced thecountry's first complete online payment so-lution with 'Easypay'. The company alsokeeps partnering with the country's leadinge-commerce players to build and improvecustomer trust in online shopping.

Digital transformationTalking about the contributions to the

country's digital transformation, Telenor hasmany other industry-first initiatives to itscredit. Foreseeing how connected homesand devices can make lives easier, safer, andmore productive, Telenor became the firstmover of IOT (Internet of Things) in Pak-istan organising large-scale IOT exhibitionsin key metropolises. Having launched suchuseful IOT devices as companion watch forkeeping location track of your kids and auto-mate for tracking your vehicle's live perfor-mance, Telenor has established a strongfoothold in the IOT arena.

With 'Internet for all' being its ambition,Telenor has done more for digital inclusionof the masses than any other operator. Thecompany's successful two-pronged strategyfor 3G/4G penetration has been to flourishand diversify in urban centres, while at thesame time expand its network and broad-

band outreach to the unserved areas. As itcontinues to boost its broadband serviceswith measures like recent acquisition of the850MHz spectrum and launch of the best-in-class 4G services, Telenor also maintains anin-house portfolio of affordable small andlarge screen 3G/4G devises to ensure thatthe benefits of digitisation are extended toall budget segments. The company also fre-quently holds Digital Festivals to exhibit itsdevices portfolio in an attempt to build andpromote the digital ecosystem in Pakistan.

Youth empowermentAnother way for Telenor to boost the

country's digital ecosystem is throughyouth engagement. Telenorachieves it through widelypopular annual pro-grams like Apportu-nity, Telenor YouthForum (TYF), andTelenor Velocity.Apportunity is oneof the mostsought-after plat-forms for theemerging app de-velopers to show-case their creativityand talent in the mo-bile application market.Telenor Youth Forum in-spires courageous young mindsfrom Telenor's 13 global markets totackle social challenges through technologyand innovation. Velocity is an acceleratorprogram that focus on making available thefull width and breadth of Telenor's solutionsand experiences to help startups reach massmarket.

Mobile agricultureUsing its digital competencies for the so-

cial good, Telenor has introduced mobileagriculture and digital birth registrations inthe country for the very first time. The com-pany's mAgri initiative 'Khushaal Zamindar'is a mobile agriculture service for smallscale farmers that provides location-specificweather forecast along with contextualagronomic advisory for every farmer's rele-vant crop mix and tips for livestock manage-ment. Telenor has also launched women-ex-clusive mAgri services to cater to the 20percent of the 2.5 million Khushaal Zamin-dar users who are females.

Digital birth registrationTelenor Pakistan collaborated with

UNICEF Pakistan to launch a pilot in 2014to mediate child's right to identity throughmobile birth registrations. The disparity ofstatistics before and after the project waslaunched in Sindh in 2014, stand testamentto its success. Sindh Multi Indicator ClusterSurvey, conducted by the Sindh governmentand UNICEF in 2014, showed that the rate ofregistered births of children under five wasmere 29%. Once the pilot project was rolledout, 94% of births were being registered.

Social and economic contributionWhen it comes to the socioeconomic

contributions to Pakistan, Telenor also takesthe lead there. Telenor Group's 'Global Im-pact Report 2016' reveals that in 2015 alone,Telenor Pakistan generated over $1,793 mil-lion of GVA (Gross Value Added) for thePakistani economy, created close to 180,000direct and indirect employments, made $170

million capital investment and a fiscalcontribution of $339 million to the

Government of Pakistanthrough taxes and other reg-ulatory payments, and en-sured sustainability inthe supply chain.

Through manyother programs suchas UNDP's 'Youth &Social Cohesion' pro-ject, Telenor OpenMind, Naya Aghaz, andiChamp, Telenor ar-ranges constructive en-

gagement for vulnerableyouth, enhances PWDs' em-

ployability thorough with ca-pacity building measures, prepares

women to get back to work after a careerbreak, and fulfils its responsibility as a digi-tal leader to educate children about using in-ternet safely for constructive purposes. Te-lenor has a long-term commitment inPakistan and has now transformed into thecountry's local company with customersand Pakistani people being at the heart of allits operations, products and services.

Continued from page IIThese young students tend to

enroll in local/international educa-tion institutes that offer onlinetraining programs as well as on-linecertification courses, where stu-dents can learn new skills andequip themselves with the neces-sary knowledge to compete withothers in their professional careers.The trend of online education is in-creasing rapidly in Pakistan, andmany online education institutesare operating in Pakistan, e.g.eCoursesPK (an education start-up) offers online education pro-grams via distance learning.

The unprecedented uptake ofmobile broadband has openeddoors for new and innovative busi-ness ventures in Pakistan. Uber,world's largest cab service, hasstarted its services in major citiesof Pakistan including Karachi, Hy-derabad, Lahore and Islamabad.Similarly, Careem is another carhiring service, which has huge suc-cess in Pakistan. Travly is anothervery innovative service that allowusers to book rickshaw, car, andbus online through app. Mobilinkhas also launched its mLift servicesto connect drivers and riders ini-tially in Islamabad and Rawalpindi,and is planned to launch its app toexpand its services.

Even long distance travel ser-vices at government and privatelevel are now using online systemsfor booking and other services.Pakistan Railways and Pakistan In-ternational Airline Ticket reserva-tion portals are getting popular;similarly the consumers are enjoy-ing online services of Daewoo Pak-istan and many such services in theprivate sector, and are availing thepayment through mobile and on-line solutions. Currently, con-sumers who have credit cards areenjoying these services.

Apart from attracting over USD2 billion investment in the auctionof spectrum since 2014, broadbandgrowth has also opened up Pak-istan for foreign investment in thedigital world. Daraz.pk recentlymanaged to secure an investmentof USD 55 million for its opera-tions in Pakistan, Bangladesh andMyanmar from Asia Pacific Inter-net Group (APACIG) and Com-monwealth Development Corpora-tion Group, UK. Zameen raisedUSD 29 million in two rounds of in-ternational funding from Catch

Group and Frontier Digital Ven-tures. Careem has raised an invest-ment of USD 60 million fromAbraaj Group (Abraaj) as lead in-vestor for its operations in Pak-istan and MENA region. Rozee.pkraised USD 6.5 million in a Series Cfunding round with Vostok Naftaand Piton Capital Lead Investmentas the main investors. World'slargest e-commerce company, Al-ibaba, has shown its interest inPakistani market and has signed aMoU with the Trade DevelopmentAuthority of Pakistan to bring thesmall and medium enterprise inthe realm of e-commerce platform.Engagements with Alibaba cantransform the reach of Pakistaniproducts to international marketsand help promote e-commerce andfinancial services in Pakistan.

Pakistan is at the crossroads ofICT revolution where ample regu-latory space is provided to the in-novators and entrepreneurs. Pak-istan is going to become a start-upfactory for new and innovativeideas which will positively impactthe life experience of Pakistanis.Payload is the local startup, whichhave introduced the Bitcoin tech-nology to Pakistani users. Bitcoinis a type of digital currency usedto verify and transfer funds. WithUSD 121 million worth of transac-tions taking place through Bitcoinevery day, the technology is fastbecoming a reliable method oftransactions for individuals andbusinesses worldwide. Smart De-vices is another start-up workingon Internet of Things (IoT); thecompany is recently acquired byOrient Pakistan. Similarly, thereare number of startups like Mizaj(connecting fashion designer tothe consumer), ShaadiBox (onlinemarket connect you with mar-riage bureaus/vendors), Chimera(for online 3D-modeling) and a lotmore.

The demand side of ICTs is everexpanding and the operators, de-velopers and service providers arerapidly catching up. However,there are challenges also. PTA isexerting all possible efforts, per-missible within its regulatoryambit to highlight the importanceof ICTs in the economy, and con-tinuously engaging stakeholdersfor collaborations and new initia-tives to maximise the benefits ofICT and broadband technologies inevery sector of the economy.

Telenor Pakistan’s contributionto the society & digital leadership

Latest applicationstrend in Pakistan

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TIV The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Digital Pakistan,which means a moreprosperous and aneconomically stablePakistan where citi-zens have accessi-

ble, affordable and reliable Infor-mation & Communicat ionTechnology (ICT) services andsolut ions . Jazz , as the largestICT provided in the country, iscommitted to a progressive Pak-istan. Jazz's own transformationto a digital company will deliverhuge benef i ts , not just for ourconsumers but to Pakistan's fu-ture as well.

Around us the world is changing ata rapid pace and we, as a nation, needto keep up with the same pace. Super-computing; Artificial intelligence;Self-driving cars; Genetic modifica-tions - there is enough evidence of thecoming of the 'Fourth Industrial Revo-lution' and that too at an exponentialpace, for us to try and future proofour progress.

For this reason, the merger of twolarge telecom operators in a singledigital company, backed by a globaltech company in VEON, we are nowworking tirelessly to achieve the gov-ernment's vision of a 'Digital Pak-istan'.

We understand that the technolog-ical revolution will fundamentallyalter the way we live, work and relateto one another. In its scale, scope andcomplexity we believe the transfor-mation from a telecom to a digitalcompany allows us to play an integraland leading role in this technologicalrevolution that will help Pakistan toconvert the 'digital divide' in to a'digital dividend'.

Digital technologies have boostedgrowth, expanded opportunities, andimproved service delivery. But it is byway of digital inclusion, efficiencyand innovation that we can create dig-ital dividends for the entire economy.

For this to happen, it is importantto provide an environment supportingyoung people to find solutions to thechallenge of achieving sustainable de-velopment. These include access tobasic education and inspiring socialentrepreneurship, particularly in thedigital arena. As part of our groupwide initiative, 'Make Your Mark,' welook to contribute to a more sustain-able community which will provide asolid foundation for a more con-

nected society. Only by creating suchenvironment, where public-privatepartnerships ensure support to theyouth of Pakistan, the country willbecome a player in the digital revolu-tion.

One example of this initiative is thesuccessfully executed National Incu-bation Center (NIC), where startupsfrom around the country are creatingexperiences that enable learning, net-working and business growth underthe Jazz XLR8 program. An excellentexample of public-private collabora-tion, Jazz has partnered with the Min-istry of Information Technology &Telecoms, and the National ICT R&DFund, to create a space that will driveinnovation and entrepreneurialism.

To be a part of something as impor-tant and game changing as the Na-tional Incubation Center was our vi-sion. Now that we have realised thisvision by opening doors to young en-trepreneurs, the goal now is to ensuretheir long term success and suste-nance.

All of this is just the start. This isbut one small piece of the larger jig-saw that Jazz is endeavouring to be apart of. A key enabler for this environ-ment will be played by policy makersand the government.

These include enhanced coopera-tion, among other states and stake-holders, in building consensus arounda set of agreed international protocolsto strengthen the stability, trust andsecurity in the cyberspace.

It is also imperative to find a wayfor protection of offline rights of thecitizens in an online world and to en-able an environment which is con-ducive to universal access to the inter-net for all segments and businesses.

Also, there are needs to bestrengthening of regulations that en-sure competition among businesses,adapting workers' skills to the de-mands of the new digital economy,and ensuring that institutions are pre-pared to take the digital leap - some-thing Jazz is already supporting thegovernment with.

Jazz's understanding of what gapswe need to fill, our programs that so-lidify public-private partnerships, andour efforts to empower the nation atlarge through digital sustainability, aresome of the ways Pakistan is forgingforward towards a digital Pakistan-anexciting connected journey more thana destination.

Working towardsDigital Pakistan

A few words from ourJazz XLR8 superstars

Its been an amazing start here at NIC Islamabad, We as a team, over thepast few months have gone through a clear positive transformation. Frommentorship to facilities, NIC was the missing piece of our growth puzzle.After joining NIC, we have had valuable feedback about our product HELLI,mentors and their ability to critically evaluate our processes has helped usimprove and create value from within our start-up. We were recently

awarded a grant by the US embassy as part of the First Global Initiative, itgoes without saying that team at NIC was the catalyst in making thishappen. Over the past few months we have participated in countless

mentorship sessions, we were runner ups at the Start Up Cup and have beeninterviewed by multiple local and global news firms and potential investors.NIC was central to all of this and so far, its been a phenomenal experience.

Around us the worldis changing at arapid pace and we,as a nation, need tokeep up with thesame pace.

Supercomputing;Artificial

intelligence; Self-driving cars; Geneticmodifications -there is enoughevidence of thecoming of the

'Fourth IndustrialRevolution' and that

too at anexponential pace,for us to try andfuture proof ourprogress.

Being in a startup is like building your own ship. While at sea,youcould either drown or get upgraded onto a bigger ship. The NationalIncubation Center (NIC) and it's Jazz xlr8 program are the biggership for our startup. We have been equipped with some of the essen-

tial tools here which would have been really difficult to acquire at the initialstage of our initiative. A work-space where we can work under one roof, buildinter and intra team skills and collaborate with others. One important skillwe,the young entrepreneurs require, is the instruction manual for building aship. The mentor-ship program at the NIC allows us to interact with experi-enced sailors, enabling us to shape our dreams into reality. Our startup alsohad the privilege to participate in 4YFN this year, held in Barcelona(underthe umbrella of Jazz XLR8 program). Me and my team are grateful to the teambehind NIC and Jazz. We intend on making the most through this journey.

Rizwan AsifCo-Founder and Lead Developer Mad Hunt

Anzen designs Surveillance solutions based on Artificial Intelli-gence and Deep Learning on the platform of IoT. We got the op-portunity to represent Pakistan at 4YFN under the flag of VEON,the parent organization of JAZZ. It was an interesting experience

for us as it gave us the exposure needed for young startups to experi-ence the global market. We utilized this opportunity to interact withmajor global brands and players like Samsung, Intel, Microsoft andAdobe. Similarly, we got the opportunity to interact with investors wholook for the entrepreneurial spirit and next billion dollar ventures. Theseinvestors and brands, both were amazed at the level of work and type ofentrepreneurial ventures coming out of Pakistan. We got a chance toexthe local hospitality, cuisine and interact with the locals. While doingthat, it came to our observation that while the region and culture mightbe different than that of Pakistan, their problems are quite similar. Thismeant that any venture based in Pakistan has a really great chance to ex-pand into the global market provided it can adapt to local culture. Over-all it was a great experience interacting with investors, global players,incubators and other startups like us.

ErshianCo-founder Anzen

VEON (formerly VimpelCom),parent company of JAZZ, se-lected 5 teams/startups fromPakistan to represent NIC at

4YFN (4 Years FromNow)-MobileWorldCongress 2017, Barcelona. Mapalyticswas one of those five startups. Mapalyt-ics has expertise in 3D scanning and Vir-tual Reality.Wemake aesthetically pleas-ing interactive scaled 3D models andVirtual Tours of objects and sites. We arefocused onpreserving historical sites dig-itally, so in case of any damage to the sitewe can accurately recreate the sites usingour scaled 3D models. These models arevery important for Heritage preservationand Tourism promotion. Our content hashuge potential for e-learning and interac-tive historical learnings.

It was the first opportunity for us toshowcase our product in the interna-tional market. The scale of the eventwas massive with hundreds of potentialclients, partners, investors and mediapersonnel visiting the stall. At 4YFNwe got the opportunity to showcaseour work and learned from what othercompanies are doing. We were inter-viewed by multiple online and printmedia firms including Wall Street Jour-nal. We are working in the domain ofdigital mapping and virtual reality. Thegreatest achievement and confidencebooster was when the companiesworking in the same domains wereamazed by the level of detail our mod-els have and they wanted to use ourproduct.

AbdullahCo founder Mapalytics

Our Experience at National IncubationCentre by team Lets Innovate

Aamir IbrahimCEO Jazz

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T VThe NewsT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

By Mr. Liu DianfengChairman of the board &Chief Executive Officer ofChina Mobile Pakistan

The Pakistani Telecom-munications market isevolving very quickly.With the advent of 3Gand 4G and tech start-ups accelerating the

pace of advancement, we arecloser to furthering the cause of a“Digital Pakistan” than ever before.The important and critical mile-stones that we aim to achieve dur-ing this period will go a long way indeveloping a sustainable ecosys-tem for the Pakistani telecommuni-cations market to thrive in the newdigitized age.

From its launch in 2008, Zong4G has committed itself to acceler-

ating the pace of development inthe country through technologicalinnovation. This is substantiatedby the fact that Zong 4G was thefirst 4G cellular mobile operator ofthe country and currently, morethan 7,000 sites power over 300cities of Pakistan with 4G services.Today, Zong is the largest andfastest 4G Network of the country,with a 75% 4Gmarket share. By theend of this year, Zong will be thefirst and only operator to be 100%4G through an upgrade of all our

cell sites.It is important to understand

what 4G is. 4G is the connection tolife, connection to a better future,a new and improved lifestyle forevery Pakistani. It is a step into a

faster, more advanced, more inno-vative horizon for our country. Forour youth, it is a bright future withunlimited knowledge instantly,connected with 4G, reshaping thecountry’s future. For our profes-sionals, 4G is innovation beyondlimits to advance their capabilityand learn new and modern ways ofefficiency to be more productive intheir work. For our businessmen, itis a faster way of doing their busi-ness and make their productsavailable in the international mar-

ket at record speed, helping Pak-istan’s commerce industry directly.For our doctors, 4G is about howto treat our patients with most ad-vanced technology and the latesthealthcare solutions. For themedia, 4G is about keeping our na-tion up to date on the latest hap-penings live from around theworld. 4G helps everyone, to get in-formation quicker, to be able tocompete faster, to improve andprogress more efficiently, providenew solutions and learn new waysof a better and prosperous lifestylefor every Pakistani.

Under the Belt and Road initia-tive and with the help of China Mo-bile Communications Corporation,for areas in Pakistan where accessto fixed line broadband connec-tions is limited, our 4G serviceswill bring super-high-speed con-

nectivity for the first time and helpthem compete on a global scale.

So far, we have invested overPKR 250 Billion in the PakistaniTelecommunications marketwhich has served to bolster multi-ple aspects of the Pakistani busi-nesses, household and governmen-tal functioning. We have chosen toinvest in Pakistan for a very simplereason: we realize that technologyis an engine for economic growth,one that will help existing busi-nesses to grow while encouraginginvestment from overseas.

We are happy and excited tohave announced our future plansfor 2017 in upgrading all our 2G and3G sites to 4G within 2017 and havemore and more innovative and in-telligent solutions for our sub-scribers here in Pakistan, and con-tinue to invest in our network toexpand our 4G coverage through-out the country and connect Pak-istan with the rest of the worldfrom the most remote areas possi-ble. This will enhance our Pakistani

people’s ability to lead a better,quicker, faster and more connected“4G life”, which will be the most in-novative way of education, health-care, social reform and creativity.We will leverage China MobileCommunications Corporation’s 4Gknowledge and research and imple-ment this vision in Pakistan.

Other than connectivity, wehave also announced our corpo-rate social responsibility programfor Pakistan with a strong commit-ment to use our 4G technology tomake the life of our Pakistani peo-ple easier, faster and better withthe best quality network. As ourcommitment to the future of Pak-istani people, Zong and LahoreUniversity of Management Sci-ences (LUMS) have come togetherto enter into a strategic partner-ship by striking a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) for the de-velopment of a state-of-the-art 4Gresearch lab at the university. At aschool in Islamabad for street chil-dren, we have setup a 4G internet

lab, connecting them to the virtualworld for the first time. From theurban slums of Sindh to the hillyterrains of KPK, Zong has con-nected female at-home doctors tothe underprivileged patientsthrough 4G videoconferencing in 9telemedicine centers. In an initia-tive with Punjab Police, we areusing 4G to connect police facilita-tion centers for public.

Under the umbrella of “Belt andRoad” initiative by China, we arevery excited to play a strong role inconnecting this project as well asconnect all the industries tied withthis project to have a 4G ecosys-tem led by China Mobile Pakistan.

As the world’s largest operator andas Pakistan’s best 4G operator, weexpect to fulfil our promise of inte-grated communications services tothe business, governments and in-dividuals connecting each otherwithin and outside the two coun-tries to materialize our commondream.

Zong will continue to invest andlead the 4G telecommunicationmarket in Pakistan through ourcontinued investment, our employ-ees’ hard work and dedication andwe will work very closely with thegovernment of Pakistan in materi-alizing our dream of a “Digital Pak-istan”.

National TelecommunicationCorporation (NTC) createdunder the Act of Parliamenton Jan 1, 1996with the man-date to operate, build andmaintain telecom systems

andprovide services to theFederal Govern-ment, Provincial governments, defence pro-jects, governmental organizations and insti-tutions. The Corporation faced criticalchallenges to sustain itself but with the sin-cere dedicationsof its staff andmanagement,made it a success story in the Public Sector.

NTC was vested with analogue sys-tems including Microwave and Co-axialCable network and few (five) analogueand digital exchanges in 1996-97. Man-power vested from PTC was also notproperly trained to plan and develop in-frastructure with the emerging technolo-gies of that time. The Analog Microwavesystem deployed in 1974 had become ob-soleted when handed over to NTC in1996-7. The new transmission systemsbased on Fiber Optic was deployed byPTC in 1992-94 along the main and alter-nate routes was given to PTCL along withthe Submarines Cable network termi-nated at Karachi. The Analogue Trans-mission systems were not capable tomeet NTC requirement so Governmenton the request of NTC issued instructionsto PTCL Management for allocation ofone Fiber pair on National Backbone ofthe 9 pairs Optical Fiber Cable. Hence onacquisitioned pair in the long haul OFcable from Peshawar to Karachi wasequipped with 622 Mbps SDH systems inthe year 2001-2. This STM-4 system, ini-tially, was sufficient to provide connectiv-ity of its digital exchanges and establish-ment of data communication network,however, with the passage of time; it wassaturated in almost 5-7 years. As such thisSTM-4 was upgraded with 10 G (STM-64)on DWDM based system in 2010.

With the advent of NGN Technology,NTC initiated replacement and migrationof the TDM based EWSD switches withNext Generation Network (NGN). As bythe time, it became mandatory to replacethese exchanges with NGN based IPswitches being flexible in provision ofcustomized and triple play services. Ac-cordingly, NTC initiated the project TDMto IP migration in 2013-14 with deploy-ment of Soft switches and Multi ServicesAccess Gateways (MSAGs) on a very fasttrack. The project plan and designchalked out with Geographical redun-dancy to avoid any untoward situation.As per international practice NTC pre-pared plan for TDM to IP (NGN) migra-tion in a phased manner and during thepast 2013-17, more than 70 % of networkhas been migrated. The migration in aphased manner is implemented to utilizethe available resources to its maxi-mum/optimum level and keep the com-

munication intact in a redundant modeduring migration.

It is also to add that during the period2013-17, past four years, the Annual De-velopment Plan implementation progressremained more than 85 % and in recentFY it will be 100%, which is a record com-pared to the period 1996-2013. In the pastthe progress recorded per year is notmore than 30 %.

NTC was not vested with any DataNetwork systems; however, a Multi Ser-vices Data Network (MSDN) was de-ployed in 2003. This small scale MSDNplatform made it possible to provide In-tranet, e-mail, Co-location, virtual privatenetworking, video conferencing, Radio/Networking solution, DSL and other cus-tomized data services to its valued sub-scribers. This platformwas required to beupgraded and updated with time but nopractical steps were taken till 2013. FromFY 2013-14, continuous process of up gra-dation with introduction of new comput-ing machines, storages enhancement andlatest security tools and gadgets deploy-ment was initiated. A plan for new Tier-III cloud Data Centre was prepared in2014-15 for meeting growing demand ofdata services specifically for governmentand public sector. This was required tohelp implementation of the goal of “Digi-tal Pakistan”.

NTC prepared and implemented thisplan of National Data Centre throughown resources in a record time of 4-5months which was inaugurated in August2016 by the honourable Minister of Statefor IT. This Data Centre is cloud basedTier–III compliant capable to provide re-sources in a secure environment. Thecloud computing allows organizations toavoid up-front infrastructure costs (e.g.,purchasing servers). As well, it enablesorganizations to focus on their core busi-nesses instead of spending time andmoney on computer infrastructure.Cloud computing allows enterprises to

get their applications up and runningfaster, with improved manageability andless maintenance, and enables informa-tion technology (IT) teams to morerapidly adjust resources to meet fluctuat-ing and unpredictable business demand.Cloud providers typically use a "pay asyou go" model. Regarding Service modelsof Cloud Data Centre, NIST has definedthree models of services including Infras-tructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform asa Service (PaaS) and Software as a Ser-vice (SaaS).

Access to the Data Center requiresnetwork deployment; NTC has expandedits network to cover more districts andtehsils. Over a period of twenty years,NTC is able to reach to 87 locations, in-cluding 35 increases in 2013-2017 and thiscount shall cross hundred in the comingtwo to three years.

The present Government helped inopening new avenues for the TelecomSector as per Telecom Policy. NTC signedagreements with other mobile operatorson Public Private Partnership for provi-sion of 3G/4G to NTC customers. NTC isalso first in the country to introduce newtechnologies such as Point to Point(P2P), Machine to Machine (M2M) forprovision of services in remote areaswhere NTC infrastructure is not avail-able.

In addition NTC has also signed a Ser-vice Provider Licensing Agreement(SPLA), with Microsoft where under Mi-crosoft products/applications would behosted at NTC’s cloud National Data Cen-ter and users would purchase it on line asper their requirement.

Another highly important and strate-gic achievement on the part of NTC is theestablishment of Registry in 2016 forCountry Code Top Level Domain(ccTLD) for Urdu and other local lan-guages with the support of Ministry of IT.This will help promotion of National Lan-guage and other local languages throughinternet.

Regarding future plans, NTC hasplanned to establish Optical Fiber basedNational Backbone along CPEC Motor-ways/Highways and Submarines Cablenetwork landing Station at Gwadar formeeting Public Sector national and inter-national connectivity in a secure environ-ment. This will also help facilitate all op-erators with Broadband at cheaper rateson NTC’s system spare capacity for hav-ing a level playing field required for theICT sector growth.

All these initiatives and achievementsduring 2013-2017 has helped NTC to sus-tain its existence, loss converted intoprofit, and became able to further en-hance its network and strengthen itsmuscle in this challenging environmentof technological evolution and demand ofsecurity.

Zong 4G was the first 4G cellular mobile operatorof the country and currently, more than 7,000sites power over 300 cities of Pakistan with 4Gservices. Today, Zong is the largest and fastest4G Network of the country, with a 75% 4G marketshare. By the end of this year, Zong will be thefirst and only operator to be 100% 4G throughan upgrade of all our cell sites

We are happy and excited that wehave announced our future plans of

2017 for upgrading all our 2G and 3Gsites to 4G within 2017 and have

more and more innovative andintelligent solutions for our

subscribers here in Pakistan andcontinue to invest in our network toexpand our 4G coverage throughoutthe country and connect Pakistanwith the rest of the world, starting

from the most remote areas possible.This will enhance our Pakistanipeople's ability to lead a better,

quicker, faster and more connected"4G life" which will be the most

innovative way of education,healthcare, social reform and

creativity. We will leverage ChinaMobile Communications

Corporation's 4G knowledge andresearch and implement in Pakistan.

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TVI The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Leading the 4G revolution

Achievement duringpast four years by NTC

-the only Telecom and ICT service provider of Public Sector

Engr. Miraj GulDirector General (Technical) NTC

Friday, June 2, 2017 THE NEWS SPEC IAL REPORT VIIT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

OPPO, s i n c e i t si n c ep t i o n , h a sb e en devo t edt o young con-sumers and ha sf o cu s ed on

launch ing the bes t CameraPhone s . Fo r t h e pa s t 1 0y e a r s , OPPO ha s l e dt h r ough t e chno l o g i c a lb reak th roughs in t e rms o fmob i l e pho t o g r aphy ; i ts t a r t e d an e r a o f s e l f i eb e au t i f i c a t i o n , c r e a t i v e l yb r ough t ou t t h e wo r l d ’sf i r s t mo t o r i z e d r o t a t i n gc ame r a and U l t r a HD fea-ture, was the f i r s t to launch“Se l f i e Expe r t ” w i th 16MP

f r on t c ame r a i n F s e r i e s ,wh i c h i n i t i a t e d a s e l f i et r e nd i n t h e i ndu s t r y.OPPO now p rov i d e s excel-lent pho t o g r aphy experi-ence t o ov e r 1 0 0 m i l l i o nyoung s t e r s a r ound t h ewor ld .

OPPO entered the Pakistanimarket in June 2014 with thelaunch of its flagship devicecalled OPPO Find 7. OPPO aimsto utilize its globally renownedtechnological superiority and in-novation to bring a diverse prod-uct portfolio for Pakistani buyers;and has launched more than 20models in the local market in thepast 3 years. The product portfo-

lio includes OPPO Find 7, OPPON3, OPPO R7 Series, and now thefocus is on its camera phone, es-pecially Selfie Expert F series.

In order to better connect withthe consumers in Pakistan, OPPOis the official global partner of In-ternational Cricket Council (ICC)since 2016 and as a sign of itscommitment to support Cricket inPakistan, OPPO by having an es-tablished long-term affiliationwith the International CricketCouncil will bring more valuesand create a platform to commu-nicate with the youth and providethem with a source of completeentertainment.

OPPO also joined hands with

Pakistan’s leading fashion de-signer HSY by appointing him asthe Brand partner of OPPO tolaunch its Classic Black F1s SelfieExpert in November 2016 and cre-ating a new trend in the fashionindustry of Pakistan.

“At OPPO, our customershave always been our top priorityand through our innovative prod-ucts with groundbreaking tech-nology we have made a promiseto deliver and meet their require-ments. With the help of our cus-tomers’ support and feedback weare given the opportunity to de-liver that promise by offering theultimate smartphone that allowsyou to create memories from your

dual selfie camera that are worthcapturing” shares George Long,CEO of OPPO Pakistan.

OPPO’s alliances with theleading international partners en-sure that OPPO has the latest andbest hardware available. With aunique independent R&D capac-ity, the company designs, devel-ops, manufactures, markets andsells its products itself with fullcontrol over the entire supplychain from factories to the handsof customers. OPPO is dedicatedto providing excellent services toconsumers.

Committed to Pakistani mar-ket, OPPO has sales offices andnetworks in all major cities

across Pakistan and employsmore than 3,000 staff. OPPO hasquickly proved itself in the mar-ket with its intense attention todetails and sales volume in thelocal market has increased 20times, compared to February2016.

Each OPPO product encom-passes a carefully selected arrayof attributes to specificallycater for users, combiningimpressive features

with elegant

designs. The ‘Selfie Experts’ F-se-ries models are high-end smart-phones that are efficient, long-lasting, secure and beautiful,addressing today’s highly-de-manding mobile-first world.

“OPPO is an industry leader inthe Selfie Revolution with the re-

cent ‘Selfie Experts’ F-series. Ourbrand has been growing rapidlyacross Pakistan and around theworld. The dual selfie camera F3Plus will mark a new ‘Group-Selfie’ trend and reinforce our po-sition as the Selfie Expert,” saidGeorge Long, CEO of OPPO Pak-istan.

OPPO kick startedthe ‘Group Selfie’trend in 2017 bylaunching the newSelfie Expert F3Plus. The F3 Plusfeatures thebrand’s first dualfront selfie cameraincluding a first-ever 120-degreewide-angle GroupSelfie Camera.Following the F3Plus, the SelfieExpert F3 waslaunched target-ing the mid-range market.The F3 also fea-tures a dualselfie camera - a16 -megapixe lSelfie camerafor individualselfies and anultra wide-angle 8MPcamera forgroup selfie.

O P P O ,with its pas-

sion for design and com-mitment to new technologies, en-visions enabling the youth ofPakistan and provide them withavenues for growth and progress.OPPO will continue to facilitatePakistanis in staying connected,and to pursue opportunities forsocial and developmental ad-vances.

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TVIII The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

OPPO is winning hearts of consumersthrough its revolutionary Selfie

technology and stunning designsOPPO, founded in 2004,

is a leading globaltechnology brand,

dedicated to providingpioneer products to

consumers across Asia,Africa, Europe and

Oceania, with a presencein 28 global markets.According to a leading

market researchcompany GFK, OPPO isthe No.1 Smartphone inChina and ranks in the

top 2 in India in terms ofmarket share. OPPO has

also been ranked theNo.4 Smartphone brandfor the past two years in

terms of shipmentvolume, as per an IDC

report.

Pakistan Soft-ware ExportBoard (PSEB)is a body underMinistry of ITwith the man-

date to promote and to growPakistan's IT exports. Forthis purpose, PSEB has dif-ferent initiatives for interna-tional marketing, infrastruc-ture development, andcapacity building of IT com-panies and graduates. Thegovernment realizes that ithas an important role interms of providing a con-ducive environment to IT in-dustry through infrastruc-ture and HR development.Government's incentives forIT industry include zero in-come tax on IT exports tillJune 2019, 100% equity own-ership allowed to foreign in-vestors, 100% repatriation ofcapital and dividends al-lowed, and 7-year tax holi-day for venture capitalfunds. PSEB's core func-tions are summarized below:

* Undertake research andstudy regarding the state ofPakistan's IT sector, andpropose strategies for sus-tainable development of ITindustry.

* Analyze and take mea-sures which have the poten-tial of enhancing exports ofsoftware and IT servicesfrom Pakistan.

* Register IT companies

in Pakistan and extend max-imum facilitation to them.

* Renovate buildings withsufficient space for IT com-panies to Software Technol-ogy Parks (STPs) after sign-ing agreements with theirlandlords.

* Provide internet serviceat affordable rates to ITcompanies inside STPs.

* Plan, finance and buildnew state of the art SoftwareTechnology Parks (STPs) inPakistan.

* Arrange for Pakistan'sIT companies to exhibit atdomestic and internationalIT events to generate newleads and new opportunitiesfor business by subsidizing

space cost for them.* Provide protocol, host-

ing and matchmaking facili-ties for foreign delegatesand investors.

* Establish a web portalfor customers, investors andcompanies, and prepare anddisseminate marketing col-lateral.

* Build capacity of ITcompanies by subsidizingcosts of quality, security andother international certifica-tions.

* Build capacity of ITgraduates by sponsoringtheir internship and trainingin different IT companies.

Quick facts about Pak-istan's IT industry

Pakistan's IT sector isone of the few segments inPakistan's economy that hasdemonstrated positive andconsistent year on yeargrowth in exports. Pakistanhas a vibrant and growing ITindustry with more than2500 IT companies and morethan 200,000 IT profession-als with education and expe-rience in latest IT tools andtechnologies. Pakistani ITcompanies are providingservices to many large multi-nationals as their clients.Many international IT firmshave established offices inPakistan including IBM(r),Cisco(r), Microsoft(r), Ora-cle(r), SAP(r), Teradata(r),Mentor Graphics(r), Bent-

ley(r), S&P Global(r), Cik-lum(r) and many others indi-cating strong confidence ofthe international players inthe competence of Pak-istan's IT workforce and en-couraging investment poli-cies of the government.Pakistani IT companies haveworld's largest companiesamongst their clients includ-ing Halliburton(r), Mo-torola(r), GE(r), BMW(r),Toyota(r), DaimlerChrysler(r), AT&T(r), Voda-fone(r), e-Bay(r), Pepsi(r),Deutsche Telecom(r),DHL(r), KPMG(r), ABNAmro(r), NYSE(r), BritishPetroleum(r), Petronas(r),Caltex(r), Sears(r), Te-

lenor(r), and many others.Pakistani IT companies havereceived recognition andawards at Internationalevents such as Asia PacificInformation and Communi-cation Technology Awards(APICTA). Since 2010, Pak-istan has won over 39 goldand silver awards at APICTAin different categories in-cluding e-learning, e-health,

e-government, security, sup-ply chain management,startup, media, and financialapplications. This is a testa-ment to the immense IT po-tential of Pakistan.

Pakistan's IT exports -A stellar growth

Pakistan's IT exports

have grown by 96% over thelast four years and are esti-mated to have crossed $2.9billion a year at present in-cluding exports generatedby IT companies and free-lancers. Total revenue of ITindustry including exportsand domestic revenue is es-timated to be around $3.4billion a year at present.Every possible step is being

extended to enhance Pak-istan's IT exports which in-cludes enhanced participa-tion in internationalexhibitions, outbound andinbound delegations, confer-ences and seminars. En-hanced focus is also beingplaced on social media andother media channels to en-hance Pakistan's IT image in

key international markets.Around $400 million was

invested in different Pak-istani technology startups in2015-16 including Daraz.pk,Careem, Zameen.com, etc.demonstrating the confi-dence of investors in Pak-istan's tech startups. At theWorld Economic Forum inDavos, Switzerland in Jan-uary 2017, Devin Wenig,

CEO of eBay said, "It's (Pak-istan) the fastest growing (e-commerce) market we havearound the world. Anywherewhere wealth is growing andtechnology is being adopted,e-commerce is beingadopted like crazy." Like-wise, Jack Ma, Chairman Al-ibaba Group expressed keeninterest in investing in Pak-

istan to build an e-com-merce platform to furtherpromote online businessventures. In May 2017, Al-ibaba signed an MoU withGovernment of Pakistanfor establishing its e-commerce operationsin Pakistan.

Internationalmarketing

P a k i s t a nSoftware Ex-port Board ac-tively facili-tates newbusiness de-v e l o pmen tfor PakistaniIT compa-nies. Signifi-cant subsi-dies areprovided toIT companiesto enablethem to ex-hibit in key In-ternational ITexhibitions. Par-ticipation inPSEB subsidizedi n t e r n a t i o n a levents has enabledPakistani IT compa-nies to generate valu-able leads and revenue inaddition to improving Pak-istan's perception as a viableand feasible destination foroutsourcing.

Since 2008, nearly 300 ITcompanies have been facili-tated by PSEB through sub-sidies to exhibit in local andinternational IT exhibitions.Many companies have gen-erated good leads fromthese international exhibi-tions which convert to out-sourcing, partnership, or in-vestment opportunitieslater. During 2016-17, PSEBparticipated in five interna-

tional exhibitions with ITcompanies which generatedmore than thousand leads.Many MoUs have beensigned by IT companiesthrough participation in in-ternational exhibitions asPakistani IT companies seeknot only customers but alsolook for opportunities forcollaboration and partner-ship. Many contracts rang-ing from hundred thousanddollars to half a million dol-lars have been generated byIT companies through par-ticipation in subsidized in-ternational exhibitions.

PSEB supports and en-courages outbound delega-tions comprising of local ITindustry representatives tocreate linkages with foreignIT companies. These delega-tions have represented Pak-istan's IT industry in manyimportant markets such asthe USA, UK, Canada,China and Malaysiaover the pastdecade. InJ u n e

2016, PSEB fa-cilitated an IT dele-gation for US Pakistanbusiness opportunities con-ference in New York. Theconference attracted manyrepresentatives from UScompanies as well as US-based Pakistani en-trepreneurs. This year,

PSEB has organized IT dele-gations to United Kingdomand Canada.

PSEB actively supportsall local initiatives intendedto bolster IT industry and inthis regard facilitates partic-ipation of local IT compa-nies in local trade fairs andevents. Local exhibitionsprovide an ideal platformfor Software and Informa-tion Technology firms toshowcase their respectiveexpertise, interact withprospective customers andother stakeholders. In 2016-17, PSEB and member com-panies participated in sevenlocal IT exhibitions whichincluded ITCN Karachi,BYTES Islamabad, IDEASExpo and RCCI Awards.PSEB also sponsored dif-ferent industry events in-cluding PASHA ICT

Awards, Lahore and Tele-con 2016, Islamabad.PSEB also organized the"PSEB IT Awards 2016" torecognize the top IT ex-porters of Pakistan.

Pakistan Software Export BoardUnleashing Pakistan’s IT potential globally

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T IXThe NewsT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Infrastructure developmentIn the short term, PSEB has es-tablished 13 Software Technol-ogy Parks (STPs) in Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachiby signing MoUs with owners ofthese buildings to provide officespace to IT companies. At pre-sent, 96 IT companies are oper-ating in these STPs. In the longterm, PSEB has leased lands inIslamabad, Karachi and Lahoreto build new IT parks. In Islam-abad, PSEB will be building anew IT park on 14.9 acres underfinancing from Korea Eximbankthrough the Economic Develop-ment Cooperation Fund(EDCF). The IT park would ac-commodate between 100-120companies and is expected to becompleted by 2020. PSEB isalso planning financing for moreIT parks on its land in Karachiand Lahore.

Around $400 million was invested indifferent Pakistani technologystartups in 2015-16 including

Daraz.pk, Careem, Zameen.com, etc.demonstrating the confidence ofinvestors in Pakistan's tech

startups. At the World EconomicForum in Davos, Switzerland in

January 2017, Devin Wenig, CEO ofeBay said, "It's (Pakistan) thefastest growing (e-commerce)

market we have around the world.Anywhere where wealth is growingand technology is being adopted, e-commerce is being adopted like

crazy." Likewise, Jack Ma, ChairmanAlibaba Group expressed keen

interest in investing in Pakistan tobuild an e-commerce platform tofurther promote online businessventures. In May 2017, Alibaba

signed an MoU with Government ofPakistan for establishing its e-

commerce operations in Pakistan.

Future plansDuring 2016-17, IT remittances asreported by State Bank of Pakistan

have grown by 16.4% over previous year.This growth rate is higher than many other

exports sectors of Pakistan making IT one of thefastest growing export sectors of Pakistan. For

2017-18, PSEB's goal is to grow IT remittances by20-25%. For this purpose, PSEB will hold seminars

in different cities to educate companies andfreelancers to report IT remittances correctly. PSEB willalso participate in different international exhibitions

and delegations with IT companies in relevant countriesto generate new leads and business for these

companies. Based on interest from foreign customers,PSEB might also organize an international IT

conference in Pakistan. PSEB will also recognize thetop IT exporters of Pakistan through its annual awards

ceremony. PSEB will certify more IT companies inCMMI, ISO 27001, and ISO 20000. PSEB will also

place 1,500 IT graduates as interns at differentcompanies. For new IT park in Islamabad,

design consultancy will be completedfollowed by selection of contractor and

ground breaking. The work will alsostart on feasibility study for a

second IT park on PSEB'sland in Karachi.

Megaplus is oneof the largestIT solutionproviders inPakistan with

extremely diversified busi-ness model, operating since1994. With geographic pres-ence in Pakistan,Afghanistan, UAE, Kenya,Malaysia and Singapore,Megaplus is well positioned

to look after and cater tovarious kinds of customerrequirements and solutions.There are primarily four

Business Units (BU) inMegaplus with professionaland capable teams, lookingafter the needs of our es-teemed and valuable cus-tomers. First BU is our corebusiness, where we work as aSystem Integrator (SI) and

manage requirements of endcustomers. In this BU wehave executed lot of IT pro-jects successfully includingthe most recent 'ShahbazSharif 115,000 LaptopScheme' of 2017, which is ex-ecuted and completed in arecord period of 90 days. Weare able to close high valueprojects in time for our cus-tomers from multiple verti-

cals. Our passion of deliveringresults for you as a client isthe key where we put our ex-pertise to exceed your expec-tations. Megaplus is thelargest and oldest partner ofDell EMC and has been giventhe highest status of 'titanium'partner for Dell EMC. We arealso tier one partner ofLenovo, Microsoft CSP(Cloud Solution Provider)

and HP MPS (Managed PrintServices) where we caterprinting needs and require-ments of our customers andprovide customised printingsolutions at a fraction of acost compared to traditionalphotocopiers through re-cently introduced HP A3 & A4size printers/copiers based onHP's latest PageWide technol-ogy. We also work closely onCisco networking productsand solutions, Polycom audioand video conferencing solu-tions, HP enterprise products,VMware virtualisation solu-tions, Huawei networking &data center solutions andKaspersky & Sonicwall secu-rity solutions.In second business unit we

are the distributors for DellConsumer & Commercial PCproducts, HP PC's/Notebooks,Inkjet & Laser Printers & theirsupplies, LENOCOPC's/Notebooks, tablets, Mi-crosoft OEM & Volume Li-cense (VL) software & En-Genuis wireless networkproducts, where we stock andsell these products to various

resellers all over Pakistanthrough a team of profes-sional Channel Account Man-agers.Third business unit in

Megaplus is called 'PowerControl & Communication'(PCC) where we are the dis-tributors for Schneider Elec-tric low throughout voltageproducts including circuitbreakers, contactors, ACB,MCB, connectors, MCCB etc.,Honeywell for fire alarm &fire detection systems, secu-rity & surveillance, and homeautomation & VIRDI - a lead-ing Korean brand in Biometric(finger print & face recogni-tion) & Access Control sys-tems.Our fourth BU deals in ap-

plication development wherewe specialise in healthcare.Megaplus has its own in-housedeveloped software - HACIMS(Hospital & Clinical Informa-tion Management System) in

which we automate end toend operations of hospitals.HACIMS incorporates HL7that provides standard for theexchange of data amongworldwide healthcare com-puting applications. Severalother standards are also usedin conjunction with HL7 suchas ICD-10 disease codes, ICD-10 procedure codes, LOINC,DICOM. HACIMS is offeredon-premise as well as cloudhosted solution. We have over30 modules and they are de-ployed in various hospitalsthroughout Pakistan runningsuccessfully.Our vision and mission in

Megaplus is to be the firstchoice as the technology solu-tions provider for its clients indifferent territories whereMegaplus is operating. Ourexceptional team will makethis happen by deliveringabove par solutions backedby innovative, consistent and

extraordinary quality ser-vices.We deliver innovative, effi-

cient and state-of-the-art ITservices to businesses. Ourteam meets and exceeds cus-tomer's expectations by keep-ing customers interest firstand foremost.Our expertise surpasses

the norm of enterprise world,where our experts have in-depth knowledge and experi-ence of delivering complexsolutions, which have helpeddifferent organisations adaptto rapidly evolving industrytrends and technology inte-gration.Megaplus understands the

pressures that today's man-agement faces to increasecustomer service levels whileeffectively controlling costsand keeping up with the latesttechnology trends - and weare here to help every step ofthe way.

IoT (Internet of Things) isthe future technology.Exquisiteness of this ex-pertise is that machineshall interact or commu-nicate with another ma-

chine to perform certain works.Likewise, now the country's ad-ministration is switching them-selves towards smart and safecities. With this conception andhypothesis, we can track eachand every movement which canalso be reordered for future ref-erence. Under thisdevelopment,the purpose is to assimilatetransmission equipmentand In-ternet ofThings (IoT)knowledgein a reliable manner to accom-plish a city's resources.We have made a successful

deployment for the issuanceand SIM re-verification projectBiometric Verification System(BVS) (initiated on the direc-tives of PTA) in Pakistan. Wehave clinched a maximum ofmarket share. We have pro-vided front, mid & end tier so-lutions and a complete pack-age to the telecom sector.Besides the project of is-suance and re-verification ofSIMs; we have also provideddifferent menus & options fortheir Value Added Services

(VAS) which have proved tobe a great success in this pro-ject.Besides SIM manufactur-

ing, we are also dedicated pro-fessionals in biometric & ITsolutions. We have our own lu-minous software developmentteam, a group of dedicatedhardware engineers, databaseadministrators & network ad-ministrators for the serverend. We have a knack and su-periority for providing solu-tions to our customers accord-ing to their needs andrequirements. We have a com-mitted customer service staff

team, who are dedicated toprovide the best services totheir customers. We have anexclusive division for theSmart Card production. Ourconstituent is well-equipped tomanufacture ATM Cards,Debit Cards, & Loyalty Cardsetc.Kwick High Tech & Solu-

tions (Pvt) Limited is undoubt-edly a ground-breaking organ-isation of Pakistan where theyare providing comprehensiveconsultancy to their cus-tomers and tailor-made solu-tion according to their needsand requirements. They arethe pioneers in SIM and Plas-tic Card manufacturing in Pak-istan.They have developed solu-

tions for banking & financialsector too. For banking and fi-nancial sector, they have de-veloped branchless bankingsolutions and mobile wallet.Furthermore, they have devel-oped biometric account open-ing modules which have beendeployed in various banks inPakistan. In order to counterAML &CFT, they have devel-oped complete counter trans-actions module. A mobile wal-let is a way to carry your creditcard or debit card informationin a digital form on your mo-bile device. Instead of usingyour physical plastic card tomake purchases, you can paywith your smart phone ortablet. Here's an overview ofthe benefits of mobile walletsand how mobile wallet ser-vices generally work to makein-store purchases. Just holdyour device to pay and makequick purchases in mobileapps. No need to enter yourcard info. An ideal solution fore-commerce and online shop-ping. They have further devel-oped many desktop applica-tions for banking sector inwhich biometric involvementplayed a key role for openingan account. The biometrichelps to authenticate therecord of the customer fromthe national database. Theyhave used their solutions suc-cessfully for the disbursementof social payments too.Now they are developing

Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) which shall be cateringboth small and medium enter-prises along with corporateenterprises. This ERP shall becatering to finance, human re-source, sales & distribution,inventory, commercial inwhich customer profiling andtheir record retention alongwith Participated Tender up-dation. Enterprise ResourcePlanning expounds the delib-eration that it should have alarge-scale query and datahandling competency and ca-pacity. Normally ERPs arecogitated to gratify large enti-ties only but their ERP is de-signed for modern busi-nesses, both large and smallalong with medium enter-prises.They, along with their wide

range of biometric productline, have developed a hand-held solution which is inte-grated with biometric scanner

(Finger, iris, face detection),and Payment Secure AccessModule (PSAM), connectivitywith wifi, bluetooth, 2G/3G.This solution is developedspecially to those entitieswhich have the aim to provide'one step ahead' service totheir customers. This artefactis very widespread in differentindustries as it is a handy de-vice and easy to carry by thefield staff. Its supplementarycountenance of a battery packinstalled in it, substantiate itseffectiveness further. The ma-chine is a perfect solution forcountering terrorism and forboard security management.All incoming immigrant's datashall be stored and verifiedthrough this solution. Its ear-lier version was already beingdepleted for the registrationof Internally Displaced Per-sons. This solution is fully pro-ficient and accomplished forthe disbursement of socialpayments in a very translu-cent manner.This device can be utilised

as a high quality time and at-tendance management sys-tem. This solution is copiouslyaccomplished to process sub-stance testimonies. This solu-tion is rugged &water & dustresistant. They have imple-mented their own developedsecurity algorithms. Now interms of smart & safe cities,we have come up with differ-ent solutions. In connectionwith wide multiplicity ofsmart and safe cities whichare amalgamated with theirIoT products, these artefactsare now not the extravagancebut have become inevitabilityof the advent e.on. The smartcity challenge will addresshow emergent and evolvingtransportation data, technolo-gies, and applications can beintegrated with prevailing sys-tems in a city to address trans-portation challenges. Thisshall exhibit how advanceddata and Intelligent Trans-portation Systems (ITS) tech-nologies and applications canbe used to reduce congestion,keep travelers safe, protectthe environment, respond toclimate change, connect un-derserved communities, andsupport economic vitality.They are providing a wide

range of products along withtheir solutions. These include:* SIM, Smart, Banking andPlastic Cards Manufacturingsolutions* Biometrics (in Iris, FingerPrint etc.) solutions* Handheld* Desktop* Bluetooth* Middleware solutions.* Branchless banking & mo-bile wallet* ERP* Fleet management* Asset tracking* Smart building* Supply chain management* Smart energy* Healthcare* Smart agriculture (Improvi-sation of crop yield)* Industrial automation* Fuel monitoring* Smart transportation

Megaplus - Master IT solution providers in a competitive market

Kwick High Tech Solutionsfor smart living

and mission in Megaplus is to bethe first choice as the technologysolutions provider for its clients indifferent territories where Megaplusis operating. Our exceptional teamwill make this happen by deliveringabove par solutions backed byinnovative, consistent andextraordinary quality services.

Our vision

Mohammad Waseem RafiChief Executive Officer

Kwick High Tech & Solutions(Pvt) Ltd.

Asim BukhariCEO Magaplus Pakistan

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TX The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

“If we want to make thisgreat State of Pakistanhappy and prosperous weshould wholly and solelyconcentrate on the well-beingof thepeople, and es-

pecially of themasses and thepoor.” -Quaid-i-AzamMohammadAli Jinnah

For bridging the access gap,around a decade ago, many coun-tries in South Asia, Latin Americaand Africa were running schemesfor providing subsidy to private op-erators and bidding the subsidy oncompetitive basis to keep the costas low as possible for proliferationof telecom services. There was agreat need in Pakistan to take thesame initiative for bridging the dig-ital divide and enabling the peopleof less privileged areas. So after alot of groundwork, Ministry of In-formation Technology in 2006 cameup with the idea of establishingUniversal Service Fund (USF) tospread the benefits of the telecomrevolution to all corners of thecountry. This fund consists of con-tributions (1.5% of adjusted rev-enues) by the Telecom Operatorswith no Government funding in-volved.

There was also a general beliefthat initiatives taken by public sec-tor in Pakistan used to be either tooshort-sighted or did not sustain forlong due to lack of funds and weakimplementation procedure. The es-tablishment and management of

USF in Pakistan proved this per-ception completely wrong. In avery short period of time, USF putin its best efforts to ensure that itsinnovative structure and efficientexecution process becomes a role-model for many other countries tofollow. Specially in the past 04

years, due to the constant efforts ofMinister for IT, Anusha Rahman,USF has been able to create a dras-tic and unprecedented digital revo-lution in the country. The Ministerof IT has been the torchbearer oftranslating Prime Minister’s visionfor a “Digital Pakistan” and has en-

abled USF to transform the lives ofpeople of the country.

For those who might not beaware, the structure of USF Co (aPublic Private Partnership) is oneof a kind. USF has an independentBoard of Directors which is equally

balanced between four membersfrom the government and four fromthe private sector. CEO is the ninthdirector of the Board. The most in-teresting aspect of the compositionof USF Board is its diversification.Representation of the political lead-

ership, bureaucrats, technocrats,private sector and consumergroups in the board has enabled thecompany to implement an overalleffective, well-balanced and trans-parent system.

The very fact that USF hasmade a remarkable difference dur-ing the past few years in the lives ofpeople across the country is verysatisfying. Through the broadbandfor Sustainable Development Pro-gramme, USF has been aggres-sively working to provide telecom

services to the unserved Mauzasacross the country. After the is-suance of 3G/4G licenses by theFederal Government, this pro-gramme was redesigned to includethe broadband equivalent data (in-ternet) services as a compulsorycomponent. For new projects,powering of telecommunicationsite through solar energy was alsomade a part of each project. Since2013, services are being provided inKalat, Sibi, Zhob, Shangla,

Continued on page XIV

Universal Service Fund:A journey towards sustainable development through ICTs

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T XIThe NewsT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

USF‘s

another major programme aims to extend the reachof optic fiber connectivity to un-served Tehsils, sothat modern day information highways reach up toTehsil level. USF is proud of the fact that more than6,785 kms of optic fiber cable is being laid toconnect un-served tehsils.

USF Project “ICTs for Girls” is playing acolossal role for knowledge enhancement and

ultimately the financial independence ofwomen in Pakistan. Microsoft has

collaborated in this project to provide trainingto young girls which will empower and accredit

them to participate in socio-economicdevelopment of the country and will bridge thegender digital-divide. Through this program,thousands of girls at Pakistan Baitulmal are

being trained at the state-of-the-art computerlabs under the coaching and training program.This specialised program includes training oncoding, computing and communication skillscoupled with coaching from industry experts.The 2nd wave of this program is covering girl’s

schools in Islamabad to provide digitallearning to thousands of students in one cycle.Through this programme, computer labs will

be established in 226 schools andapproximately 110,000 students and 200

teachers will be provided training by Microsoft.The aim of this program is to increase the

employability potential of girls, so that they arefinancially empowered to take care of their

families in future

How does the creative processbegin?

It all started with a strong team vi-sion, we got together with one goal - tocreate something mind-blowing. As anewly established product team, webegan by drawing on our inti-mate understanding ofNokia's brand heritage anddefining a solid common vi-sion for what we are headingtowards.

The goal was to deliverfantastically durable andsmart devices that are at thesame time so beautiful thatyou fall in love with them.However, we believe thatlove develops over time.Whilst others try to trap yourattention with shiny, over-the-top designs, we take a moreunderstated approach. Oursmartphones will not blindyou, they will just keep de-lighting you as you use themuntil you end up in love, thegradual and undemandingprocess it should be.

What are your main de-sign principles?

Get the bones right first - athorough understanding ofthe fundamentals of what youwant to achieve. The designand engineering departments

work separately in a lot of organisa-tions but we work together. Phoneshave such intricate internals that youcannot design the exterior without un-

derstanding the

functionality of each part. Otherwise,you will affect the performance. Takethe antenna, for example. We haveseen in the past how disappointing theuser experience can be when design isthe only driver behind repositioning it.So we worked with our experiencedengineers to create a beautifully plainback panel by hiding the antenna lineson the edge of the phone without neg-atively impacting the performance.

Scandinavian simplicity and purityas opposed to complexity - reducingthe unnecessary: If you take awaywhat's not essential from a device, thefeatures that remain are naturally bet-ter quality as there is more attentionand space for them. Think about For-mula One racing cars - the engine isnow part of the chassis, it is all in onepiece, reduced and simplified. Andthey have never been more powerful.Also, let's be honest, the more super-fluous parts you can remove, the lesschance there is for quality issues. Andby focussing on essential features, youcan reduce the overall size of the

smartphone too.

Design with pur-pose: When decidingwhich materials touse for the chassis, westarted by determin-ing what qualities aremost important to usand the Nokia users.We wanted phoneswhich are solid,durable and feel goodin the hand. Metal pro-vides durability but

piecing together separate parts to cre-ate a shell results in a higher risk ofthem breaking apart and disruptingthe structural integrity - not somethingwe were prepared to compromise on.So we invested in a metal unibody -each Nokia smartphone is carved froma single block of aluminium, a processwhich takes 12 hours per unit. Andwith the shell being made out of asolid metal block, we didn't need toadd a supporting structure inside tohold the parts together which reducedthe space requirements and resulted inthe compact size we were looking for.

Excellence in visual mechanics:People buy on emotions. We can't helpbut react to how the look of somethingmakes us feel. That is why, often,beauty overrides logic - consumers areknown to choose the aestheticallypleasing device over the supercom-puter. It's a hard-balancing act to fitperformance into a shell designed inisolation, which is why we work fromthe outset with engineering, making itpossible to bundle functionality andusability with a sleek and beautiful de-sign. Once the bones of the structureare in the right place, we look at formand colours, the all-important visualside of things, to deliver the completepackage.

You have chosen two very differentproduct form factors, what was thelogic behind the choices?

Not everyone has the same prefer-ences when it comes to the size,weight, shape and colour of theirsmartphones. So instead of trying toget it almost right for the largest set ofconsumers, we decided to get it ex-actly right for everyone by creating aportfolio.

First, we focused on creating a natu-ral, pebble-like, soft ergonomic formfactor. It is a very human shape and al-though it takes a lot longer to manufac-ture than a flat line, we were deter-mined to invest in it to trigger thatemotive response we all have to naturalobjects. Emotions are not easily mea-surable and certainly not logical but ithas taken us many years of experiencein the industry to know what triggersthem. And we are willing to break therules and invest in those subtle features,like the pebble shape, which our cus-tomers may not even realise are there inthe first instance. However, it is thesefeatures that will make them fall in lovewith their phones over time.

Then, we experimented with de-signing ergonomics that stop shortfrom being completely rational - ashape that is ultra-cool, edgy and dif-ferent. With sharp machined side wallsthat could kill, this design has attitude,it is not trying to be loved. The smart-phone makes a strong statement toour customers who are looking forsomething meaningfully different.

How do you discover those irra-tional desires?

We conduct a lot of research. It isnot about asking people to tell us whatsmartphone designs they want. Wewant to find out more about the otherbrands and products they like. Thenwe use our knowledge of consumerbehaviour to draw our own conclu-sions on the common factors behindthose affections and the emotive trig-gers they provide.

Talking about other brands andproducts, what did you draw your in-spiration from?

Coming from our roots, we draw in-spiration from the minimalism andsimplicity of Scandinavian design andarchitecture. The most iconic objectfor us is the wavy glass vase by Scan-dinavian architect and designer AlvarAalto. His pieces are simple but alsomemorable and confident in theiruniqueness.

We also look at popular fashion. Wenoticed that copper, for example, ismaking a subtle comeback into house-ware as part of the trend for naturalmetal colours to be incorporated intoeveryday fashion. The metal colourswe are using are honest and natural,avoiding the bright cheap metalswhich could be perceived as Christ-mas decorations. Another colour weused was the colour of tempered steel- when heated to 600 degrees, steelturns a very deep, rich, silky blue. Thiscolour also triggers pleasant familiar-ity from its resemblance to the darkdenim and deep blue leather goodsItalian fashion houses featured in theirrecent collections.

Concluding remarksThings we are fighting for as de-

signers are not logical, some of ourchoices may, to the untrained eye,look the same and cost more. How-ever, those are the features which givea smartphone its emotional appeal.And we've learned when to break therules. Even when phones sell, the de-sign team often doesn't get the kudosas people often assign the success totechnical specifications. But it is easyto get bored by the spec race so it istime to give people real choice, andthe only way to do that is through de-sign.

With thelaunch ofR e d m i4X , Xi-a o m id e m o n -

strates i t s c ommi tmen tt o t h e ma rke t Thewo r l d ’s l e a d i n g tech-nology company X iaomiw i l l l a un ch Redm i 4Xi n Pak i s t a n on May20 t h 2 0 1 7 t h r ough dis-tribution pa r t n e rSmar tL ink Techno logy.

Xiaomi have disruptedthe Pakistani smartphonemarket when it unveiled

three smartphones, Mi Max,Redmi 4A and Redmi Note 4in February. It also broughtits amazing ecosystem prod-ucts such as Mi Band 2 andMi Power Banks rangingfrom 5,000 mAh to 20,000mAh.

With a considerable fangrowth in the country andwith the help of SmartlinkTechnologies, Xiaomi wasable to grab a strongfoothold within the country.As promised, extending theirpartners ‘consumer comesfirst’ philosophy, SmartlinkTechnologies will fulfill therequirement of Mi Customer

Care Centers within the lead-ing cities of Pakistan.

Redmi 4XRedmi 4X features a full

metal body, is incredibly slimat just 8.65mm thick andweighs a mere 150g.Equipped with a 4100mAhbattery, Redmi 4X has an im-pressive standby time of upto 18 days. It will be avail-able with 3GB RAM and32GB storage, so users canmulti-task more efficiently,while also having morespace for apps and images.Redmi 4X will be available

starting May 20th in black at18,900 PKR.

The smartphones will beavailable offline across thecountry and online at officialmistore.pk and at authorizedonline sales agents onlineshops at Daraz.pk andYayvo.com.

Every Redmi 4X will shipwith MIUI 8 which builds inseveral technology break-throughs such as being ableto clone apps and managemultiple accounts on thesame phone. This means thatusers can have two instancesof a messaging app on thesame phone that correspond

to different accounts, remov-ing the inconvenience of hav-ing to log in and out on thesame app. With MIUI 8, userscan also split their smart-phones into two accounts.This means that a differentpassword or fingerprint canallow users to access a dif-ferent home screen entirely,with different apps and datathat are completely indepen-dent. According to theirneeds, users can choose tomerge certain data such asthe address book and callhistory.

Marketing Director of

Smartlink Technologies,Ahmed Butt says, "Majorityof the Pakistani consumersprefer to purchase smart-phones remaining in thisprice bracket and thus thisbracket has always remaineda key market for all brands.We have confidence thatRedmi 4X will be a hit withinits own price bracket, as thesmartphone surely outper-forms its competition in themarket."

The device will also beavailable on SmartLink Tech-nology’s online platformstarting May 1st 2017.

Key features of Redmi 4X:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon435 with (Octa-core 1.4GHz)

• 4100mAh battery• 13MP camera with

PDAF; 5MP front camera• 5-inch HD display• Dual SIM (3-choose-2

hybrid SIM tray)• LTE support• 3GB RAM + 32GB Flash• Up to 128GB microSD

expandable storage• Rear fingerprint sensor• Available in Black

About XiaomiXiaomi was founded in

2010 by serial entrepreneurLei Jun based on the vision“innovation for everyone”.We believe that high-qualityproducts built with cuttingedge technology should bemade accessible to everyone.We create remarkable hard-ware, software, and internetservices for and with thehelp of our Mi fans. We in-corporate their feedbackinto our product range,which currently includes Miand Redmi smartphones, MiTVs and set-top boxes, Mirouters, and Mi Ecosystemproducts including smarthome products, wearablesand other accessories. Withmore than 70 million hand-sets sold in 2015, Xiaomi isexpanding its footprintacross the world to becomea global brand.

About Smartlink Tech-nologies

Established in 2016,Smartlink Technologies is abrainchild of a pool of pro-fessionals whose strong vi-sion and even stronger con-viction paved the way for anexclusive partnership withXiaomi. We believe in reach-ing out to both the low-endand the high-end consumersand still give out state-of-the-art and warranted productsat the best possible prices.We live in an age where thedigital world meanders fromsmartphones to smart every-thing – we see it all aroundus. Smartlink Technologiesstrives to connect latesttechnology with modern andinnovative sales techniquesto change not only howbrands are marketed but alsohow they define themselves.

Falling in love with Scandinavian Design- the story behind the new Nokia smartphones

Xiaomi brings Redmi 4X toPakistan in partnership with

Smartlink Technologies

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TXII The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Raun Forsyth and Alasdair Mcphail, design

directors at HMD Global, led the team behind the

new Nokia smartphones - the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and

Nokia 6. Here they take us behind the scenes for an

intimate look into the design process from start to

finish, the principles of pure Scandinavian

simplicity and functionality, staying true to the

Nokia design heritage, and what it means to add

purpose to beautiful design.

National ICTR&D Fund isthe premier na-tional institu-tion which isdedicated to-

wards promoting an innova-tion and research commer-cialisation ecosystem acrossthe country. The company isinspired by the magic that in-formation and communica-tion technologies havebrought about in all our lives.It is focused towards makingPakistan a player in theknowledge economy by trans-

forming the company into aVenture Capital (VC) fund fo-cused on fourth industrialwave technologies and by ad-dressing gaps in the en-trepreneurial ecosystem. Itbelieves that a critical driverof the knowledge economy isa robust startup ecosystemwhich sets the pace for aholistic national transforma-tion.

An innovation and com-mercialisation centric ecosys-tem is pivotal to the formationof a knowledge economy.Emerging technologies suchas the ones highlighted in"The Fourth Industrial Revolu-tion"1 by Klaus Schwab aredisrupting and transforminghuman life in many facets.Tech startups are the buildingblocks of this innovation andresearch commercialisationecosystem, and the resultantknowledge economy. Thecompany has aligned itselfwith these changing dynam-ics. Going forward, the com-pany will focus on commer-cialisation and impact offunded projects and functionmore like a Venture Capital(VC) Fund, which will con-tinue to provide grants, butwith an emphasis on impactof funded projects.

The company was estab-lished in 2006 by the Federalgovernment, under Section 42of the Companies Ordinance,

1984. Over the last decade, ithas funded 130 high qualitytechnical projects worth morethan Rs 2 billion. The com-pany has also funded and ad-ministered the country'slargest undergraduate schol-arship program worth aboutRs 3.8 billion through whichmore than 4000 students wereawarded 4-year undergradu-ate degree scholarships in ICTrelated disciplines in some ofthe top universities of thecountry. It has, over the years,funded a series of programsand activities where emphasiswas given to achieve technicalexcellence, innovation, and itsdiffusion and positive impacton the economic growth ofthe country and for the bene-fit of the society at large.

The company is now set-ting up a series of incubationcentres across the country tostir an entrepreneurial driveamongst the young graduates.It has already setup a 21000sq. ft National Incubation Cen-ter (NIC) at Islamabad, whichwill host 40 incubatees everyyear for the next five years.Likewise, NICs are beingsetup, one each in Karachi,Lahore, Peshawar and Quettaand would be inducting theirfirst cohorts within the nextfew months. The company isalso looking to set up centresof excellence in Fintech,Robotics & Internet of Things

(IoT).A comprehensive national

level technical training pro-gram for freelancers is alsobeing launched this yearwhich will train approxi-mately 1 million freelancerswithin the span of 2 years. Anation-wide "ICT for Women

Entrepreneurship Develop-ment Program" has alreadybeen launched to tap the en-trepreneurial potential of Pak-istani women. The programwill train a total of 500 womenfrom across the country.

Taking cognisance of theremarkable pace at whichtechnology is transformingour lives, the company hasidentified specific horizontalsthat will be the focus of its ef-forts. This however does notinhibit its ability to fund pro-posals/projects from anyother ICT centric domains.The priority thematic areasare listed below:

Artificial Intelligence/BigData

Internet of thingsCloud/Cyber ecurityBlock chainShared economyVirtual/Augmented realityWearables, Implantables3D/4D PrintingRoboticsNeurotech

National ICT R&D Fund iscommitted to play its part inbuilding a progressive and vi-brant future for Pakistan.

Strategically placedin the heart of Pak-istan's capital, Is-lamabad, the Na-tional IncubationCenter (NIC) is at

the pinnacle of developing astrong entrepreneurialecosystem, helping technol-ogy entrepreneurs to buildsustainable products andcompanies.

Launched officially byMinister Anusha Rehman, onFebruary 07, 2017, NIC is Pak-istan's first of its kind innova-tion hub launched under thepublic-private partnership ofMinistry of Information Tech-nology & Telecom, NationalICT R&D Fun, Teamup & Jazz.With currently 21 startups in-cubated, NIC offers free ofcost workspace, incubation,acceleration (the JAZZ XLR8program), seed funding andaccess to 50M mobile cus-tomers.

This innovation hub alsooffers tech entrepreneurs ac-cess to industry leaders andworld-class mentors, whohelp in startups to realizetheir full potential. It also pro-vides Pakistani startups withthe resources required tobuild sustainable companies,which will boost the eco-nomic growth of Pakistan.

International and localpartners including FbStart,Google, Hult Prize, In-vest2Innovate and AcumenFund will be working withNIC, to drive economicgrowth in Pakistan through in-novation in Information andCommunication Technology(ICT).

Headed by Aamir Ibrahim,CEO, Jazz is laying the foun-dation of a sustainable techecosystem, and using the NIC,to provide resources and ex-pertise to enable young en-trepreneurs to fulfill their po-tential and assist them inbringing sustainable eco-nomic growth to their com-munities.

This initiative is alignedwith VimpelCom's groupwide'Make Your Mark' (MYM) pro-gram which aims to helpshape the future of the younggeneration. The campaign,which aims to build technol-ogy skills among the studentsand tech-literate young peo-

ple, also seeks to ignite localentrepreneurship for the goodof the economy of Pakistan.

Headed and Co - foundedby industry veterans ZouhairKhaliq and Parvez Abbasi,Teamup is the managing part-ner with Jazz for the NationalIncubation Center, a privateentity formed to help tech en-trepreneurs and pushing star-tups to greater heights by pro-viding mentorship andlinkages into the industry thatwill help these startups to ac-

celerate their businesses intosustainable companies- Im-pacting millions of lives every-day.

Teamup is building astrong ecosystem for nurtur-ing innovation for startups inPakistan with the goal to drivesustainable economic growth,commercialize startups andSMEs and empower them togrow through innovation anddesign.

Currently, Teamup is run-ning a 12-month program at

National Incubation Center inIslamabad that provides busi-ness support and access tomentors and investment.Since 2014, Teamup has accel-erated multiple startups inPakistan, which have gone onto raise over multi million incapital, scaled their busi-nesses, created over numer-ous jobs and deepened theirsocial and economic impactin the country. Teamup alsohas 75+ mentors and severalinvestors in its network, whoare all local and successfulPakistani entrepreneurs dedi-cated to support innovativestartups in Pakistan.

In February, 5 startupsnamely; Madhunt, Anzen, Ma-palytics, Getpayd, Helli, fromthe NIC, also a part of the Jazzxlr8 program, got an amazingopportunity to participate andshowcase their products atthe 4 Years From Now (4YFN) 2017 at the MobileWorld Congress in Barcelona.All teams had their respectivebooths from where they wereable to promote themselves,exhibit their products, attractinvestors and network withother startups & corporates.The startups managed to con-nect with a lot of possible in-vestors and potential partnersat the event for future syner-gies. Minister Anusha Rah-man, Veon Chairman AugieFabela, PTA Chairman Dr.Syed Ismail Shah, and CDFSOAniqa Afzal were also presentat the event.

The National IncubationCenter mission statement di-rects us not only to "advanceknowledge" but also to trainthem to be the economic con-tributors of our country'secosystem. We feel proud tohave several international andlocal partners who will beworking with NIC to drive theeconomic growth in Pakistanthrough innovation in infor-mation and communicationtechnology.

National ICT R&D Fund:Towards an innovation and

commercialisation ecosystem

National Incubation CenterIslamabad

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T XIIIThe NewsT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Launched officially by Minister AnushaRehman, on February 07, 2017, NIC isPakistan's first of its kind innovationhub launched under the public-privatepartnership of Ministry of InformationTechnology & Telecom, National ICTR&D Fun, Teamup & Jazz. With

currently 21 startups incubated, NICoffers free of cost workspace,

incubation, acceleration (the JAZZXLR8 program), seed funding andaccess to 50Mmobile customers.

TPL Trakker & NIC"The focus of TPL Trakker with NIC will be to provide selected start-upsphysical infrastructure; business, technological, and commercialization

support; cutting-edge research; networking and mentorship opportunities;and enabling their successful graduation for investment matchmaking. Ourvision places science and technology at the centre of developing a fast-

growing, internationally competitive, and export-driven industrial tech sector.TPL will identify key issues and challenges, set out strategic objectives and

targets, spread that knowledge amongst the wider entrepreneurial communityat the pre-incubation phase and spell out a detailed action plan to realize thevision by handpicking start-ups along the key verticals identified and helping

them grow through capacity building, access to finance and access tomarkets, both local & international.

A comprehensive national level technical trainingprogram for freelancers is also being launched this

year which will train approximately 1 millionfreelancers within the span of 2 years. A nation-wide"ICT for Women Entrepreneurship DevelopmentProgram" has already been launched to tap theentrepreneurial potential of Pakistani women. Theprogram will train a total of 500 women from across

the country.

The priority thematic areasare listed below:

Artificial Intelligence/Big DataInternet of thingsCloud/Cyber ecurity

Block chainShared economy

Virtual/Augmented realityWearables, Implantables

3D/4D PrintingRoboticsNeurotech

Given the prefolia-tion and expan-sion of 4G/LTE/3Gnetwork in thecountry, National

Information TechnologyBoard attached department ofMinistry of Information Tech-nology and Telecommunica-tion and Capital DevelopmentAdministration (CDA) joint ef-forts to empower the citizensof Islamabad with indige-nously developed mobile ap-plication that not only canhelp them to explore city lifebut also equip each citizenwith the direct access to lawenforcement agencies' andmost critical emergency con-tact numbers based on user'sGIS location.

This mobile based applica-tion will facilitate the citizensand visitors to have direct ac-cess to the following informa-tion based on their locations:

� History of Islamabad� About Pakistan�Metro Bus Stations� Emergency Numbers� Draw Route to destinations� Virtual Tours� Attractions� Treasures� CDA Complaint Manage-ment System

� Report a Crime� Report Cyber Crime� Gas stations� Hospitals� Police� Doctor� Art Gallery

� ATM� Library� Bakery� Banks� Lodging�Mosques�Museums� Car rental� Amusement Parks� Laundry�Pharmacy� Restaurants� Embassy� Schools� Shopping Malls� Bus Stations� University� Train Stations� Lawyers� Local Government Offices� Veterinary Care� Travel Agency� and may more to come

The first version of theapplication is launched forandroid based mobilephones and ready fordownload at Google appstore by searching "Islam-abad City App". It is alsoavailable for downloadfrom NITB and CDA's web-site as well.

Such initiatives will laydown a foundation and astep towards Smart City vi-sion of Ministry of IT andNational IT Board. In nearfuture, National IT Board isplanning to connect differ-ent citizen centric servicesto this app as well.

Friday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TXIV The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

Ministry of IT &Telecom first for-mulated NationalIT Policy on Au-gust 18, 2000.However, given

the augmented demand andgrowth for IT, it has become imper-ative to reformulate the NationalIT Policy. One that takes into ac-count its increasingly transformedrole across all sectors of socio-eco-nomic development, their acceler-ated digitisation and transforma-tional modernisation intointegrated components of a holis-tic knowledge based economy.With this in mind, Ministry of IT &Telecom has endeavored to draftan updated Digital Pakistan Policydocument based on multi-stake-holder model to rapidly transformthe IT and other sectors of econ-omy and to enhance economicgrowth. In this regard, Ministry hasengaged in consultations with allstakeholders (including various di-visions, public and private organi-asations, P@SHA, civil society,Academia, provincial govern-ments, IT & Telecom industriesand associations related to personswith disabilities etc) were givenforemost importance in the pro-cess. The consultations were car-ried-out in the form of meetings,workshops and seminars. Further-more, working groups, having rep-resentation from relevant stake-holders, were formulated for eachkey pillar of the draft policy anddifferent sessions of these workinggroups were also held to attaintheir valuable input to draft thepolicy document. Presently, thisMinistry is in the process of sub-mission of said policy document toECC for its approval.

This Digital Policy documentwill serve as the foundation pillarsfor the construction of a holisticDigital Ecosystem with advancedconcepts and components for therapid delivery of next generationdigital services, applications andcontent. It will serve as an aggrega-tor of demand for innovative digi-tal services and as a supplier ofdata for value added services andapplications. It provides an oppor-tunity for local entrepreneurs andfirms to acquire core competen-

cies, experience and credibilityand become better positioned tocompete on the internationalstage. The draft Digital PakistanPolicy 2017 is available on Min-istry's website for public views andcomments.

Establishment of Dot Pak-istan

Internet Corporation for As-signed Names and Numbers(ICANN) Board has passed resolu-tion on Internet Registry Dot Pak-istan, through which local commu-nity of Pakistan will now be able toregister and use internet domainsin Pakistan's native languages andscripts.

It is an important milestone

achieved by the Min-istry of IT to prolif-erate the digitalisa-tion and bridgingthe digital divide inPakistan throughpromoting localcontent. IT Minis-ter, on various oc-casions, has laudedthe efforts of teamMoIT, multi-stake-holder technical com-mittee members on inter-net registry Dot Pakistan,and team NTC on achieving thismajor internet governance initia-tive.

In December 2016, Ministry ofIT and Telecom had processed del-

egation request for the inter-net registry Dot Pakistan, in-consultation with stake-holders committeemembers from Academia,Civil Society, InternetCommunity, ISPAK, Na-tional Language Authori-ties, PASHA, PTA, Govern-ments etc.Pakistan has already suc-

cessfully completed the prepa-ration and evolution stages of

ICANN Fast track for IDNccTLDs.

ICANN, the Internet Corpora-tion for Assigned Names and Num-bers, is responsible for managingand coordinating the DomainName System (DNS) to ensure that

every address is unique and all in-ternet users can find valid internetaddresses. Through this resolution,National Telecommunication Cor-poration (NTC) is the manager forinternet registry Dot Pakistan.

The local language content indigital form has assumed a centralsignificance. IDN top-level domainnames like Dot Pakistan, will usherinto numerous opportunities andbenefits for internet users of Pak-istan by enabling them to establishand use domains in their nativelanguages and scripts.

By launching ccTLD Dot Pak-istan, internet accessibility forUrdu language users will be revo-lutionised as IDNs in native lan-guage will facilitate internet navi-gation much easier. It will helplocal citizens to access web ad-dresses using Urdu language.

IDNs posit an explicit advan-tage in targeting local markets,non- English speaking Internetusers, and for local promotions.Alongside, rising trend of E-com-merce in Pakistan will enormouslybenefit from this development byeliminating the language barriers.

E-commerce:Even though the e-commerce

industry in Pakistan is relatively

new, it is fast gaining traction. Thegrowth of e-commerce in Pakistancan have substantial results, as itallows for business to be gener-ated, the economy to flourish andmore competitive practices to beestablished. Since the auction of3G and 4G/LTE licenses, the e-commerce industry has had theopportunity to boost its extentand businesses.

E-commerce is a major tooltowards positive developmentof the country and Ministry ofIT, being an enabler towards IT& Telecommunication sectorhas taken the initiative to for-mulate an Inter-Ministerial Com-mittee for a fast-track implemen-tation of this critical initiative. Inthis regard, MoIT, as an enabler,through relevant stakeholderssuch as SBP has approved regula-tions regarding System Operators(PSO) and Payment SystemProviders (PSP). Another measureproposed by the IMC related to ef-forts on part of the Ministry of Fi-nance (MoF) to improve Pakistan'sranking on the Financial ActionTask Force (FATF) list from Greyto White to enable entry to credi-ble international players like Pay-Pal.

Presently MoIT, in-consultationwith relevant stakeholders, is inthe process of formulation of e-commerce regulatory frameworkfor the proliferation of e-com-merce eco-system to safeguard theusers and merchants' trust and willresolve longstanding barrier togrowth of Pakistani e-commerce.The initial draft is finalised andshared with relevant stakeholdersfor their input. Once finalised, thesame will be incorporated in Na-tional E-Commerce Policy by theMinistry of Commerce.

A Memorandum of Understand-ing (MoU) between Alibaba Group,China and Trade Development Au-thority of Pakistan (TDAP) issigned on May 13-14, 2017 duringPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visitto the Alibaba Headquarters inHangzhou, China. With the supportof the Alibaba Group and Ant Fi-nancial we hope to elevate ourlocal businesses to new heightsand bring them into the realm ofthe e-commerce platform.

Digital Pakistan Policy

Continued from page XIChitral, Chagai, Khuzdar, Awaran-Las-bela, Kohistan, Dera Bugti and Kha-ran-Washuk Although, the field teamsfaced immense hurdles in laying in-frastructure in some areas but theseprojects started bearing fruits verysoon and telecom services are cur-rently being provided in more than10,000 villages.

Second major landmark of USF isthe successful execution of broad-band programme which aims to de-liver the social and economic benefitsof ICTs to the masses through afford-able broadband, thus helping toachieve Government’s objective ofbreaking the poverty cycle and elimi-nating the social divide. It is pertinentto mention here that broadband isalso a key element of the United Na-tions Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) on poverty reduction and isglobally bringing a paradigm shift tothe way people run their lives. Whatmakes usage of broadband all themore important is that it is transform-ing every facet of communications,from entertainment and telephoneservices to delivery of vital serviceslike health care. More importantly, ac-cording to ‘The Lisbon Consensus’,adopted at the 4th InternationalTelecommunication Union, WorldTelecommunication Policy Forum onApril 24, 2009, the intervention of gov-ernment for broadband penetrationwas also endorsed. With broadbandcreating such a huge impact on peo-ples’ lives globally, USF launchedUSF broadband programme in2nd/3rd tier un-served urban areas.Special emphasis in this programmehas been on educational institutions,where the subsidy winners are re-quired to set-up computer labs (Edu-cational Broadband Centres), withbroadband connectivity in all thehigher secondary schools and col-leges in their respective areas andCommunity Broadband Centres forthose who cannot afford to have theirown computers. The success of thisprogramme is evident from the fact

that around 741,229 broadband con-nections have been provided in 552cities and towns.

USF’s another major programmeaims to extend the reach of opticfiber connectivity to un-servedTehsils, so that modern day informa-tion highways reach up to Tehsillevel. USF is proud of the fact thatmore than 6,785 kms of optic fibercable is being laid to connect un-served tehsils.

In order to not limit the utilisationof fund on broadband and optic fiberservices, USF adopted a novel ap-proach by taking Information andCommunication Technologies (ICTs)to grass root level in the country.

To execute all these projects, USFcame across various challenges toachieve the real objectives. Problemssuch as security, accessibility of civicamenities, power shortage, increasein cost (inflation, rupee exchangerate), high operational expenses andlow revenue generation were faced inimplementation of USF programmes.

In order to form a future course ofaction, USF has designed an innova-tive plan so that people can seekmaximum socio-economic benefitsthrough ICTs. This objective will beachieved through the project ‘Estab-lishment of Telecentres’. In presentscenario, telecentres are becoming avalued and recognised part of the de-velopment landscape all over the

world. According to USF model,these centres will provide public ac-cess to ICT services primarily forpeople in un-served and under-servedareas of Pakistan. This project hasimmense potential to open avenues

in the fields of education, small busi-nesses, and health-care and genderempowerment. Also, global studiesand practices have demonstratedthat telecentres have a strong linkwith achievement of Millennium De-velopment Goals (MDGs) and openvarious business opportunities for

entrepreneurs, students, females etc.Moreover, with the use of ICTs, tele-centres provide opportunities to fa-cilitate knowledge creation and shar-ing and can also strengthen orreplace the traditional system whichwas being used to acquire knowl-edge. Services that have beenplanned to be provided at these cen-tres are Civil Registration Services(Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce, etc)in collaboration with NADRA, SIMVerification and E-Services (E-Health, E-Agriculture, E-Banking, E-Education, E-Commerce and E-Tourism).

In short, all these initiatives alongwith innovative and futuristic ap-proach of USF have enabled the citi-zens of Pakistan to reap maximumbenefits from ICTs. It is important tomention here that what USF hasachieved so far would not have been

possible without the assistance of theMinister of IT, Anusha Rahman, whohas left no stone un-turned to triggersustainable development in the coun-try through the use of ICTs. With allthese inventive future plans, USF in-tends to reach even greater heights inyears to come.

PresentlyMoIT, in-consultation

with relevant stakeholders, isin the process of formulation of

e-commerce regulatory frameworkfor the proliferation of e-commerceeco-system to safeguard the usersand merchants' trust and willresolve longstanding barrier

to growth of Pakistanie-commerce.

By launching ccTLDDot Pakistan, internet

accessibility for Urdu languageusers will be revolutionised asIDNs in native language willfacilitate internet navigationmuch easier. It will help local

citizens to access webaddresses using Urdu

language.

Universal Service FundIslamabadCity App

On special directions and vision ofMOS IT & Telecom, the following fi-nancial and administrative steps aretaken� In compliance with BOD decision,all delegation of financial powerswere withdrawn. MD signatory toTIP bank accounts.

� Strict financial monitoring and su-pervision of TIP accounts and pay-ments

� Streamlining of financial system andHR system

� Conversion of all on road TIP vehi-cles to PSO fleet cards (savings).

� Condemnation of vehicles - Auctionof 24 vehicles- Rs.17.72 million) (in-come)

� Rationalization and Reduction oftemporary staff from 135 (as on30.6.2016) to 55 ( April 2017) (sav-ings)

� Administrative action against agita-tors/theft including blacklistingthem.

� Change of ownership of bulk metersin T&T colony Haripur to PTCL (re-sulted in saving of Rs. 10 million permonth since September 2016).

� Took over management of TIP Hous-ing Scheme. Freeze on activitiesthere

�NAB arrest of six TIP employeeswho carried out un-authorized bal-loting of plots in TIP housingscheme.

� Introduction of e office in TIP (bothat Haripur and Islamabad offices).

� Introduction of bio-metric atten-dance system in TIP Factory Haripur

� Fighting 64 court cases at various ju-dicial forums, including SupremeCourt.

� Re-designed and launched newWeb-site of TIP.

� After a break of five years, startedwork on production of telephonesets.Court Cases

� Total 64 Court Cases(TIP is taking proactive approach

in courts for pending disputes lyingthere for long periods of time andwerenot contested)

REVAMPING of TIP Haripur

Syed Khalid GardeziManaging Director TIP

Digita l Pak-istan, a s t e pt o w a r d sSma r t Gov-e r n a n c et h r ough e -

Gove r n anc e . P ak i s t a ni s h e ad i n g t owa rd s au-tomation on a l i g h t n i n gsp e ed by de v e l op i n gand dep loy ing mul t ip les o l u t i o n s t h a t a r e en-abling au t oma t i o n o fp r o c e s s e s and promot-ing t r a n sp a r en c y & effi-ciency o f t h e s y s t emth r ough I n f o rma t i o nand Commun i c a t i o nTechno l o g y ( ICT ) envi-ronment fo r governmento r g an i s a t i o n s . E-Gover-nance i s automat ing andde l i v e r i n g gove rnmen ts e r v i c e s t h r ough inte-gration o f v a r i o u s stand-a lone sys tems be tweenGovernment - to -Ci t izens(G2C ) , Government-to-Bu s i n e s s (G2B ) , a ndGovernment - to -Govern -ment (G2G ) s e r v i c e s .Th i s in teg ra ted sys temw i l l l e a d t owa rd s bet-ter d e l i v e r y o f govern-ment s e r v i c e s t o citi-zens, imp ro v edi n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h busi-ness and i ndu s t r y, citi-zen empowe rmen tt h r ough a c c e s s t o in-formation, a nd mo r e effi-

cient g o v e r nmen t man-agement.

National InformationTechnology Board (NITB)under the administrative con-trol of Ministry of Informa-tion Technology andTelecommunication (MoITT)is committed to implement-ing Federal Government ofPakistan's revolutionary e-Governance policies and vi-sionary approach in align-ment with Digital Pakistanon highest priority. In thisconnection, goals and targetsare clearly defined; and theirprogress is closely moni-tored.

Various arms of govern-ment have made significantprogress in deploying ICT

under e-government initia-tives. These solutions can becategorised into both e-gov-ernment and e-governancesolutions. Currently, severalinitiatives are being under-taken within the public sec-tor. The number of ICT pro-jects has increased over theyears resulting in adoptingapplication like e-Office (aproject of National ITBoard/Ministry of Informa-tion Technology and Tele-com), "e-Health" for federal

hospital, email services, citi-zen-facing applications andwebsites for quick citizen-to-government interaction anddissemination of informa-tion, SAP Financial System(used by AGPR), capacitybuilding programs for federalemployees through e-learn-ing, and revamping &strengthening core ICT in-frastructure and resourcesfor public sector organiza-tions; these are central to theestablishment of e-Gover-nance.

In alignment with the e-Governance objectives ofDigital Pakistan, NITB hadestablished a model of SmartGovernance which willclearly list out the verticalswhere intervention of ICTwill play a vital role in uplift-ing the country towards digi-tal environment.

Ministry of InformationTechnology and Telecom istaking different initiatives di-rectly or through its attacheddepartments that will lead to-wards:

* Better efficiency in massprocessing tasks and publicadministration operations,web-based (internet or in-tranet) applications can gen-erate savings on data collec-tion and transmission,provision of information andcommunication with citizens

and encourage sharing ofdata within and between gov-ernments.

* Improved citizen servicedelivery through well inte-grated and unified govern-ment application by keepingcomplex government struc-tures and relationships to-tally transparent to the citi-zen. It will also facilitate thecitizens to directly partici-pate in system improvement.

* Enhance transparencyand accountability, reducecorruption, increases open-ness and trust in government,and thus contributes to eco-nomic policy objectives. Spe-cific impacts include reducedgovernment spendingthrough more effective pro-

grams, transparency of deci-sion-making processes bymaking information accessi-ble - publishing governmentdebates and minutes, bud-gets and expenditure state-ments, outcomes and ratio-nales for key decisions, etc.

E-office application, asoftware to automate anddigitise the common businessprocesses across all govern-ment ministries, divisions,and departments. e-Office ap-plication computerise the

process of filling (internalcommunication module), in-ventory & procurement,human resource manage-ment, project management,and finance planning & bud-geting. This application is re-placing the traditional man-ual filing system byempowering the governmentoffices with digital environ-ment for efficient, transpar-ent, and effective disposal ofwork. E-office application isfully operational and de-ployed in nine (9) min-istries/divisions and nine (9)departments whereas, six-teen (16) ministries/divisionsand fourteen (14) depart-ments are in the process ofimplementation.

In the health sector, vari-ous initiatives under imple-mentation are aligned withthe Vision 2025. In this re-gard, automating hospitalmanagement workflows forpublic sector hospitals is oneof the key initiatives for abetter and more efficientpublic service delivery.Under this initiative, HospitalManagement InformationSystem (HMIS) project hasbeen deployed in ChildrenHospital at Pakistan Instituteof Medical Sciences (PIMS)in Islamabad and SheikhZayed Hospital in Lahore.This pilot project that pro-

motes the concept of "OnePatient - One ID" for all fed-eral government hospitalswill eventually be accessibleto doctors and medical staffin any government hospitalto maintain a unified and up-to-date profile of patients forcorrect diagnosis and dis-pensing the most suitabletreatment.

The set of e-Governanceinitiatives focusing on busi-nesses and citizens is the keyagenda of Government ofPakistan (GoP). By develop-ing websites, portals, andagency specific applications,NITB is facilitating the provi-sion of necessary informa-tion required by citizens ofPakistan and businesses.NITB has established andm a i n t a i n e dwww.pakistan.gov.pk, thegateway to the Governmentof Pakistan on internet thatgives a common entry pointto websites/portals for allFederal Ministries/Divisionsand departments. These web-sites and portal provide ahost of information specificto the concerned min-istry/division, citizen or busi-ness relevant informa-tion/rules/regulations, searchof relevant contents, accessto electronic or scannedforms/applications to down-load, linkages with other rel-evant sites, as well as e-mailaddresses and phone num-bers of concerned seniorgovernment officials.

During 2013-17, NITB hassuccessfully developed anddeployed around 25 newwebsites/portals, 15 agencyspecific applications (like on-line Grievance ManagementSystem for Overseas Pakista-nis at Wafaqi Mohtasib, On-line Complaint ManagementSystem for Ministry of Waterand Power, Citizen facing ex-ternal interface of FPSC por-tal,

Web based System for PMInternship Program, Web-based International Investorand Visa System for Board ofInvestment) and has ensurede-mail access to all ministriesand divisions. These initia-tives have resulted in severalbenefits like dissemination ofup-to-date information to cit-izens without having them to

visit government offices andfaster communication amongdifferent government depart-ments. On average around6.5 million visitors visit theGoP portal every year, whichmakes this the most effectivevehicles for citizen-govern-ment interaction.

Given the pre-foliationand expansion of 4G/LTE/3Gnetwork in the country, Na-tional Information Technol-ogy Board and Capital Devel-opment Administration(CDA) joint efforts to em-power the citizens of Islam-abad with indigenously de-veloped mobile application(Islamabad City App) thatnot only can help them to ex-plore city life but also equipeach citizen with the directaccess to law enforcementagencies' and most criticalemergency contact numbersbased on user's GIS location.This mobile based applica-tion will facilitate the citizensand visitors to have direct ac-cess to the following infor-mation based on their loca-tion

� History of Islamabad� About Pakistan� Metro Bus Stations� Emergency Numbers� Draw Route to destinations� Attractions� Treasures� CDA Complaint Manage-

ment System� Report a Crime� Report Cyber Crime� Gas stations� Hospitals� Police� Doctor� Art Gallery� ATM� Library� Banks� Lodging� Mosques� Museums� Car rental� Amusement Parks� Pharmacy� Restaurants� Embassy� Schools� Shopping Malls� Bus Stations� University� Train Stations� Lawyers� Local Government Offices� Veterinary Care� Travel Agency� and may more to come

The first version of the ap-plication is launched for an-droid based mobile phonesand ready for download atGoogle store by searching"Islamabad City App". It isalso available for downloadfrom NITB and CDA's web-site as well. Such Initiativeswill lay down a foundationand a step towards SmartCity vision of Ministry of ITand CDA. MoITT, NITB, andCDA are planning to connectdifferent citizen centric ser-vices to this app in the fu-ture.

NITB team, being a subjectmatter expert on ICT is provid-ing technical consultancy ser-vices to different federal gov-ernment organizations in theirprocess of revamping andstrengthening core ICT infras-tructure and capacity buildingfor e-readiness. These servicesinclude but are not limited torequirement analysis, tender-ing for ICT services and equip-ment, and technical assistancein preparing PC-I's. By provid-ing dedicated customer drivenICT based support and ser-vices, number of Federal Gov-ernment Min-istries/Divisions/Organizationshave improved their ICT in-frastructure to meet the e-readiness requirement for e-governance initiatives.

In pursuance of Vision2025, a comprehensive planfor e-learning based HumanResource Development in ICTto cater for the overall require-ments of the Public Sector hasbeen developed. Various train-ing programs for capacitybuilding are in progress in-cluding elementary, advanced,and professional trainings inthe field of ICT. In connectionthereof, more than 6500 fed-eral government employees indifferent disciplines of IT havebeen trained. Moreover, fullsupport is being extended toNational Internship Programfor the capacity building offresh IT graduates from theuniversities

Other Success Stories� Online Grievance Manage-

ment System for OverseasPakistanis.

� Online Complaint Manage-ment System

� National Internship Portal� Online Case Tracking Sys-

tem for Attorney Generalfor Pakistan

� Work Visa Online Applica-tion System for Board ofInvestment

Plans for FutureTo address the issues of

sustainability, interactivityand standardization of e-gov-ernance activities, NITB willbe establishing the frame-works, policies, and standard-ization for:

* IT Products/Services Pro-curement Framework

* IT Advisory Framework* Enterprise Architect

FrameworkNITB will continue its ef-

forts in providing technicalexpertise to federal govern-ment organizations in theirprocess of revamping andstrengthening core ICT infras-tructure and resources, estab-lishing citizen facing portalsand application.

In 2017-18, NITB is goingto initiate the following pro-jects under e-governance tofacilitate citizens, businesses,and government organiza-tions.

* E-health: Promote "OnePatient - One ID" by providing

all federal government admin-istered hospitals with a cen-tral Patient Registration Sys-tem; Outpatient &Specialties/Consultant, In-Pa-tient & Emergency/Casualty,Operation Theatres, IntensiveCare Unit (ICU), DiagnosticInformation, Patient Billing &Income, Medical Stores &Pharmacy, Medical RecordManagement System; andClinical Laboratory ModuleProvision of HR, Finance, Li-brary, Helpdesk, Assets man-agement system

* E-citizen: Portal forcross-agency citizen-centricgovernment information andservices. Provision (throughdevelopment or integration ofexisting applications) of allbasic citizen services throughsingle portal and/or mobileapp such as processes for get-ting birth/death certificate,domicile, CNIC, weapon regis-tration, driving license,

records from Law Enforce-ment Agencies, marriage cer-tificate / marital status, pass-port, Income and propertytax, senior citizen / old agebenefits and so on.

* E-women (Baytee):Strengthening the existing'ICT for Girls' initiative ofMOITT by providing a crossplatform app that can be usedto provide single interface tourban and rural female com-munity of Pakistan to have theaccess to following services:� Advocacy on Women

Rights, Information onLaws, Rules & Regulations,

� Search� Academic Institutes,

schools, colleges, and uni-versities

� Scholarship opportunitiesfor females

� Career development andtraining opportunities for fe-males

� Jobs and internships oppor-

tunities (females preferred)� Health Care Services includ-

ing hospitals and doctorsfor females

� Lodging and hostel facilitiesfor females

� E-jobs: Centralised portal tomanage process of hiring - notcovered by FPSC - from place-ment of job advertisement tillselection of the right candi-dates in federal governmentministries and department,profile management for jobseekers and employers, main-taining job seekers databasefor future analysis.� Smart Office: Automationof business processes thoughproviding unified communica-tion platform that includesbetter and more secure enter-prise collaboration,email/messaging services,VoIP based text, audio andvideo conferencing, paperlessfaxing facility, and contentmanagement system.

NITB: Focused on E-GovernanceFriday, June 2, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R T XVThe NewsT H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

PTCL has been serving thisnation for the past 70 years.Starting as the Post & Tele-graph Department in 1947,today it serves as the coun-try’s communication nerve

centre, and is a part of the everyday lifeof every Pakistani. It offers products andservices including voice telephony, fixedandwireless broadband, Over-the-Top ap-plications, digital television (Smart TV),carrier &wholesale, satellite services anddata centres, which serve the connectiv-ity needs of millions of consumers andbusinesses nationwide. Being an activemember of the Submarine UnderseaCable Network systems, the company en-joys the status of ‘Carrier of Carriers’,connecting Pakistan with the rest of theworld.Our vision is ‘to be the leading and

most admired telecom and ICTprovider in and for Pak-istan’. Being a Pakistanicompany and also hav-ing ‘Pakistan’ in ourname, we take it asour responsibilityto cater to cus-tomer’s needs andprovide them withthe latest technolo-gies available glob-ally, building a ‘digi-tal and connectedPakistan’.Each action we take re-

volves around our customersand in order to cater to the increasing de-mand for high speed internet, PTCL hasmade advanced broadband growth a keyfocus of its future direction. For instance,

in certain areas customers can now enjoyhigh speed internet up to 100 Mbps. An-other step towards this strategy is themassive network transformation projectwhich has already been initiated since

January 2017. With its completion,majority of our customers willbe able to enjoy uninter-rupted internet with higherspeeds of 20 Mbps, 50Mbps and 100 Mbps.

PTCL is the onlytelecommunicationcompany that has thelargest customer inter-action network with190 plus companyowned shops across thecountry. These shops fa-

cilitate customers with vari-ety of services within their

reach. Recently, 79 selected shopsacross the country were rehabilitated toprovide customers with premium cus-tomer care experience. These shops arealso equippedwith the latest Virtual Teller

Machines (VTM) where the customerscan pay their bills 24/7 at their own con-venience.To serve our technology-savvy audi-

ence, PTCL has improved its website,launched PTCL touch mobile applicationand increased the usage of the e-care andsocial media channels. With these chan-nels the customers can see their orders,track them through the processes and seethem fulfilled. Similarly, customers cantrack their complaints, chat with the sup-port executives online, see live usage ofbroadband package, payment of out-standing dues etc. A centralised e-careteam has also been established, wherebycountry-wide customers’ complaints re-ceived through various electronic chan-nels are addressed promptly to the satis-faction of our customers.Bringing world class entertainment to

our customers’ doorstep, PTCL becamethe only telecommunication company inPakistan to collaborate with Netflix, theglobal internet television network. It hasalso partnered with iflix, the world’s lead-ing Subscription Video-on-Demand(SVoD) service for emerging markets andIcflix, the Middle East and North Africa’sleading Internet streaming service. Thesepartnerships allow PTCL to provide itscustomers access to thousands of hoursof high quality streaming content whichcontains movies, dramas and contents forkids. PTCL also hosts caching servers forGoogle, YouTube and Daily Motion, offer-ing a superior viewing experience.PTCL today is a modern and forward

looking company that enjoys distinctleadership in the ICT sector. Serving asthe communication backbone of thecountry since inception, we are em-barked upon the mission of being thepartner of choice for our customers. Wehave focused our energies and resourcesto deliver services to our customerswhich they expect from us - that is thereal success we are aiming towards.

Saturday, May 6, 2017S P E C I A L R E P O R TXVI The News T H E P O W E R O F D I G I T A L P A K I S T A N

to be the leading and most admired telecom and ICTprovider in and for Pakistan’. Being a Pakistani companyand also having ‘Pakistan’ in our name, we take it as ourresponsibility to cater to customer’s needs and providethem with the latest technologies available globally,building a ‘digital and connected Pakistan’.

Our vision is

PTCL today is amodern and forwardlooking company that

enjoys distinctleadership in the ICTsector. Serving as thecommunicationbackbone of thecountry since

inception, we areembarked upon themission of being thepartner of choice forour customers. Wehave focused ourenergies and

resources to deliverservices to our

customers which theyexpect from us - thatis the real success weare aiming towards.

‘‘

‘‘

Message from

Dr Daniel RitzPresident & CEO, PTCL

Tele c o mm u n i c a t i o n sh a s a f f e c t e d humanl i v e s l i k e no o t h e rtechnology. People areb e t t e r c onnec t e d , bet-ter equipped and better

i n f o rmed t h an e v e r b e f o r e .Te l e commun i c a t i o n technolo-gies have enab led peop le to f indi nnov a t i v e s o l u t i o n s o f t h ep r ob l ems f a c ed by de v e l op i n gwor ld and improve s tandards o fl i v ing .Pakistan, with over 139 million cellu-

lar subscribers, has been on the fore-front of the ICT revolution and the initi-ation of telecom services in the country.The ICT revolution has further propelledgrowth and innovation in many sectors.The introduction of 3G/4G launch inPakistan proved to be a key develop-ment in this context. When formallylaunched, it quenched the frantic needof quick access to data and services,while also bridging the technologicalgap between the developed and develop-ing countries.Ufone, an Etisalat group company,

has spearheaded this transformation.Fully realising the potential of telecomservices, Ufone has focused on develop-ing the whole ecosystem to utilize thistechnology with its innovative productsand services, be it aid disbursement toflood or earthquake affectees or launchof affordable 3G handsets.Balochistan, geographically the

largest province of Pakistan, with a pop-ulation of about 7.7 million, has the low-est number of mobile phone users. 46percent of Balochistan's population hasno access to either mobile, wireless or afixed line network.Expanding telecom services in

Balochistan is a priority of Ufone. Ufoneis currently present in about 275 citieswith largest coverage in the provinceand plans on installing over 400 newbase transceiver stations (or mobiletowers) to provide mobile 2G/3G ser-vices in remote areas.Ufone has extensive plans to further

develop telecommunication infrastruc-ture in the province. This will includeproviding voice services and other valueadded services under 3G licenses.Universal Service Fund (USF) was

established by the Government of Pak-istan (Ministry of Information Technol-ogy) in 2006 to spread the benefits of thetelecom revolution to all corners of Pak-istan. USF promotes the development oftelecommunication services in un-served and under-served areas through-out the length and breadth of the coun-try.Balochistan and its cities have

presently been under the focus for newprojects related to deployment of opticfiber, rural telephony, broadband and e-services. Of course, the development ofICT-enabled infrastructure in under-served areas will support the mega pro-jects of CPEC in future.To date, Ufone has won 5 USF lots in

Baluchistan worth PKR 11.4 billion and2 more lots are in awarding process.Ufone has been rolling out servicesunder the Broadband for SustainableDevelopment' (BSD) in different areasof Balochistan which include Sibi, Lo-ralai, Killa Saifullah, Barkhan, Kalat,Khuzdar, Chagai, Mashkhel, Awaran andLasbela districts.The development projects of

telecommunication infrastructure withthe financing of USF is indispensabletowards the expansion and penetrationof ICT services across the country, espe-cially in Balochistan which is likely togive a synergetic effect to China-Pak-istan Economic Corridor (CPEC) alongwith benefiting the people of theprovince by connecting them to a worldof opportunities.Ufone's focus on Balochistan ex-

tends beyond growing the telecom ser-vices network. Recognising thatBalochistan is home to a lot of unac-knowledged talented, Ufone chose twogifted sportsmen from Balochistan lastyear as brand ambassadors to highlighttheir achievements. Fazal Mohammad,21, football player belonging to Khuzdarand Hayat Achakzai, 33, a boxer fromQuetta, both have triumphed in theirchosen fields.Ufone is committed to continue and

empower people in all areas of Pakistanby providing them with telecommunica-tion technology, and broadening hori-zons along with opening up new possi-bilities for their growth anddevelopment.

On the forefront:Ufone set to change

Balochistan’stelecom ecosystem