Cyberia

PTCL in collaboration with Etisalat UAE has decided to take the initiative to revitalize and stimulate the cricketing circumstances in Pakistan. PTCL is determined to mesmerize the local and international audiences at the forthcoming Pakistan-Australia series in Dubai.

This was affirmed by the President & CEO PTCL, Mr. Walid Irshaid in a meeting with Pakistani Cricket Captain Younis Khan. Younis Khan visited the PTCL HQ on the invitation of president & CEO PTCL.

Mr. Walid Irshaid reiterated its support for the national team. He congratulated and praised Younis khan on his recent triple century against Sri Lanka and passed on the good wishes for the forthcoming Pakistan-Australia series. Mr. Walid Irshaid also expressed grief and concern at the attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore. Both notables also discussed matters of mutual interest.

Mr. Walid Irshaid affirmed that PTCL in association with Etisalat is enthusiastically planning to develop a lasting relationship with Pakistani cricket and would soon go on board the plan, accordingly. Mr. Walid Irshaid said the decision is of strategic importance as very recently, Etisalat UAE also announced its collaboration with the Barcelona’s foot ball club; commonly known as Barca. Etisalat’s support for the Pakistan’s National Cricket team would yield mutually favorable results.

Younis Khan expressed gratitude to the Management of Ptcl and Etisalat for their well wishes and anticipated support.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) would soon introduce very attractive three packages for facilitating its customers and the proposed packages would be introduced in the country after appraisal, disclosed Regional General Manager PTCL Gujranwala Mian Muhammad Azam.

Speaking to the members of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Thursday he disclosed that PTCL would launch its Smart TV service in Sialkot in middle of April.

The regional manager further stated that PTCL was making adequate efforts for extending quality telecommunication services while special attention has also been accorded on reducing the customers complaints. Mian Azam also disclosed that huge amount was being spent on upgradation of telephone exchanges for covering maximum areas as well as for ensuring connectivity.

PTCL has introduced “Skylink” satellite communication service for corporate customers and offering communication services for corporate customers in the country, he revealed. The regional manager further added that Skylink services are based on advanced satellite technology, providing dedicated point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectivity between sites within the coverage footprint.

PTCL was making all out efforts to provide monthly telephone bills via email to facilitate its worthy customers, he said. In his address of welcome Chairman Departmental Committee on Telecommunication Asad Ijaz highlighted various problems pertaining to DSL and details of calls in bills etc.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, PTCL has announced to double the Broadband speed for its customers, at no extra cost. This was stated by Dr Sadik Al-Jadir, SEVP Commercial to mark the Pakistan day. He further stated that PTCL aspired to provide the fastest and most cost effective broadband access to all users in Pakistan.

Being the largest IP service provider, we have a vision to provide broadband access in all cities throughout the country.” PTCL Broadband service is now available in more than 130 cities throughout Pakistan. PTCL broadband has made Kbps speeds obsolete by upgrading all packages to Mbps. The minimum package speed offered by PTCL is now 1 Mbps.

An existing user paying Rs 1199 per month for a DSL 512K connection will now be upgraded to 1 Mbps connection at no extra charge. The same goes for existing 1Mbps and 2Mbps connects, these will be upgraded to 2Mbps and 4Mbps connections at existing rates. This will make PTCL the fastest and the largest Broadband service in Pakistan.

PTCLs broadband also has special packages for students making this service more accessible to this core segment. In addition exclusive free access to movies, dramas, music, games is also available to all PTCL broadband users.

Vodafone and Telefonica agreed to share network infrastructure in four European countries to meet surging demand for mobile broadband, while saving hundreds of millions of pounds in costs. The widely expected deal announced on Monday, the biggest of its kind to cover more than one country, was a sign of the need to save money as well as a more relaxed attitude towards equipment ownership and the success of flat-rate data packages.

The deal covering Britain, Germany, Ireland and Spain may be extended to the Czech Republic, the two companies said. They will share sites, equipment including masts, and power supply, but will keep their own radio equipment and vendors. “Its a real transformational deal,” Michel Combes, chief executive of Vodafone Europe, told reporters. Matthew Key, his counterpart at Telefonica, said: “The current economic situation was a catalyst.”

Ireland, Spain and Britain were the first of Europes developed economies to feel the impact of the economic downturn that has since spread to most of the world. Telefonicas sales in its home country of Spain grew more slowly than any of its other major markets last year, while Britains Vodafone cut its outlook twice in 2008, citing challenging conditions in Europe.

Telecoms carriers are also increasingly deciding that they do not necessarily need to own and maintain their own network any longer to provide the best service. “As soon as you realise that your network is not a differentiating asset any more, you find ways to decrease the cost of maintaining it: sharing it or outsourcing it,” said Michele Campriani, CEO of telecom software firm Accanto Systems. Combes said he did not foresee any regulatory issues because it was a passive network-sharing deal, meaning the two will not share active components that process and transmit signals.

He said they would present details of the deal, which vary slightly from country to country, to regulators in each country. Telefonicas Key said: “We will still compete on a retail business in terms of services for customers.” The European Unions Competition Commission said it did not have enough detail to comment. A spokesman for the EUs Information society and Media directorate-general said: “There is a possibility for national regulators to encourage the sharing of facilities as long as this takes into account the competition laws.”

Vodafone already has network-sharing agreements with other operators in several countries, including India, Italy and Egypt. It said it can save up to 10 percent in costs through passive sharing deals such as the one agreed with Telefonica. A Vodafone spokesman said agreements with France Telecoms Orange in Britain and rural Spain would be unaffected by the Telefonica deal.

Combes said the deal would have no effect on guidance Vodafone has given, but would support its targets for capital expenditure as a proportion of sales. Key said: “The impact in 2009 will be relatively limited … Benefits will start to come through post-2009 in a significant manner”.

The deal will allow Vodafone and Telefonica to offer better and wider coverage to customers as well as reducing the environmental impact of their network by cutting the amount of sites needed, the two companies said. Vodafone shares were down 0.3 percent at 1340 GMT, underperforming the European telecoms index, which was up 0.9 percent. Telefonica rose 1.4 percent and France Telecom rose 0.4 percent.

“The cost savings of this are relatively limited incrementally and, in Vodafones case, are part of what they had expected to reach over time,” said RBS analyst Chris Alliott. The two companies said they were also studying further cost savings in other related areas. The deal covers about 64 million Telefonica customers and about 77 million Vodafone customers.

Shares in top mobile equipment maker Ericsson fell 2.6 percent as the market anticipated slowing sales of infrastructure equipment through such sharing agreements. “In the short term, networking sharing deals are seen as a negative for the telecom equipment makers,” said Hannu Rauhala, an analyst at Pohjola bank in Helsinki.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has warned its customers to beware of the fact that some anonymous companies, firms and personnel were using the name of PTCL and fraudulently swindling money from the general public by offering prize of one million rupees draws through PTCL balloting.

“The PTCL, therefore intimates its existing and potential customers not to entertain, trust or fall for such activities initiated by certain companies, firms and personnel.

Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr Muhammad Yaseen has emphasised that mobile phone companies must monitor the working of retailers and franchisees and any Franchisee/Retailer found violating the procedure shall be dealt with severely.

He was addressing a meeting on Thursday at PTA Headquarters, which was attended by Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all mobile companies operating in Pakistan. Chairman PTA appreciated the efforts made by mobile companies in launching of new system for “Activation of SIMs After Verification”.

He described that PTA is constantly monitoring the new regime throughout Pakistan, AJ &K and Northern Areas. It was observed that system performance is more than satisfactory and whatever teething problems are being faced at the initial stage were being sorted out regularly, he added.

He informed CEOs that PTA has also compared the sales of SIMs of February 2008 with that of February 2009 after launching of new regime. It was revealed that there was slight increase in sale of SIMs as compared to last year, which speaks of efficiency of the new systems and whatever concerns of mobile companies and others regarding decrease in sale of SIMs due to new system have proved wrong.

Co-Chairman China Mobile Zhang ChunJiang called on President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday in Presidency and matters pertaining to enhance existing investment and future prospective areas came under discussion. Chinese Ambassador in Islamabad Luo Zhaohui and other officials of China Mobile and Secretary IT and Telecom Hifz ur Rehman were also present in the meeting.

The President said that Pakistans telecom sector offered excellent investment opportunities and appreciated China Mobiles investment of over one billion dollars in the telecom sector in Pakistan.

Recalling meeting of the President Asif Ali Zardari with companys chairman Wang Jianzhou in China, Zhang ChunJiang said “we will continue to expand further our service with very good quality.” He thanked the President for taking significant initiatives for attracting Chinese investment in Pakistan. He informed that China Mobile intends to further expand its project by further investing in it.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has extended endorsement to the 2nd Global Telecommunication Congress 2009 (TeleCON 2009) being held in Lahore on April 25. The Chairman, PTA, Dr Muhammad Yaseen Malik will deliver keynote address at the conference being organised by Shamrock Conference International.

The conference is shaping up well with a special emphasis on “Emerging Technology-Challenges and Opportunities.” In a meeting with TeleCON2009 chairman Menin Rodrigues, Dr Yaseen said the PTA appreciates the work being carried out by the private sector in the telecommunication field considering the fact that technology is evolving by the day and Pakistan will have keep abreast with whats happening on the global frontiers. I look forward to the technical sessions giving more time to the participants to interact with the speakers.”

TeleCON 2009, second in series after the successful inaugural conference held in April 2008, has been designed to bring industry specialists and speakers from the government, private sector and internationally to discuss evolving challenges and opportunities of this fast growing sector globally and in Pakistan.

Having pioneered m-commerce in Pakistan, Mobilink shared its learning at the 2nd International Conference on Mobile Banking to encourage other players in the banking and telecom to follow its lead. Addressing the gathering Aniqa Afzal Sandhu, Head of M-Commerce, Mobilink shared, “With 50 percent cellular penetration and only 11 percent banking penetration, Pakistan is ripe and ready for m-commerce.

We at Mobilink know this better than anyone else as we are the first and foremost to venture in the mobile commerce space through products such as Mobilink Genie and the Mobile Money Order Service, both first of its kind m-commerce initiatives in Pakistan.”

She said that due to low spread of banking infrastructure there is a huge untapped market. Currently Rs 0.9 trillion reside outside the banking industry and are transacted through informal channels. However, the relatively high penetration rate of cellular services offers a lucrative opportunity for all stakeholders to benefit from services offered through mobile commerce, she added.

M-commerce, a young but rapidly growing segment, is already providing glimpses into what will certainly become a major means of day to day commerce for billions of consumers and enterprises world-wide. In the developing countries the practice largely has been operator centric because there is a gap between bank/financial service infrastructure and cellular service availability/penetration, with cellular footprint surpassing banks significantly. Though the Cellular and banking customers are the natural target segment of such revolutionary services, the greater beneficiaries would be the untapped segment that neither has a cell phone nor a bank account.

This segment will be a major driver for adoption of wireless technologies and services. Bilal Munir Sheikh, Vice President Marketing, Mobilink and Wasif Mustafa, Director VAS, IR, LDI and Market Development also participated in the conference attended by various local and international stakeholders.

Universal Service Fund (USF) and Telenor have entered into a Rs 930 million contract to provide basic telephony and data services to the population in the yet un-served areas of Mirpur Khas “Lot”, consisting of un-served areas in, Sanghar, Tharparkar, Umerkot and Mirpur Khas districts.

A simple contract signing ceremony between Telenor and USF Co was held in Islamabad marking launch of new telecom services to be provided by Telenor in the above-mentioned areas. Chief Executive Officer – Telenor, Jon Eddy Abdullah and Chief Executive Officer – Universal Service Fund, Parvez Iftikhar signed the contract. It is noteworthy to mention here that Telenor and USF have already signed two similar contracts earlier – for Malakand and Bahawalpur Lots.

Giving his remarks on the occasion, Federal Secretary for Information Technology, Hifz-ur-Rehman said that the Ministry of IT is striving to increase the level of telecom penetration significantly in the rural areas. Through USF, Rural Telecom Programme is being run all over the country to provide basic telephony and data services.

He informed that in order to strengthen the infrastructure, a project to provide Optic Fiber connectivity in Sindh has recently been launched and in the near future such projects are also being started in Balochistan. Chief Executive Officer of USF, Parvez Iftikhar, informed that an un-served population of around 1.13 million (13 percent of the total population of Sindh) will benefit from this project. This population lives in 218 Muzas, spread over 18,000 square kilometers.