Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), in order to provide sales and after sales support of PTCL corporate product portfolio to the SME market has signed a strategic agreement with Habib Rafiq International Pvt Ltd (HRI).

According to details of the agreement, Habib Rafiq International (Pvt.) will provide PTCL’s next generation technologies and network, to their existing and new customers in the SME segment and will be responsible for 24 hour after sales support and customer care.

PTCL Senior Executive Vice President, Commercial, Mr. Naveed Saeed addressing on the occasion said, that with this partnership the SME market will receive the best of both worlds – Best-of-breed communication products from PTCL and best-in-class support from HRI. He also added that HRI will help PTCL to maintain its leadership position in the telecom market of Pakistan by providing high quality products and customer services to SMEs.

Mr. Shafiq ur Rahman, CEO Habib Rafiq International while commenting on the occasion said that HRI backed by PTCL will now be able to deliver technologies and services that are unmatched in the SME market.

Mobilink today signed an agreement with Citibank N.A Pakistan (“Citi”), to promote and facilitate the growth of mobile commerce in Pakistan.

Under the agreement, Citi will utilize Mobilink’s extensive retail infrastructure to extend the reach of financial services to the previously un-reached masses starting initially at select pilot locations followed by nation-wide launch in line with State Bank of Pakistan’s guidelines.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Rashid Khan, President and CEO, Mobilink commented, “89 percent of the people in Pakistan continue to remain un-served by traditional banking channels due to various limitations. Our aim is to facilitate their access to financial services, which will in turn enhance their economic participation – a key driver in social development. Our partnership with Citi will enable us to create a robust, secure and convenient mobile commerce environment that will take the mobile banking experience to the next level.”

“We continue to innovate and spearhead transformation of conventional banking,” said Arif Usmani, CCO & Managing Director of Citi, Pakistan. “Our partnership with Mobilink will enable the public to make convenient and secure payments “literally” at the touch of a button. We are committed to the State Bank of Pakistan’s vision of reaching out to the un-banked population and believe that financial services offered via mobile phones will have a positive impact on our economy”.

Using Mobilink’s cutting edge technology, customers will be able to open branchless bank accounts with Citibank through a quick and convenient registration process via authorized retailers across the country. The service will allow customers to maintain their accounts through their mobile phones, make secure peer to peer transfers to any Mobilink number and withdraw or deposit cash from any of the supported Mobilink franchises and Customer Care Centers across the country simply via SMS.

Mobilink and Citi envision taking this partnership further by using this platform to empower subscribers to avail and repay loans, purchase goods and services, pay bills, buy airtime and a host of other services using their cell phones. Such services will further Mobilink’s vision of “reshaping lives” of the people of Pakistan by providing unparalleled benefits that were previously available only to a limited section of the society.

As a pioneer heralding the onset of “Mobile Currency” in Pakistan, Mobilink is the only mobile operator to have made headway in the m-commerce arena. Earlier this year, Mobilink launched its Mobile Money Order (MMO) Service in partnership with Pakistan Post. The first and only service of its kind in the country, MMO is already available in 37 cities (73 outlets) across Pakistan. Mobilink is also the first and only mobile operator to have launched a mobile payments solution in Pakistan under the brand name of Mobilink Genie enabling customers to access their bank accounts from their mobile phones and make

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)) has established its Rawalpindi Zonal Office in House # 161, Street # 09, Chaklala Scheme III, Rawalpindi. Chairman PTA Dr. Mohammed Yaseen inaugurated the new office. Member (Finance) Syed Nasrul Karim Ahmed Ghaznavi, Member (Technical), Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, and senior officers of the Authority attended the inauguration ceremony.

On this occasion Chairman said that besides monitoring services of telecom operators, Zonal Office Rawalpindi would be able to address consumer complaints promptly. In this regard, consumers of Rawalpindi Region and Northern Areas can contact Zonal Office Rawalpindi at Phone # 051-5766402, Fax # 051-5766403.It may be noted that PTA has six Zonal Offices located at Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd announced to give a reward of Rs 3 million to the winner of 20-20 World cup Pakistan Cricket Team.

As per details, a ceremony was arranged in the honor of the Pakistan Cricket team here on Thursday in the presence of Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz butt; President PTCL Mr. Walid Irshaid presented the cheque to the Captain Pakistan Cricket team Younis khan.

President PTCL Walid Irshaid, while congratulating team on their outstanding performance said that this victory is an inpiration for the whole nation and PTCL would continue its un-interrupted support for the development of cricket in the country.

Captain Younis khan and Shahid Afridi were presented Rs 0.5 million each, along with an amount of Rs 2 million for the whole team. Senior officials of PTCL Mr. Naveed Saeed, Mr. Mazhar Hussain, Mr. Muhammad Nehmatullah and Mr. Ali Qadir Gilani were also present on the occasion.

Mobilink emerged as the only telecom operator to have won two Superbrands Awards at a ceremony organized by Superbrands Pakistan.

Mobilink’s flagship brands, Jazz and Indigo were both recipients of the First Annual Superbrands Award 2008-09.  Mobilink Jazz, acknowledged for singularly defining the set of rules that every other prepaid subscriber follows, has been dubbed as Pakistan’s flagship telecom brand in the 1st edition of the Superbrands Pakistan. Mobilink indigo, has been recognized for its solid brand character and values that make it the country’s leading post-paid brand.

Commenting on the accolades, Bilal Munir Sheikh, Vice President Marketing, Mobilink shared, “The Superbrands of 2008-9 includes an impressive roster of the best homegrown brands of Pakistan. These champion brands are tested for Market Dominance, Longevity, Goodwill, Customer Loyalty & Overall Market Acceptance. We are proud to state that not one, but two of our brands have made their mark in this arena. This acknowledgement reiterates that Mobilink is the market leader in every sense of the word and in undoubtedly Pakistan’s favorite cellular network.”

Mobilink Jazz, the pioneering prepaid brand of the Pakistan, reigns supreme both in its customer-base and quality-of-service. Staying true to its promise of No Compromise, Mobilink Jazz customers expect nothing else except the best in coverage, quality and rates from their favourite brand. Resonating to the pulse of the nation, Mobilink Jazz aspires to continue its dominance in the cellular arena by delivering on all the diverse needs of the Pakistani market.

Mobilink indigo is Pakistan’s premiere postpaid brand, in connectivity, customer care, quality and innovation. Its positioning as well as values are driven by consumer needs, whether business or individual. With various ‘first-time-in-Pakistan’ landmarks such as BlackBerry and loyalty programs Mobilink indigo remains a depiction of success and an iconic brand that is true in its promises, clean in its communication and differentiating in its value proposition.

Mobilink is also the only Pakistani operator to have been ranked amongst the Top 100 Mobile Operator Brands in the World by Informa Telecoms & Media.

Mobilink has hailed the government’s decision to withdraw the proposed 20 paisa Federal Excise Duty on SMS. The Company has also appreciated the support and foresight of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to create a taxation environment that is beneficial to the consumers and the progress and development of the telecom sector in the long run.

Commenting on the suspension of the proposed tax, Omar Manzur, Director Public Relations, Mobilink shared, “The telecom industry of Pakistan has shown tremendous growth during the past decade and has been able to channel enormous foreign investments into the country. With a more relaxed tax regime, the mobile phone operators will be able to continue contributing to the economic well-being of the country. At the same time, Mobilink users, the country’s largest SMS family, can continue to enjoy SMS on the Mobilink network at existing rates.”

Manzur acknowledged the stand taken by the respective authorities for withdrawal of the proposed tax in the budgetary debate. “PTA and Ministry of IT and Telecom have demonstrated financial acumen, vision and progressive foresight as they continue to play a very significant role in providing a level playing filed for all Players in the industry,” he added.

As per the instructions of PTA, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) would shift its fixed line numbering plan from 7 to 8 digit series. Initially migration from 7 series to 8 digit series would take place in Lahore and Karachi.

As per details, Digit “3” will be added in all existing 7 digits numbers of Karachi and Lahore except the numbers starting from “9”. Digit “9” will be added in all existing numbers starting from “9”. An important point to remember is the numbers are being added to existing numbers not area codes, with the exemption of army exchanges which would remain same.

For the customer’s awareness and facilitation, the new series plan will run parallel to old one for a period of three months w.e.f July 01, 09 till Sep 30, 09. The period from Oct 01, 09 till Dec 30, 09 will be covered by announcements which would be made in order to facilitate subscribers/customers.

Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MOITT) are committed to act as a catalyst to raise the fast-track development and robust growth of Pakistan’s IT industry.

PSEB and MOITT are launching several initiatives to bridge the gap between the public and private sectors in order to effectively facilitate its member IT companies. As a first step, PSEB arranged a meeting of the CEOs of 40 Karachi-based member IT companies with the Federal Secretary for IT & Telecommunications, Mr. Naguibullah Malik.

The meeting was held to share the national IT vision with the companies. The CEOs shared the progress, achievements, and challenges faced by their respective entities with the Secretary IT and Managing Director, PSEB, Mr. Talib Baloch. PSEB and MOITT are in the process of identifying viable solutions to address these challenges and to enhance the growth and credibility of Pakistan’s IT industry. In this regard, Secretary IT shared “Vision 2015” with the CEOs, a comprehensive action plan for its sustainable growth and development.

Secretary IT stated, “At this point in time, emphasis should be placed on the revision of the existing policies and procedures in order to stay ahead of the competition, and full support will be extended to IT companies”

.

PSEB’s member IT companies represented at this meeting include:
Kalsoft, TRG, Sidat Hyder, CRPL, A2Z Creatorz, TPS, Ensign Communiqué, Etilize, 360 Training, Mobile Complete, 110 Solutions, Invaterra, Prislogix, Infotech, Systems Limited, Amaana, FSD Solutions, Ten Pearls, E Planet, ZRG, NC INC, 4W Technologies, Secure Bytes, NDC BPO, Business Beam and Avanza Solutions.

Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is an apex body of the Government, mandated to promote Pakistan’s IT Industry in local and international markets. PSEB facilitates the IT industry through a series of projects and programs in infrastructure development, human capital development, company capability development, international marketing, open source, and the promotion of innovation and technologies.
Government incentives to the international outsourcing community include 100% equity ownership, 100% repatriation of capital and dividends, and income tax exemption till 2016. Pakistan has a large talent pool of English-speaking, cost-competitive and skilled workforce, a large number of internationally-certified companies, and reliable telecom infrastructure. PSEB works extensively with international trade associations, commerce bodies and the media to promote Pakistan’s IT industry. PSEB has registered more than 1400 IT companies, which possess expertise in custom software development, ERP, financial solutions, mobile content, document management, enterprise computing and BPO.

Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr.Mohammed Yaseen has said that to achieve cost efficiency in the operations, telecom operators need to enhance their collaboration.  By sharing infrastructure, they can save costs and yet maintain quality.  He said this while speaking at Nokia Siemens Networks Industry Seminar as chief guest.  The Chairman said that PTA took initiative to pursue mobile operators for sharing of infrastructure to reduce BTS towers and other sites so that costs of business can be brought down.

He emphasized on the importance of broadband proliferation to achieve goal of setting up â??Information Society.  He said that massive awareness campaign is needed to be launched to improve broadband growth besides developing contents in local languages and applications.

He said PTA has made coordinated efforts to facilitate broadband growth by forming a â??Broadband Stakeholders Groupâ? and other measures. He said that we are trying to develop contents for different market segments like agriculture.  Similarly, PTA was negotiating with State Bank to introduce Mobile Banking Services.

He said that three operators are in the process of launching mobile broadband. Two operators have launched E-Video services. This all will help in provisioning of better information services to consumers on one hand and increased revenues for the industry on the other.

Dr Mohammed Yaseen said that in 2008 there was a slight slow down in telecom industry but in quarters of 2009 the industry has again started getting momentum.  Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in mobile sector was recorded at 2.5 US $ to 3 US$ per user which is a positive sign.

Chairman said that PTA has recommended tax reduction on telecom products to FBR and it was hoping a positive response on it in upcoming Budget. On this occasion CEO USF Parvaiz Iftikhar, Mr.Salman Ansari, Saad Warraich, Country Director Nokia Siemens Networks and others also spoke.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has approved special tariff for its Class Value Added Services (CVAS) licensees collecting funds through PRS services for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Swat.

Companies wishing to offer Premium Rate Services (PRS), whereby callers would be charged @ Rs.20/minute or Rs.25/minute, have been allowed to do so and the collections would be deposited in the â??Prime Minister Special Fund for Victims of Terrorismâ? by the respective Companies.  PTCL gets a share of 40%, which they would also deposit in the special fund after collection of bills from their customers.

It may be noted that PTA, in collaboration with cellular mobile industry, has also started the 1199 SMS Service.  Through this service, subscribers of all mobile operators can send an SMS to 1199 by writing FUND and each SMS will be charged @ Rs.10/- which will be deposited in â??Prime Minister Special Fund for Victims of Terrorismâ?.

All Cellular Mobile Operators have been directed to send SMS to all customers with the request to contribute generously to the PM fund.  All Cellular Mobile operators have started sending the SMS to their customers.

Apart from these decisions, the telecom industry especially cellular mobile operators are actively engaged in welfare and rehabilitation activities for IDPs of Swat.