Warid  has achieved another milestone by hitting 6,250 destinations, expanding the quality services to 486 cities, covering more than 12,500Km road length throughout Pakistan. The subscriber base has crossed over 18.58 million with a market share of 19.37% (As of PTA Oct-09)

With the mission to maintain and deliver unmatched high quality network experience in every nook and corner of the country, Warid Telecom has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy to spread its network coverage from cosmopolitan cities to smaller towns and villages. Warid also offers international roaming with over 229 live GSM roaming partners in 140 countries and 127 live GPRS roaming partners in 94 countries and prepaid roaming service in 21 countries, covering about 70% of the world including Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Warid since its inception has always focused on delivering the best to its subscribers by not only providing the affordable means of communication but a truly reliable network service and delighting after sales services through 400 sales & service centers across Pakistan.  With the substantial market share, loyal subscriber base and the recognition as the most steadfast telecom operator, Warid Telecom continues to set excellence benchmarks in Telecom Industry of Pakistan.

PTCL and DSL Operators have signed a DSL agreement for provision of broadband services under the auspices of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The signing ceremony was held at PTA HQs, Islamabad where Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen, Member (Finance) Syed Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi, Member (Technical) Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, Senior representatives of PTCL and DSL operators were present. Under this agreement, DSL operators will now have a choice to acquire IP bandwidth from any other operator in addition to PTCL which will enable DSL operators to offer broadband services at competitive tariffs.

It may be mentioned that PTCL and DSL operators were unable to reach consensus on some of the issues such as permissibility to DSL operators to lease bandwidth from other private operators, laying of fiber in PTCL collocation sites, prices and discounts offered by PTCL for domestic and international bandwidth and provisioning of VPN services. Resultantly, the DSL interconnect agreement was pending for quite some time. Taking cognizance of the issue, several meetings under the supervision of PTA were held between PTCL and DSL operators to resolve these issues. PTA also carried out detailed consultation with PTCL and DSL operators regarding finalization of DSL Interconnect agreement.

Chairman PTA said that owing to this agreement and resulting competition broadband tariffs will be reduced significantly. This would not only attract new broadband subscribers but would also motivate dialup users to shift to broadband services thereby increasing the broadband penetration in Pakistan.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and FIA have raided a call center in Lakson Square building Sarwar Shaheed Road Karachi and confiscated two illegal VoIP gateways installed at separate floors and arrested two persons from the scene. This raid was conducted based on the information obtained through PTA’s facility which detects illegal telecom traffic.

It may be noted that PTA has launched a campaign against grey traffickers and established a team of highly technical professionals and dedicated workers to check their activities. The team monitors the illegal activities on twenty four hours basis and adopts different procedures and processes to apprehend the culprits and to prevent losses to the national exchequer through illegal telecom business.

Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen warned all those involved in the illegal telecom business to stop their activities otherwise PTA shall take strict action against them as per the law.

PTCL board of directors has approved the appointment of Mr. Walid Irshaid as Group CEO of PTCL and Ufone. Mr. Walid will retain his office at PTCL’s headquarters while heading both the companies. Mr. Ali Ahmed Yarouf, Deputy CEO PTCL, will be managing PTCL to assist Mr. Walid Irshaid while SEVPs will report to deputy CEOs.

Deputy Chairman NADRA Tariq Malik paid a surprise visit to NADRA Swift Registration Centers (NSRCs) In Karachi.

While standing in the customers queue as ordinary citizens at the Awami Markaz Center, he noticed some improvements but agreed to do more to ease public concerns.

After listening to public complaints, he ordered immediate completion of the expansion of the center, construction of the separate space for women, and replacement of equipment to speed up the process.

The deputy Chairman also visited other Swift centers without any prior announcement to have a firsthand experience of the citizens’ rush at the facilities provided at these centers. He instructed the NADRA staff to remove obstacles in the data entry mechanism, registration process and CNICs delivery system.

He took strict notice of the 15,000 pending CNICs at Machar colony and directed immediate delivery of 10,000 pending CNICs without any delay after holding one-on-one meeting with Chairman National Assembly Standing committee Abdul Qadir Patel.

He ordered the provincial Chief of NADRA to set up makeshift camp on every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the next three consecutive weeks to resolve public complaints of Machar colony. A one-month deadline was given to resolve public complaints of the poor residents of Machar colony.

He said that NGOs and social welfare organization should join hands with NADRA to increase awareness among the citizens about the importance of CNICs and facilitate them in getting CNICs.

He directed the NADRA officers to further improve the performance and facilitate the citizens, as customer care is one of the prime objectives of NADRA.

Deputy Chairman said that NADRA officers should do away with the bureaucratic culture and consider themselves as public servants.

Warid achieves yet another milestone by signing MoU with Punjab University, the largest University of Pakistan. Signing ceremony took place on November 18th 2009 at New Campus Punjab University Lahore. Seen in the picture from right

Dr. Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor Punjab University exchanging MoU documents with Shahid M. Murtaza, General Manager Corporate Accounts and Enterprise Solutions, Warid Telecom along with Shahzad Rauf , Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Warid Telecom & Akbar Khan, Head of Corporate Sales and Strategic  Alliances. This special offer aims at providing cellular and blackberry services to not only officials and employees but to the students of Punjab University as well. This will indeed help students in gaining more knowledge from Internet with the help of Black Berry services being provided by Warid Telecom.

Being recognized as the most reliable service provider Warid Telecom is determined in delivering the exceptional services to its valued customers. Achieving a substantial market share, the loyal customers, huge subscriber base and the recognition as the most reliable and steady Telecom Operator, Warid Telecom continues to set excellence benchmarks in Telecom Industry of Pakistan.

Tameer Microfinance Bank and Telenor Pakistan have announced launch of Money Transfer, the second in a suite of products being offered under easypaisa. Money Transfer is a secure, easy and convenient way of sending and receiving domestic remittances through easypaisa retail outlets. Users will have the convenience to access the service from more than 4,000 easypaisa merchants, a figure expected to reach 20,000 by the end of year 2010.

CEO Tameer Microfinance Bank, Nadeem Hussain considers domestic remittances a key point in providing financial access to the rural population. “Remittance flow plays a valuable role in supporting the economy. It also offers significant potential to support income of poor and vulnerable groups. Remittances are often the first and sometimes the only financial service used in low income households. Hence the potential for an accessible banking agent in remote areas of the country is immense.” He said.

At the launch of Money Transfer, CEO Telenor Pakistan Jon Eddy Abdullah said, “Providing Money Transfer service is the next step in the development of easypaisa as a unique branchless banking solution. World Bank estimates the domestic transfer volume in Pakistan to be at $6.95 billion per year. Through this service we not only aim to target all current users of domestic remittance services but also to help bring some portion of $ 2 to $ 4 billion transacted through informal channel into mainstream.”

Tameer’s original branchless banking pilot was developed in partnership with the technology program at Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a microfinance center housed at the World Bank. The program is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Telenor Pakistan & Tameer Microfinance Bank’s easypaisa portfolio, which now includes Bill Payment solution and Money Transfer, is scheduled to come up with services such as, mobile wallet accounts, cash deposits and withdrawal facilities in near future. The services offer innovation, freedom, security and convenience

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Federal Investigation Agency launched crack down against an illegal operator in Defence Phase-IV Karachi and arrested the owner red-handed operating illegal system for voice termination.

The illegal system consisted of 2 GSM gateways with 79 operational SIMs. This raid was conducted based on the information obtained through PTA’s facility which detects illegal telecom traffic. The illegal netwrok was closely monitored by PTA Zonal Office Karachi to pinpoint the culprit and location.

Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen warned all those involved in the illegal telecom business to stop their activities otherwise PTA shall take strict action against them as per the law. He said that loss to the national exchequer through illegal telecom business shall be prevented at all costs.

Warid Telecom has issued an official statement in response to the rumor on ‘Warid Telecom Merger’. The statement endorses the un-authenticity of the news circulated in the media and it explains clearly that no such information is issued by the company Management. Warid Telecom is a responsible organization that always keep the public update on any developments.

After seeking Information through “SIM Information system 668” introduced by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), around 1 lac 75 thousand complainants (5.9% of total SMSs received at PTA’s System) have so far visited the Customer Service Centers (CSC) of concerned mobile operators for their SIM data correction while more than 4 lac illegal/irregular SIMs have been removed from the complainants’ CNICs after they provided undertaking. Since the launch of this service PTA has received on its system, more than 2.96 million (29.6 Lacs) requests of mobile subscribers seeking their SIM information data through SMS and about 0.86 million (8 lac 60 thousand) through web-link available at PTA website.

It may be mentioned that after lodging complaint by a mobile user at CSC/franchise regarding SIMs not in his/her use, those irregular SIMs are being immediately removed from complainant’s CNIC hence completing the consumer’s responsibility. The data currently available with PTA at 668 service is updated till 31^st January, 2009. This data has been provided by mobile operators. Data of mobile SIMs issued after 31^st January, 2009 will be updated soon.

PTA has also been conducting continued monitoring and customers’ perception/satisfaction surveys which have revealed that the customers are concerned that why and how SIMs have been registered against their CNICs without their knowledge. The survey results and continued analyses say that mobile customers used to buy SIM from unauthorized sale points and did not fulfill the presale formalities including proper filling of Cellular Service Agreement Form (CSAF). PTA found that customers did not take interest in registering SIMs in their own names despite the information that it is illegal to use unregistered SIMs and repeated warnings by PTA and mobile operators on it.

Another reason of this problem had been misuse of CNIC copy at franchisees and retailers of those customers who did not properly fill up the CSAF. In some cases negligence on part of consumers while making photocopy of CNIC at different photocopies shops where the copy are retained by shop owners for ulterior motives has also served in bringing up this situation. PTA had informed the mobile subscribers that they should write the number of a particular mobile connection on copy of their CNIC before providing it to CSCs, franchises and retailers for a new connection.

PTA Zonal Offices in all provincial capitals are vigilant at their respective ends and they are visiting CSCs of mobile companies in different cities to ensure that the customers are being attended and facilitated adequately. They interact with customers to know their problems and give input to PTA for bringing further enhancement in the procedures being followed presently for SIM data correction.

In view of problems faced by mobile users of small cities and towns in seeking their SIMs data correction, PTA has taken number of steps. It has allowed the selected Franchises to receive the complaints regarding SIMs data for the convenience of mobile users. These Franchisees are only allowed to register the complaints by filling the undertaking forms, copy of which they return to the complainant. Franchisees are not allowed to change/amend the data rather they only forward those complaints to concerned mobile company for the correction in the data as desired by consumer.

It may be noted that CSCs of mobile companies are experiencing considerable rush due to the ongoing SIM data correction process. PTA has requested the mobile users to show patience at CSCs/franchises as every effort is being made to ensure the provision of due support to them by the CSCs staff. Streamlining of mobile users’ data may take few months but once this process is completed, it will eventually benefit the telecom consumers. The purpose of this practice is to streamline the data of mobile users which cannot be achieved without their cooperation.