Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd. (PTCL), Huawei Technologies Pakistan and Hewlett Packard (HP) Tuesday signed an agreement to jointly launch their ‘Network Operation Center’ project which has state-of-the art fault detection and resolution technology, at an impressive ceremony at the PTCL Headquarters.

Mr. Walid Irshaid, President & CEO, PTCL, termed the project “a landmark project for all three stakeholders” and stressed the need for serving PTCL’s customers all across Pakistan to the best of the ability that PTCL had. He expressed his sincere hope that this project would strengthen the relationship PTCL shared with Huawei and that HP would become an important partner in the transformation that had been initiated at PTCL.

Mr. Irshaid emphasized that although the Network Operation Center project was a back-end system, the ultimate beneficiaries were the valued customers of PTCL. Mr. Yixiang, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, appreciated PTCL’s foresight in selecting Huawei as a solution provider for the project. He said the project was breaking new ground, as it was the first of its kind in Pakistan, which would lead the way for similar programs in future.

Mr. Joseph Poon, Vice President, HP, South East Asia, appreciated both PTCL and Huawei for choosing HP for implementing the project and said his company was committed to ensuring that the project becomes “a true success story.”

Elaborating on its functionality, he said the project would provide the following services:

• Establish one main network operation center and three regional ones; one each in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
• Implementation of an alarm management system across the entire PTCL network in an integrated manner.
• Implementation of a traffic management tool performance monitoring and capacity management.

Mr. Nehmatullah Toor, SEVP Finance, signed the agreement on behalf of PTCL, Mr. Yixiang, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan signed on behalf of his company and Mr. Poon represented HP. Also present at the ceremony were PTCL’s SEVP HR&A, Mr. Ismail Taha, SEVP Procurement, Mr. Feisal Elkathiri and SEVP Commercial, Mr. Sadik Al-Jadir.  Once in place, the network operating centers will enable automated fault detection and correction in any location in Pakistan for the convenience of PTCL subscribers.

Telenor Pakistan has launched another environmentally-friendly initiative by using solar energy to power one of its repeater sites in the NWFP. Telenor Pakistan is the country’s first mobile communications services provider to have started using solar energy to power a commercial site.

The pilot site, which is in Buner, is a solar-electricity hybrid system that runs entirely on solar energy during the day and switches to electricity or battery power at night. Such Telenor Pakistan’s use of alternate energy sources in its operations is of particular significance considering that the company has the fastest growing network in the country.

“Telenor Pakistan continues its efforts to roll out modern networks in a socially responsible manner, delivering on environmental and health and safety standards,” says Chief Technical Officer Telenor Pakistan Peter Anthony Dindial. “We are first in the industry to have started using solar energy to power a commercial site. We aim to help reduce the load on the national power grid through innovative solutions and in longer term we mean to upscale this pilot project to other parts of the country after assessing its success. Such solutions are more eco-friendly and less of a burden logistically in difficult terrains, where mobile coverage might be needed the most, and constant generator refueling might be an issue. The industry must boldly experiment with alternate energy solutions in order to connect the remote, unconnected populations of Pakistan in a sustainable manner.”

Although the solar panels used in the unit are imported, the batteries, cables and installation expertise are all local. The solution involves a one-time cost but requires low maintenance, thus also reducing capital and operational expenditure in the long-term.

Telenor Pakistan plans to expand the use of solar energy to power other BTs sites in the country. Another area of focus for the company is to create and install other hybrid power combinations such as solar-genset, solar-electricity, and solar-wind to power its BTS sites across Pakistan.

The Telenor Group is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communications services. Telenor ranks as one of the biggest GSM service providers in the world with over 133 million subscribers. Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor ASA and adds on to its operations in Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

PTCL the largest integrated telecommunications service provider in Pakistan is pleased to announce the introduction of SKYLINK satellite communication services for Corporate customers and telecom operators for domestic and international communication applications.

PTCL is the most experienced operator in the satellite communication domain and has extensive ground support, operations and implementation infrastructure to service a variety of satellite communication applications such as:

• Leased line services for domestic & international connectivity
• Cellular backhaul
• Enterprise applications including remote site connectivity
• Other satellite connectivity solutions tailored for telecom carriers and Corporate customers

SkyLink services are based on advanced satellite technology providing dedicated point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectivity between sites within the coverage footprint. SkyLink offers high-quality 64Kbps up to n x Mbps links between locations. Key features of PTCL SkyLink service are:

Reach – SkyLink is available everywhere in the country due to strong footprint of our satellites of choice.
On Ground Presence and Experience – PTCL’s field operations, network monitoring, and management systems are present on ground, in close proximity to the remote locations.
Rapid Deployment – SkyLink can be deployed quickly on geographically dispersed sites.
Uniform Quality of Service – All sites within PTCL SkyLink network provide the same consistent quality of service, regardless of their geographical location.
Cost Effective – Highly competitive rates.Flexibility- The size of SkyLink network can be readily expanded depending on business operation needs, with end-to-end control from a central hub.

Press United to Serve Humanity (PUSH) demanded to end the ‘unjustified internet censorship’ in Pakistan and asked for a list of the banned websites in the country.

Press United to Serve Humanity (PUSH) demanded that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) website should contain a list of banned websites in Pakistan which could be approached by public.

It was also demanded that a procedure should also be given to review the decisions of blocking such websites.

It is pertinent to mention that PUSH is a Pakistan-based non-profit, non-governmental, and non-sectarian consortium of journalists working for the freedom of press and protection of human rights, in the context of the call by Reporters without Borders (RSF) to observe March 12 as “World Day against Cyber Censorship.”

The PUSH note revealed that a recent poll revealed that almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right and the international bodies such as the UN are also pushing for universal net access.
Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said the right to communication could not be ignored adding the situation in Pakistan was very strange as any website could be blocked by Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) without telling any reason or communicating with the webmaster.

“With a recently-issued regulation, on direction of Government of Pakistan, PTA can block access to internet or any single URL without mentioning the reason for the ban, having said that, we don’t have any rules for banning or for allowing a website. This is really funny and looks like you are to appearing for an exam with no books to study, while examiner will use his/her will to pass it. Regulation aimed at National Security Concerns, is feared to be used by politicians for their own benefits, for instance, a Youtube video was recently banned in Pakistan that showed President Zardari’s speech in Lahore.”

It is said that last year, the PTA blocked links to a video alleging the misuse of power by Naval Chief who was shown as alleged land grabber whereas in February 2008 elections, Youtube website, which hosts a video clip that showed election rigging by a major political party, was blocked in Pakistan but according to PTA the ban was because of the number of “non-Islamic objectionable videos” hosted there .

The webmaster of the leading website also reported recently that the PTA has directed that the site be blocked on an Internet Protocol level. The webmaster alleges that the site has been blocked for hosting anti-government content, though the PTA has cited no reason for the clampdown.

You simply cannot block a website on the basis of having a strong and opposing opinion, because in a country where anti-Islamic or Anti-Pakistan site’s are not blocked and even in an Islamic state where practically millions of pornographic sites are wide open so the whim of blocking a particular site based upon strong criticism against a certain group of individuals in power should not justifiable or even accepted by society.” The webmaster criticized.

The official order for blocking the website issued by Director General Enforcement of PTA is also circulated on the cyber space.

PUSH Pakistan, while quoting the Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” condemns this unjustified censor policy adopted by the telecom authority.

PUSH claims that it has a clear stance that such censorship on the internet access mounts to curbing online free expression and it is actually another form of suppressing the media and freedom of expression.

Telenor Pakistan has announced that it now has 15 million customers – a landmark it has achieved in less than 3 years of operations. In FY06-07, the company grew nearly 200% in terms of customers, experiencing the highest growth in the industry by a wide margin compared to its competitors.

In year 2007, Telenor Pakistan scored on several fronts with customers, the government, analysts, and telecom experts. The company turned EBITDA positive in Q2 2007, won both the awards for ‘Most Innovative Mobile Operator’ and ‘Mobile Operator with the Most Consumer Pull’ at the 6th SAARC Communication Industry Conference 2007, was recognized by the Pakistan Society of Human Resource Management as the Most Preferred Telecommunications Company 2007, and won the first Universal Service Fund project to provide communication services to the un-served villages of the Malakand division. The company has also achieved great success in attracting customers after the launch of Mobile Number Portability.

The company came out with the first-ever Corporate Responsibility report in the mobile industry last year, setting new standards of transparency and responsibility. Telenor Pakistan is well-recognized by the development sector in Pakistan for the amount of Foreign Direct Investment it has brought to the country.

Commenting on what has propelled Telenor Pakistan to achieve such performance within less than 3 years of operations in the face of intense competition, Telenor Pakistan’s CEO Tore Johnsen said, “Telenor Pakistan is obviously different from the competition. Our culture is different, our values are different, and our focus on business fundamentals is a little different as well. We are building core strengths and utilizing them better than anyone else at this point I believe. Today we have the second largest network with the largest GPRS and EDGE capability, the most diverse products and services, the fastest growing distribution, and one of the strongest organizations in the industry. Telenor Pakistan is fully involved with its key stakeholders and trusted as a friend of the community.”

Mobilink today announced the winner of the ‘JAZZ Malamaal Lucky Draw’ in Peshawar making Amraiz Khan, Jazz pre-paid customer from District Noshera as the winner of One Crore rupees.

Mobilink recently launched “JAZZ Malamaal” throughout Pakistan for its very large base of valued JAZZ users – the popularity of JAZZ being unprecedented in the history of the telecommunication sector. The prizes were determined through a random process, which is supervised by PMCL’s auditors to ensure all participating customers have an equal chance of winning. All pre-paid consumers were eligible to win thousands of prizes simply by recharging a cumulative balance of Rs. 100 through Scratch Card or Easy Load.

The third and final draw of JAZZ Malamaal was held today and the grand prize of Rs’1 Crore’ was won by Amraiz Khan from District Noshera. This lucky draw also included 4 additional prizes of 1 lakh each. Won by Maqbool Ahmed of Hyderabad, Mazhar Iqbal of Okara, Ch Babar Mushtaq of Islamabad and Hameed-ur-Rehman of Mardan (NWFP) respectively.

Amraiz Khan, the ‘Winner of Ten Million draw’ from Noshera was very excited and did not believe when informed of the grand ‘JAZZ Malamaal’ prize, saying “I don’t have words to explain my feelings, firstly all praise and thanks to Allah for His benevolence and secondly to Mobilink, it has reshaped my life. This special gift will enable me to fulfill my aspirations in life and also encourage me to help the needy people of my district.”

Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is organizing networking events in Houston, Austin, Las Vegas, Palo Alto and Chicago, which are the hub of IT activities in USA.

Networking sessions and meetings have been arranged with the leading Blue Chip brand companies, Chambers of Commerce and Government entities in collaboration with Texas Trade Council (TTC), Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs in North American (OPEN), Pakistan’s Embassy in USA and various other local partners, a spokesman of PSEB said in a statement.

USA is the world’s leading global destination for ICT outsourcing activities with 60% share in the total global outsourcing market. USA is also a major source of exports for Pakistani IT companies and accounts for more than 58% of their export earnings.

The main purpose of these meetings and networking sessions in USA is to promote the incentives and opportunities offered by Pakistan IT sector, rectify the misconceptions generated by media about Pakistan, foster business collaboration with American IT companies, enable Pakistani IT companies to learn from the successful experiences of their counterparts and expand their presence, the spokesman explained. During these sessions and meetings, foreign companies would also be encouraged to set up their development/competency centers in Pakistan, he added.

The PSEB delegation comprises of eleven member companies, which are renowned in their respective areas of expertise. These companies include: Post Amazers- specialized in graphics, animation and multimedia services, Palmchip Pakistan- experts in customization ad integration of vertical market applications, Progressive Systems- specialized in the development of web portals, web applications, enterprise mobile applications, Intagleo Systems- recognized experts in developing applications for financial sector, Server4Sale- known experts in the area of website hosting services with integration of related applications, PrisLogix- providers of multimedia solutions and health care ERP, GoodCore Software- providing services for the development of business applications, CTO 24/7- specialized in system integration and the development of business applications using Microsoft tools and technologies, Digital Processing Systems Inc- providing services for the development of application and system softwares, Xorlogics Inc- specialized in database applications and mobile applications, and Digital Prodigy- specialized in software development services in the fields of e-commerce, healthcare and mobile applications.

PSEB regularly arranges participation of member companies in trade fairs and exhibitions across the world to promote Pakistan IT Industry’s brand. Earlier, PSEB arranged various country-focused networking events in London, Manchester and Glasgow in UK, and Dublin in Ireland. These events were highly successful and various business leads were generated by the participating companies

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With an IT Industry worth more than USD 2.8 billion, including annual IT exports exceeding USD 1.4 billion, Pakistan is eyeing to increase the size of its IT sector to over USD 11 billion by 2011. “IT export oriented initiatives by PSEB are not only enhancing the country’s image abroad but are also having a positive impact on the IT export related earnings of the country”, the PSEB spokesman said.

The operational costs in Pakistan are 30% lower than neighboring country India, while the infrastructure advantages of high-speed connectivity in all the major cities are available at competitive rates. According to “Buying Triangle”, the operational cost for a full time employee is USD 58,598 in USA, while it is USD 23,708 to USD 35,562 in India and only USD 9,000 in Pakistan, the spokesman added.

PSEB is a Government agency mandated to promote Pakistan’s IT Industry, including software, services, hardware and call centers locally and globally. PSEB regularly sponsors attendance by its member companies in International Trade Shows and Exhibitions that help companies showcase their capabilities and develop business contacts. PSEB has been facilitating the IT Industry through its programs in Human Capital, Office Space, Marketing, Company Capability Development, Telecom Bandwidth, Industry Finance, Public Policy, Strategy & Research, and Facilitation.

Mobilink today announced the launch of its pilot project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), GSMA Development Fund and Accenture Development Partnerships, to enhance the mobility and communication needs of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) in rural areas.

Signing ceremony between Mobilink, The Ministry of Health, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and GSMA Development Fund, was held at a press conference in Islamabad, which was attended by Mr. Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink; Dr. Assad Hafeez, National Coordinator LHW Program; Dr. Hulki Uz, Deputy Representative UNFPA; and Mr. Moatassim Aidrus, Project Manager, GSMA Development Fund.

Mobilink’s pilot project for the LHW ‘s includes a low-cost phone bundled with a Jazz SIM and a Mobilink PCO, that will enhance the mobility of Lady Health Workers, improve communication for timely referral of patients and allow the Lady Health Supervisors to monitor the activities of LHWs more efficiently. The test run of the project with 200 Lady Health Workers will start from Chakwal and Muzzafargarh districts in rural Punjab for a period of three months. Additionally, the Mobilink-PCO will provide an extra source of income for the LHW, improving their status amongst their communities.

Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink, while addressing the media said, “The LHW project which is part of the government’s Program for Family Planning & Primary Health Care was in need of an effective & affordable plan to enhance the mobility and communication for the workers. Mobilink is committed to the enhancement and betterment of the community and has initiated this project under its CSR program to invest in the health of the local communities. This project aims to facilitate the LHW communication needs while adding to the quality of their good work. We appreciate the assistance of the Ministry of Health, the UNFPA, and the GSMA Development Fund, our partners in this nation-building initiative.”

Dr. Assad Hafeez, National Coordinator LHW Program, in his remarks appreciated the role and involvement of Mobilink and reiterated the need for the corporate sector to assist the government in addressing issues of national importance, particularly in the areas of health-care facilities.

The GSMA Development Fund is providing support in project management and facilitation activities for the pilot project. This includes working with Mobilink Pakistan to develop the business model, secure funding for nation wide rollout and help in ongoing project management. “The Lady Health Worker project is an excellent example of corporate social investment on the part of Mobilink and highlights the unique role that the mobile industry can play in development.” said Dawn Haig-Thomas, director for the GSMA Development Fund.

Initiatives like the Lady Health Worker project will go a long way in demonstrating how mobile phones can play a critical role in maternal healthcare resulting in better healthcare of patients in the rural areas, bridging Pakistan’s digital divide, and the gap between the “have” and the “have-nots”, added Moatassim Aidrus, Project Manager for GSMA Development Fund.

Mobilink’s contribution to the health sector and facilitating local communities enables these institutions to
improve their communication network and reach out to their target audiences quickly and more effectively.

(Memorandum of Understanding) to enhance mutual cooperation. The scope of the understanding involves joint promotion of NGN Telephony services/products (PRI & PBX based solutions) offered by both organizations. The counterparts in both organizations recognizes concept of businesses synergy and resource sharing, as a vital component of corporate growth strategy. AG Pakistan’s seven member delegation, headed by Mr. Rahat Jan (Country Manager, AG Pakistan), visited Nayatel for official signing ceremony. The mutual cooperation will be focused to enable mission critical business to fulfill their corporate telephony needs by deploying latest technologies over Next-Generation-Network (NGN).

Almoayed Group

Almoayed Group is an Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications (Telecom) solution provider, headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The companies operations span over an array of countries, offering diverse services and products to different business verticals.

Partnership (PABX Product solutions)
AG Pakistan’s partnership with Nortel enables to provide customers with an extensive range of voice communication solutions. Telephony solutions by AG Pakistan offer the latest in IP-enabled & traditional circuit switched products – best fit for customer needs – today & tomorrow!

AG Pakistan is committed to provide innovative IT & Telecommunication solutions backed by sound technology strategies. The solutions are designed to support diverse business applications in corporate sector.

Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) being announced by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has received overwhelming response from the employees of different cadres. PTCL administration has received the applications from over 25,000 employees who intend to opt for the scheme. It is pertinent to note that there are still six days to go before the VSS ends on January 14, 2008.

The response of the optees is evident from their remarks as Naushad Ali, Assistant, PTCL Headquarters, Islamabad expresses his views by saying “This VSS has enabled me realize my dream of being a teacher. I plan to open a school in my hometown of Shikarpur (Sindh) with this money.”

Muhammad Arif who is serving in the capacity of a Driver in PTCL happily expressed his views and said that “VSS has enabled me repair my earthquake damaged house and get my daughters married. It has come as a blessing for people like me. I am very happy to opt for it.”

PTCL management, in a bid to transform the company into a professional, performance driven competitive entity launched the carefully designed and well thought out VSS. This scheme gave the employees a free will to go for it or to refuse it. A two-month timeline was offered to PTCL employees to take their decision regarding VSS.

Those who will apply for the VSS would be awarded with a handsome monetary package which they can use for establishing their own business or invest the amount to gain reasonable profit. PTCL administration has announced a free of cost technical training facility in collaboration with Telecom foundation (TF complex) to improve their skill level that can ensure them good livelihood. PTCL has also signed a contract with UBL to provide guidance to its employees regarding financial matters.
It is noteworthy that PTCL’s VSS is a hundred percent voluntarily initiative and there is no compulsion for the employees to opt for it.

Keeping in view the positive response of the employees regarding VSS, PTCL administration is hopeful that a large number of employees are still to opt for VSS before the final deadline of 14th January 2008.