May 10

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com
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CONTENT {May 2010 | Volume 2 | Issue 10}
IndIa Must stop telecon 2010

Disclaimer: Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author’s and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of the publisher or MORE. All information in
Water terrorIsM 44 06 DelayeD actions causing

investment Drainage
this magazine is verified to the best of author’s and publisher’s ability. However, MORE does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it.
MORE got a unique chance to talk to telecom gurus at the

3rd Global TeleCON 2010, which was attended by experts as
well as distinguished speakers from leading telecommuni-
cation entities. This is what they say about the present and
future state of technologies in Pakistan.
IntervIeW
As per the Indus Basin Water Treaty, India may
12 We Will Work in Pakistan,
DesPite oF security conDitions
By 2015, annual mobile data traffic will reach 23 Exabytes -
build reservoirs with certain limitations but New equivalent to 6.3 billion people each downloading a digital
Delhi started constructing dams without in- book every day.
forming Pakistan. India's stubborn attitude is
costing Pakistan a lot, especially country’s agri-
culture sector has been hit hard. Despite con- telecoM
tinuous efforts of Pakistan, India has never
become serious in settling the issue.
15 etisalat DisPute, neeD to Promote
investor-FrienDly Policies
Now whether the privatization of PTCL was right or wrong,
the decision was taken by the Government of Pakistan and
terms of agreement were set to implement the deal so it ...
touch2, a useful
sMartphone 28 technology
HTC Touch2 is not a new phone, its here in the local market for last cou-
18 Digital meDia extenDs neW
Dimensions to human liFe
ple of months but this time, actual difference is its official warranty. Facebook, SMS, blogs, YouTube, Twitter have become buzz-
words of our time. We can watch live matches and other tel-
evision programmes on our computer,...
20 you Don't neeD to get a Phone,

you neeD a Phone that gets you
A leading cellphone distribution company with an extensive
network across the world, Brightex (Pvt.) Ltd has introduced
innovative distribution solutions that have revolutionized...
22 Without ProPer regulatory

FrameWork, mobile banking is
a Financial Disaster
If there is no proper guidance available for the operators
and banks regarding m-banking, the country will lead to-
wards a big financial chaos. Cyber security advisers might ...
24 global it rePort 2010, Pakistan
takes over 11 countries
World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Re-
port has become one of the most authoritative studies of its
kind, providing a unique international benchmarking tool ...
26 WithDraWal oF Duties is
neeDeD, anD not the ban on
useD comPuters/ accessories
The ban on used computers will only benefit the multina-
tional companies, but will certainly take the technology out
of poor person’s reach who would include a large number ...
revIeW 39
30 neW technology For healthier
liFestyle
Most of us aspire to achieve a greater purpose in life. Per-
sonal health and fitness is instrumental to our journey to-
wards attainment of our goals...
Month In focus
32 - 40
Pakistani ProFessionals
41 a scholar unnoticeD at home
The Government must realize that our youth has enormous
potential and if they are provided the right opportunities,
they can produce amazing results.... 36
energy
42 PeoPle’s reliance on exPensive
PoWer generators
Reportedly, generators amounting to $141 million were im-
ported in February alone this year. The deteriorating situa-
tion has also provided enormous opportunity of minting....
agrI tech
46 revamPing agriculture
lenDing is neeD oF the hour
mobile Phones, gaDgets

47 - 50 32
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editor-in-chief Mudassar Jehangir Mufti | group editor Sumaira Mudassar | editor Halima Qureshi | sub-editor W. khaliqdad
advertising manager Ahmed Malik (Lahore), Amir Malik (Karachi) Designer Assad Chughtai | marketing executive Syed Faisal
Ahmed, Zain Zahid | international correspondent Ireland: Alina Amir |US: Ovais Qureshi | contributor Fahad Chishty
registration no. PCPB 286
{cover story | saddads
}
n It took the radio 38 years to have 50 to enable swift economic growth and 2005-2007 and now again the diminish-
million users, TV did it in 13 years, Internet consumer satisfaction. The Theme of the ing trend has brought it down to US $ 264
did the same in only 4 years whereas, Face- conference was “Taking Pakistan to the Million from US $ 1,937.7 Million in 2005-
book took 9 months to add 100 million Next Level of Technology Frontiers. 06 and US $ 1,898.7 in 2006-07.
users. A US department of education study Every one talked about the fact that Dr. Mohammad Yaseen, Chairman
in 2009 showed that 1/6 students in higher voice was no more an affective medium to PTA, highlighted the stimulus in the Tele-
education are registered with an on-line in- earn profits, the major revenue source in com Policy, from which the proactive
stitution and that on-line students outper- the future is data and the local content, this telecom operators could derive the via-
formed those registered in conventional is the area where tremendous efforts are to bility of introducing new technologies.
face to face curricula. 80% of the compa- be made. Though, the problems were He provided insight on the expected
nies hire through LinkediN. 80% of the highlighted but it was also felt that opera- challenges during such a broad-based
twitter use is on mobile devices. People like tors, vendors and the government entities transformation and invited the specialists
to stay connected any where and every- are not doing sufficient work to make data to devise solutions for streamlining the
where. in 2009 Boston college stopped giv- usage a part of people's life style. current infra-structure with the advance-
ing email to their incoming students, The much awaited technologies, 3G ments in global telecom. On behalf of
assuming that they will be connected and 4G are mainly concerned with data PTA, he assured the telecom sector about
through some social networking site. usage but no one from the government timely responses on all necessary revi-
Youtube has become the 2nd largest and the regulator could tell the exact time sions in the regulatory framework.
search engine having over 100 million frame as to when these technologies will The conference featured numerous
videos. Wikipedia has over 13 million arti- be implemented in Pakistan. It appears prominent personalities as chairpersons in-
cles and over 78% are not in English. 70% that the year 2010 will not be able to see cluding Mr. Naguibullah Malik, Secretary IT
of the 18 to 30 year old people watch TV on 3G making grounds in Pakistan despite of & Telecom, Ministry of IT & Telecom, GOP,
the web. 35% of the books sold on Amazon the fact few of the network installer and Dr. Mansoor Sarwar, Dr. Naveed A. Malik,
were for ‘Kindle’, a device to read the books. the operators are ready but it is also a Rector of Virtual University Pakistan.
Today, 24 of the 25 largest newspaper are point of concern that among the opera- The President & CEO, SHAMROCK Com-
experiencing record decline in circulation. tors, there is no clear consensus on the ex- munications (Private) Limited, Mr. Menin
These were the statistics from one of ecution of 3G. This lack of consensus has Rodrigues, the Chairman of TeleCON-2010
the speakers and it clearly shows the im- become a major bottleneck for the newer thanked the delegates from all leading
portance of data and on-line medium technologies and foreign investments to telecom companies, for enriching TeleCON
using fixed or mobile devices. pave way into the country. as a widely recognized annual forum for
Telecom specialists and distinguished Currently, Telecom sector is giving the progress of telecommunications in
speakers at the 3rd Global TeleCON-2010 17% of foreign direct investment of the Pakistan. He also spoke about his high ex-
presented some truly worthy ideas for total FDI in Pakistan. This investment fig- pectations from the capable telecom ex-
deployment of Next-Generation tech- ure was lowest in 2001-02 (less than $ US perts, to speedup economic growth
nologies in the Telecom sector of Pakistan 24 Million), reached at the highest level in through innovative telecom facilities. n
6 | More | May 2010 www.apnatime.com

{ MORE Team | telecon 2010}
More got a unique chance to talk to telecom gurus at the 3rd global telecon 2010, which was
attended by experts as well as distinguished speakers from leading telecommunication enti-
ties. this is what they say about the present and future state of technologies in pakistan.
naguibullah Malik, Secretary, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Government of Pakistan
What do you say about this has dropped too much. Investment is
conference? coming into the country, it might have
The conference is a big success be- slowed down to some extent but it is not I do not agree
cause there has been enough brainstorm- a danger level. We are taking measures so
ing with all the telecom stakeholders that we could attract more and more FDI with the fact that
under one roof. The bigger outcome for very soon.
me is that I have had lots of ideas which foreign direct in-
will be helpful for the reformulation of When will 3g be implemented
Telecom Policy, currently in progress. It in pakistan? vestment in Pak-
was nice to see everyone participating Though I can not tell you the exact
and presenting their ideas. I would call it period but it will happen very soon. istan has dropped
a wonderful opportunity for all the stake-
holders. there is too much talk about too much
It parks and It cities but there
telecom investment graph is no reality so far?
has come down drastically We have created an IT park in Lahore possible time. By the grace of God we
over the past few years, your and it is operational. Yes, it is not an opti- have enormous potential as well as op-
views please? mal activation but you see Pakistan is a portunities, it will just take a little more
Not at all, I do not agree with the fact late bloomer as I keep on saying but Pak- time and we shall be very well placed in
that foreign direct investment in Pakistan istan has achieved a lot in the shortest the international market Inshallah.
www.apnatime.com May 2010 | More | 7

{telecon 2010}
dr. Muhammad yaseen, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
What pta and private compa- SMSes and Emails? So we need local con- there were 80 million SIMs in the market
nies are doing to make the tent here. There is a huge gap and only ac- and 10 million were blocked but at the
local content? are you pushing ademia can fill this gap. They should guide same time we can not rule out the growth
the youth to do it? the researchers to move ahead in the direc- factor so we keep adjusting our data. We
3G is just a pipe. The current pipe which tion that could benefit our society and the have corrected it from 97 million to 95 mil-
is 2 or 2.5G is smaller than 3G. There will be industry. lion after the adjustment.
a change in technology but basic thing is
usage pattern and for that we are going to you keep mentioning that mil- few operator are pushing to in-
universities and have planned to start a lions of unregistered sIMs have crease the rate of sMs by 10
road show with the help of a telecom ven- been blocked, and still you paisas. What pta is doing to
dor. We are focusing to urge the students to quote that there are 95 million undo it?
develop local content for us. It is equally re- sIMs? We are being asked too many things in
warding for the students because after When we say that certain numbers of the media but sometimes there is no re-
completing their telecom degrees, not all SIMs have been blocked, we do not mean search work behind the queries. Networks
will easily get a job. Therefore, students to block them permanently. If you have a are designed for certain number of users and
need to create local content keeping in SIM that is not in your name, we block that packages are introduced depending upon
view our social values, trends and patterns and then you get it reactivated by register- the usage trend on that particular network.
and become entrepreneurs. For example, ing in your name so SIMs blocked are reac- To increase the usage, offers are made and
we all know Gmail that how an Indian tivated at the same time. There is a very they can be taken off if the target is achieved
started it. We have 95 million subscriptions small portion that we block permanently. so there is no point of network being
but still most of people are using roman Through 668, over 16 million people ap- chocked. Yes for 10 paisa charges on SMS,
Urdu in text messages and I do not under- proached us, 0.9 million complained and operators have approached us that the cost
stand why? Same is the case with emails. after verification from operators we only of service has increased and they want to
Are there not enough skilled people who blocked 0.5 million SIMs permanently while raise the charges to compensate it, but we
could develop Urdu typing way to write the rest are active. When we started 668 have not decided it yet and are reviewing it.

{telecon 2010}
saad M. Waraich, Country Director, Nokia-Siemens
What are your hopes from tele- your competitors are working operators and academia very soon. Cur-
con's discussion? for youth and educating them rently, we have a linkage with one univer-
The discussion was very fruitful, espe- about the next technologies to sity and we plan to add more universities.
cially the last session in which we dis- be implemented in pakistan,
cussed 3G and 4G. The important aspect what nsn is doing? Investment is slowing down in
which should have been discussed in de- The required industry-academia part- pakistan, what will be the status
tail was the 3G area, its licensing and im- nership in the telecom industry has not at the end of this year?
plementation. If we could discuss it been into action so far like we have seen in Market was stagnant and we have not
dedicatedly in the first sessions it would the IT sector. The reason is that IT is a little seen investment in the last one year. Local
have been more helpful. But in any case mature industry in Pakistan whereas tele- and global economic crunch are the obvi-
it was a good conference. com is still evolving, however, we are ob- ous reasons but things have started to pick
serving consolidation in the industry and up and we are moving out of that phase
In your opinion, should we go you will be seeing lot of linkages between and there are signs of growth. So this year
for 3g or 4g? is going to be good but you will not see
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the next very high growth, it will still be two to three
generation in the telephony. The thing is
we can go for it but the issue is that we
To wait for LTE (4G) percent but still that’s better.
would not be doing anything in the data

domain for next two to three years, which
for next two years how much nokia-siemens will
invest this year?
is not the right approach. The markets
which are moving towards 4G are those
and do nothing Directly or indirectly, we have invested at
one university in Pakistan. We are planning
who are matured 3G operators and they
are further evolving. To wait for LTE (4G)
right now is highly to open our test bed facility for development
purposes in one or two academic institu-
for next two years and do nothing right
now is highly undesirable.
undesirable tions. Apart from this, we develop course
work and conduct vocational trainings.

{telecon 2010}
tanveer ul haq, CTO, Wi-tribe Pakistan
everyone is talking about acquire a 128KB or 256KB connection ects that Wi-tribe is working on.
data. do you think companies have moved to 512KB now. But you are
should do something to in- right, Data usage awareness must be should data companies en-
crease the awareness for data taken care of. gage in price war at this early
usage? stage?
Definitely and besides the govern- When will we see people If the price goes down, it’s in the in-
ment, we the telecom companies are also using data and applications terest of user but price should not go
responsible to increase the awareness on the move in pakistan? down at the cost of quality. Companies
level. There has been an improvement I think that is a little bit far cry because can not remain profitable by reducing the
during the last year. Users who used to for DATA and related applications, the prices and keep giving quality service.
main device is laptop which is still 10 to Good service is the most important thing.
15 per cent of the market and this state When we say we are going towards
will last long in Pakistan because laptop broadband that means better quality and
We should not is still beyond reach of the masses. To if we can not provide it then there is no
have the large usage of Data, we should point reducing the price. We should not
do what GSM did be looking towards cheaper computers in do what GSM did by putting the quality
by putting the the government and private sectors. aside and started playing with the prices.
quality aside and Will telcos come forward and

help people in this area using
What is the market share of Wi-
tribe?
started playing installments and financing
methods?
In the overall broadband space we
have some 25 percent market share while
with the prices There are quite a few things we are

actively trying as how we could improve
in the WiMax area we are the second
largest and pretty soon we shall be the
the situation. Soon you will see new proj- largest in this area.

{telecon 2010}
aamer Manzoor, Corporate Sales Head, LinkDotNet
your views about the telecon 2010? unless we have a local content and applica- Karachi first and we are the leading WiMax
After a long time we are witnessing a tions available it will not grow the way it hap- service provider in Karachi. We are working
telecom conference in Lahore. I think there pens in the developed countries. In USA, to launch services in Lahore, Islamabad and
should be more events like this as telecom- Europe and other developing countries, peo- other cities soon.
munication is a big community. Most of the ple pay their bills online, search maps, do
events are held in Islamabad and Karachi banking, buy day-to-day things online. We do What is your market share in Wimax?
but it is a good start in Lahore as well. not have such a trend, here people use inter- In the WiMax category, we have 10 per-
net for entertainment or infotainment rather cent market share countrywide and in the
every one is talking about content, than using it for their regular tasks. Organiza- whole broadband area we cover some 18
where Pakistan stands in Data? tions must make it available to the people percent of the market.
Pakistan is in its very early stage. We have through local applications. People need to
only 0.7 million broadband customers. Only make Internet a part of their lifestyle. What government must do to support
10 percent of our population use Internet the sector?
that becomes approximately 18 million in a What are you doing for the local content? The government must focus on our
population of 180 million so we are begin- We are just focusing to deliver broad- backbone for example PTCL provides us
ners unlike the developed world. As speakers band connectivity because for local content costly Internet connection as a backbone
mentioned that Google and Yahoo have in- you need a good bandwidth. Our group has as compared to its own consumer. PTA
troduced lots of mobile applications which launched a few portals but we have to launch should play its role to ensure level playing
are on internet as they are IP based. We are them here yet. Once the broadband connec- field for everyone. At the end of the day,
far behind in IP and we are catching up but tivity is satisfactory we shall be launching our current competition is not bringing good
we have witnessed a lot of growth and cur- local portal so we could see local trends there. profitability to the investor. Prices have
rently major foreign investment is coming in gone to a very low level so the government
the broadband domain. We need to educate Why your Wimax business is limited to must support us because down the road
a lot. We do not have local applications, peo- karachi only? when we have volumes, these low prices
ple normally go to Google and read news but It is our strategy to test the city of will not hurt us.

{IntervIeW | Mudassar J Mufti
}
MORE conducted an exclusive interview with

Mr. Kai sahala,
Head of Mobile Broadband Marketing, please briefly share with us the latest
Network Systems at Nokia Siemens Networks trends in mobile broadband as well as
the impact of smart devices on net-
works?
According to the ITU, global mobile broadband
subscriptions topped 600 million in 2009. As mobile
broadband connections overtake fixed lines, telecom
networks need to be prepared to cope with this new
wave of mobile data. A combination of always-on ap-
plications, mobility, the growth of smartphones and
mobile computing devices like the iPad, will increas-
ingly test operators around the world.
By 2015, annual mobile data traffic will reach 23
Exabytes - equivalent to 6.3 billion people each down-
loading a digital book every day. And it’s not just the
fact that downloading a YouTube video is equivalent
to sending 500,000 SMS messages simultaneously, it’s
also the constant stream of behind-the-scenes fre-
quent keep-alive messages to enable always on con-
nectivity that eats up battery life and generates
signalling traffic that jams up the network.
The explosion in data traffic is putting increasing
pressure on CSPs to be operationally efficient. In a nut-
shell, subscriber and traffic growth will considerably
outstrip revenue growth. Networks will need to carry
more data for much less revenue per MByte. To remain
profitable, the key will be to adopt technologies that
achieve significantly lower costs per MByte of trans-
mitted data.

{IntervIeW}
how do you justify the nsn What are the significant also be a revenue driver for operators.
claim that it has the capability achievements of nsn in the With over 800 network planning and
of making mobile networks domain of mobile broadband? optimization projects delivered every
smartphone friendly? Nokia Siemens Networks is transform- year, other strong assets such as the
To make mobile networks Smart- ing mobile broadband user experience in browsing gateway and identity manage-
phone-friendly requires, a deep under- the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region ment, and the Smart Labs, which focus on
standing of the challenges and the with LTE offerings that deliver improved the relationship between smart devices,
potential opportunities facing communica- and faster data speeds to support a suite mobile apps, and networks, Nokia
tions service providers. At the same time it of multimedia and rich call applications. Siemens Networks is well positioned to
is important to understand consumer be- LTE is the de-facto evolution path of the enhance the mobile broadband experi-
haviour, preferences and issues faced by 3G mobile standard that is based on a full ence for smart device users.
subscribers. NSN has demonstrated that we flat IP architecture and is optimized for
have the capabilities to provide all these data and multimedia traffic. In October What are the key differences
and more. 2009, Zain Bahrain became the first mo- that lte will make while we
compare it with the 3g?
LTE offers an open and global specifi-
By 2015, annual mobile data traffic will reach 23 Exabytes - cation for next generation networks that
will bring scale and efficiencies for ven-
equivalent to 6.3 billion people each downloading a digital dors, choice in network equipment and
book every day. And it’s not just the fact that downloading a devices for operators, and ultimately lower
costs and more benefits to consumers.
YouTube video is equivalent to sending 500,000 SMS messages With the demand for mobile data services
simultaneously predicted to go through the roof, Long

Term Evolution (LTE) will add a whole new
dimension to mobile broadband. Offering
Smartphones have made the vision of bile operator in the Middle East to sign a benefits such as extreme efficiency and
being always-on a reality. Applications such contract with Nokia Siemens Networks to even more personalized experience, it will
as push e-mail or instant messaging con- modernize its network and charging sys- also help bridge the gap between traffic
stantly transfer data to the phone, ideally all tem based on LTE, and in March 2009 and revenue growth. LTE has all the ingre-
day long. In reality however, users complain Zain Bahrain announced the Middle dients to create an enhanced broadband
about the battery of their shiny new East’s first LTE call. market in which everyone and everything
phones being exhausted all too quickly. Nokia Siemens Networks has been will be connected.
NSN proposes smarter innovations. For providing GSM and WCDMA/HSPA/All-IP LTE has all the ingredients to create an
example, to increase the battery life of smart- networks for years, offering true mobile enhanced broadband market in which
phones, Nokia Siemens Networks is the only broadband for consumers. The LTE solu- everyone and everything will be con-
vendor to successfully build into its networks tion will ensure competitiveness of these nected, transforming how users receive,
an industry standard solution that enables networks by providing the next smooth consume and interact with information
an intermediate low-power paging state for evolution step to the market. LTE ad- and content distributed over mobile net-
smartphones. This retains the connection dresses the need for efficiency and inno- works. With mass market deployment, it
but switches off the transmission, achieving vation, providing the capacity to carry the will create a super-fast, extremely effi-
a doubling of smartphone battery life. Sig- projected growth in data traffic, while de- cient and highly reliable mobile network
naling can also be decreased by device man- livering an ‘all IP’ experience with both to support the delivery of a wide range of
agement, which ensures the correct device data and voice carried over the same IP services to multiple devices. In the
settings at all times to eradicate unnecessary network, smoothly interworking with process, LTE will transform how users re-
pinging from devices. This is just one of the legacy equipment. With LTE, the win-win ceive, consume and interact with infor-
examples of the solutions we offer to make for subscribers, in much faster mobile mation and content distributed over
networks Smartphone friendly. broadband services at lower prices, will mobile networks.

{IntervIeW}
looking at the rapid adoption ple and services, which boosts economic Whether it is the facility to transfer
of mobile technology in both growth and improves services such as money to your loved ones using your mo-
urban and rural areas of pak- healthcare. Our innovative Village Connec- bile phones, paying bills online, watching
istan, and still an insignificant tion gives consumers the option of having video on your smart devise or simply ac-
presence of computers in many a mobile identity for as little as $2-3 per cessing information at your fingertips, the
households, what are the pos- month. Village Connection Solution intro- developments in telecommunications will
sibilities of the growth of wire- duces a novel business model. The village undoubtedly offer more affordable serv-
less broadband in pakistan Access Points can be owned and managed ices, better experience and user-friendly
Wireless broadband has huge potential by a village entrepreneur or a local fran- technology for consumers.
in Pakistan to significantly enhance the
country’s overall broadband penetration regarding your association
rates. One of the key operators in the area with the Wi-tribe, how would
of wireless broadband in Pakistan is wi- We have established you ensure that operator’s net-
tribe, whose aim is to make wireless broad- work is up and running on
band a way of life in Pakistan. This means
strong relations with op- schedule and that too with a
expanding their coverage to facilitate reli- erators in Pakistan and we lower total cost of ownership?
able wireless access anywhere and every- Pakistan will soon enjoy enhanced cov-
where. Nokia Siemens Networks, with its highly value our partner- erage for superior online freedom with wi-
rich local expertise coupled with strong ca- tribe, the country’s fastest growing wireless
pabilities in site acquisition and project
ship with them. We will broadband operator, as it moves into the
management, is partnering with wi-tribe to continue to work with second phase of network expansion. Nokia
aid the growth of wireless broadband in Siemens Networks who will provide a
Pakistan. them and march towards unique solution comprising of site delivery
services and project management.
Will pakistan’s economic and
bringing advanced and af- Backed by our experience in over 150
security situation have any fordable telecommunica- countries the advanced technology solu-
impact on nsn’s business in tions and knowledgeable team of experts,
the country? tions services in Pakistan we will work closely with wi-tribe to ensure
We believe in being available and ac- the operator’s network is up and running
cessible to our customers when they need on schedule and that too with a lower Total
us. We have established strong relations chisee, who interconnects with the GSM Cost of Ownership.
with operators in Pakistan and we highly operator, for external connectivity to other
value our partnership with them. We will villages and to other networks. Alterna- please tell us about your plans
continue to work with them and march to- tively, operators can own and operate the to launch the lte in pakistan?
wards bringing advanced and affordable Access Points, or employ local entrepre- Pakistan is entering the mobile broad-
telecommunications services in Pakistan. neurs to operate them for a salary or fee. band phase with the advent of 3G in the
Even charging and billing methodol- country. 3G in its current version, the HSPA,
how the latest developments ogy can make a difference to the con- or High Speed Packet Access, is a good plat-
are helpful for a layman to im- sumer experience, by understanding their form for operators to provide good, robust
prove his/her life especially preferences and convenience. For exam- mobile broadband offering with adequate
when we talk about the devel- ple, with our unified billing solution, oper- capacity for their customers. As LTE is a log-
oping countries? ators can combine pre and post pay ical evolution and with Nokia Siemens Net-
Telecommunications has the power to services, provide separate billing for busi- works solution it is a software upgrade to
deliver significant economic and welfare ness and private use of the same phone, existing 3G networks, Pakistan can enter
improvements. For people in remote or support community charging and LTE era anytime the regulatory and com-
areas, mobile communications offer un- shared accounts between the members of petitive environment and increasing cus-
precedented access to information, peo- families or enterprises. tomer demand are in place.

{ More Team | telecoM}
Now whether the privatization of

PTCL was right or wrong, the de-
cision was taken by the Govern-
ment of Pakistan and terms of
n The long-standing controversy be- Etisalat is entitled to withhold payments
tween Etisalat and the Government of Pak- until the property titles are transferred to
agreement were set to imple-
istan over the sale of 26 per cent stake in PTCL. ment the deal so it would be truly
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Of the total land, 93 per cent has been unfair on part of the government
Limited is prolonging as Etisalat has refused transferred to PTCL so far. The Government
to pay the fifth payment, which is already has assigned the work of land transfer to a
to raise the issue of deal’s legality.
overdue. As per the agreement, the com- committee, and reportedly on the interven- After all, the privatization of one
pany had to pay US$1.4 billion in 30 days tion of the Prime Minister, the committee of the biggest national assets was
after the agreement was signed, while the has speeded up the process. Etisalat man-
remaining amount of US$1.2 billion had to agement also says that deal requires trans-
done after thorough consulta-
be paid in equal installments over four and fer of properties to PTCL and not Etisalat, tions and debate. There may be
a half years, with one installment every six and as the Government of Pakistan owns 62 some flaws in the process but it
months. Currently, Etisalat has refused to percent of PTCL so it will be the biggest
pay the amount until Pakistan Government beneficiary from this transfer of property.
does not mean that the govern-
releases the list of properties to be con- The controversy became ugly when ment should try to retract from its
verted to PTCL ownership. It has been Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan, Pakistan’s agreement with the investors.
claimed that as per terms of the agreement, Minister for Privatisation said that deal be-

{telecoM}
tween Etisalat and PTCL was full of flaws among the buyer and the government had ment must have to adopt positive atti-
and legal advisers had asked the then gov- the consent of forums like the Cabinet tudes towards investors.
ernment to scrap it. However, Etisalat Chair- Committee on Privatization and the Eco- The Prime Minister has rightly inter-
man refuted the claim by saying that nomic Coordination Committee. It was fur- vened for fulfilling Etisalat’s demand as
Etisalat’s investment in PTCL came in the ther argued that since the telecom sector the provincial governments and other
wake of a welcome invitation and encour- was deregulated, it became necessary to departments have been asked to expe-
agement by the Government of Pakistan to privatize the PTCL otherwise it would have dite the process of transfer of land to
participate in the privatisation process. Eti- suffered huge losses. PTCL so that the payment from the Etisilat
salat, a leading operator of the Gulf World Now whether the privatization of PTCL could be actualized. We shall have to
having operations in 18 countries, says it was right or wrong, the decision was taken learn from our mistakes and devise liberal
has obtained a legal opinion from interna- by the Government of Pakistan and terms competitive and investor friendly policies.
The situation like that with the Etisalat is
hurting Pakistan’s marketing policies, as
The Prime Minister has rightly intervened for fulfilling Etisalat’s an attractive place for investment. During
the last few years, the Board of Invest-
demand as the provincial governments and other departments ment took some very good measures but
have been asked to expedite the process of transfer of land to PTCL what is more important is the sustainabil-
ity of these measures.
so that the payment from the Etisilat could be actualized. We shall It is evident that in the telecommuni-
have to learn from our mistakes and devise liberal competitive cation sector, opportunities are very
and investor friendly policies. The situation like that with the Eti- bright for the foreign investors and the
anticipated figures show that the sector
salat is hurting Pakistan’s marketing policies, as an attractive place would grow at an accelerated pace, and
for investment. credit must be given to the Government
and Pakistan Telecommunication Author-
ity for providing the right impetus. Many
tional and external counsel that all steps for of agreement were set to implement the incentives have been provided to attract
sale of the asset had been followed and the deal so it would be truly unfair on part of investment in the telecom sector, and it
acquisition was legally valid under the Pak- the government to raise the issue of deal’s has been given the status of an industry
istani law. legality. After all, the privatization of one whereby subsidies and incentives given
Earlier this year, the National Assembly’s of the biggest national assets was done to other industries are now available to
Standing Committee on IT and Telecom after thorough consultations and debate. telecom sector. Taxes and duties have
had also called the officials of the Ministries There may be some flaws in the process been reduced to the minimum in order to
of Privatization as well as IT and Telecom but it does not mean that the government make business viable for the operators.
who were involved in the privatization should retract from its agreement with the All formalities for acquiring licenses for
process of PTCL. The Committee’s meeting, investors. This is not a good gesture for the any services have been reduced to mini-
presided over by Mr. Birjees Tahir, had investors, especially when the foreign in- mum and window operation has been
shown its concern over the entire process vestors are already reluctant to come to provided by placing Frequency Alloca-
of PTCL’s of PTCL, which they said was a Pakistan. The Minister for Privatization tion Board under PTA.
profit-earning entity at the time of its priva- should have been very cautious while giv- On one hand, we are attracting and
tization. The Members also observed that ing the above-mentioned statement be- facilitating the investors while on the
Etisalat did not fulfill its contractual obliga- cause even if there are problems those other every possible trick is being played
tion despite grant of unprecedented con- should be resolved through dialogue and to discourage and disturb a major invest-
cessions by the government. not through blackmailing. At this point in ment player. It does not mean that there
However, the secretaries of both the time in the country’s history, when every should be no checks and balances but
ministries argued that transparency was sector is badly hit by the financial crisis in that should not dominate the efforts to
ensured during the whole process and talks addition to security problems, our govern- attract huge investments. n

{ saddads | cover story}

{technology | W Khaliqdad
}
n As soon as the 21st century began,

the world saw an ocean of technological
revolutions, which have entirely changed
Facebook, SMS, blogs, YouTube, Twitter have become buzzwords the way man lives. Just imagine a life with-
out internet and mobile, the two biggest
of our time. We can watch live matches and other television pro- gifts of technology. Whether you are a
grammes on our computer, in some cases on our mobile phone. businessman, an employee, a student or
even a housewife, you can not just do
If the service of your cable operator is disconnected, just connect away with these modern gadgets rather
to the internet and you could watch whatever you like. As an ex- with every passing day surprising innova-
ample, when the Musharraf government banned news channels tions are transforming our lifestyles.
Till 80s, there were mostly print and
in November 2007, the news clips were available on YouTube and analog broadcast media such as television
the content was streamed live over the internet. and radio but the last two decades have
seen a speedy transformation toward the

{technology}
new or digital media, which have changed with the facility of using the mp3 files, think of can become a reality. New Media is
the old media as is evident from the advent which helped users to share music and changing continuously due to the fact that
of digital television and online publications other audio files. Then came the videos and it is constantly being modified and rede-
and even traditional media forms such as as we see the YouTube has brought an ex- fined by the interaction between the cre-
the printing press have been transformed citing change for the web users and this is ative use of the masses, emerging
through new technologies. Basically digital continuing to grow as we talk about it. Now technology, cultural changes, etc.
media refers to any type of electronic media with new technology seen in things like the Thanks to digital media, businesses
out there. Today media can be accessed in iPhone, this new form of virtual media is have been earning millions, as they have re-
many ways, including with hand held de- available in handheld devices as well, and alized that there is a huge marketing field
vices like mobile phones, laptops, desktops, undoubtedly the digital media will unleash out there and that it can help to draw in vis-
mp3 players, and more. many new things in near future. itors. Besides the text content that can be
Facebook, SMS, blogs, YouTube, Twitter easily kept updated on websites, photo-
have become buzzwords of our time. We graphs, charts, diagrams and models are be-
Pakistan has also responded well to the
can watch live matches and other television coming popular online and are helping the
programmes on our computer, in some
changes brought about by the digital marketers to get more visibility. Moreover,
cases on our mobile phone. If the service of media, as more and more institutions the audio allows to use music on pages or
your cable operator is disconnected, just and businesses have started realizing to do podcasts for the businesses. Creating
connect to the internet and you could videos has become a popular method of
its importance. Options are being
watch whatever you like. As an example, digital media marketing today and the
when the Musharraf government banned
weighed as to how best these new videos are doing very well in search engines.
news channels in November 2007, the tel- technologies may be used for improv- Then the mobile advertising has added an-
evision channels uploaded news clips to ing the efficiency of organizations as other dimension to the concept of the digi-
YouTube and live streamed their content tal media, as its reach is far greater and
well as expanding the businesses. Even
over the internet. worldwide the marketers are rapidly turning
Similarly, people are doing big busi-
there is a visible change in the function- towards this form of advertising.
nesses just on the basis of a laptop and a cell ing of the public sector institutions. Pakistan has also responded well to the
phone. Then the websites have become a changes brought about by the digital
comprehensive source of information for The development of digital media has media, as more and more institutions and
users as well as a best communication tool enhanced communication between peo- businesses have started realizing its impor-
for the organizations. In very few cases, a job ple across the globe. Virtual communities tance. Options are being weighed as to
applicant needs to post his/her application are there now, which cross geographical how best the new technologies may be
to the employer, what he/she needs is to boundaries and do away with the social re- used for improving the efficiency of the or-
submit the online application form or just strictions. People from different nations and ganizations as well as expanding the busi-
send it through email. societies have become involved in intellec- nesses. Even there is a visible change in the
The first type of digital media was the tual discussion. They are conducting com- functioning of the public sector institutions.
text, which actually symbolizes the very first merce, making plans, brainstorming, and We may see attractive and, more impor-
explosion of this type of content on the In- even becoming life partners. Any person tantly, updated websites. Latest courses are
ternet. With the advent of the Internet, the having suitable technology can now pro- being offered in the educational institu-
web was flooded with different kinds of duce his/her online media so the new tions to equip the students with state-of-
content, especially with all the text editors media with technology convergence have the-art technologies. But still a lot needs to
and word processing options available shifted the model of mass communication, be done and for that the government’s will
today. As the technology improved, images and shaped the ways humans interact and and support is very important as the initia-
began to appear. Instead of just text emails, communicate with each other. Virtual real- tives and facilities will have to be brought
people were able to forward images and ities have been created that are becoming in by the government. In this regard, the
soon images were as easy to share and up- mere extensions of the world and the peo- role of the Ministry of Information Technol-
load as the text. In the mid 90s, the audio ple have more control over this virtual ogy and Telecommunications becomes
became an integral part of digital media world where anything that a person can very important. n

{technology | More Team
}
Why did htc decide to come to live to ensure that HTC devices suit them.
pakistan? You cannot have successful marketing with-
NT: We have a rich heritage of innova- out quality of service or product that’s why
tions and aim for our products to continue it is ensured that there is no compromise on
being the devices of choice on the Microsoft quality. In some cases, one has to avoid the
Windows Mobile and Android platform in status-quo and create a more natural way to
Pakistan. We are bringing to the market a interact. HTC’s strategy of implementing
portfolio of products that is impressive as HTC sense across its entire portfolio of
much for its hardware innovation as for its phones will enable it to differentiate and
wide range of features and functionality, build closer relationships with people.
naeem tabish,
Country Head, Brightex from business-friendly smartphone for
heavy email users to more compact multi- how Brightex will take care of
media smartphones for first-time users. the warranty and after sales
n A leading cellphone distribution service aspect?
company with an extensive network across What makes Brightex different NT: We are offering the standard war-
the world, Brightex (Pvt.) Ltd has introduced from others? ranty service but the difference in our after
innovative distribution solutions that have NT: The Brightex ideology stems from sales and warranty service is that we focus
revolutionized the cell phone wholesale its belief in ‘Innovation’ and delivering on "YOU", which means that customer is al-
trade. Established in 1986 in Hong Kong “nothing short of the best”. Everyday re- ways right and his/her time is precious. The
having its service in 15 countries, Brightex sellers depend on us to help them cost-ef- response time we are offering is 48-72 hrs
has been increasing its outreach and taking fectively support the needs of end users of and the customer does not need to come
the latest products and services to newer all sizes. Our superior logistics operations, to our service center, they can just visit the
markets and finding new ways to bring which efficiently expedite the delivery of shop from where they have purchased the
value to the customers. Very recently, the more than two million pieces a year, are mobile, from there the Brightex represen-
company started off its services in Pakistan managed out of our logistics centers in Sin- tatives will handle it themselves.
as a distributor of HTC mobiles, with a com- gapore and Hong Kong. The founders of
mitment to develop pioneering technolo- Brightex have earned the respect and trust how do you see the other cell
gies and efficient processes. of their business partners and customers by phone companies involved in
In an interview with MORE, Mr. Naeem their dedication, in-depth knowledge of sales in pakistan?
Tabish, Country Head, Brightex emphasizes markets and customers, reliability and by NT: I would say what is important for
that as a vital link in the cell phone value chain, the strict adherence to proven values. HTC is our capability to show differentiation
Brightex has created sales and profitability to the consumers. We will continue to em-
opportunities for its vendors, carriers and re- What will be your marketing brace competition through innovation and
sellers through unique marketing programs, strategy? provide the consumers the best mobile ex-
outsourced logistics services, technical sup- NT: “You do not need to get a phone perience. From day one, HTC has focused
port, product aggregation and distribution. rather you need a phone that gets you.”This on creating cutting-edge innovations that
Tabish explains what is different that Brightex represents HTC’s commitment to focus on deliver unique value for people looking for
has to offer to the cellular customers: people, their needs and how they work and a smartphone. n


{technology | Sumaira Mudassar
}
n Worldwide the financial institutions and mobile opera-

tors are offering the facility of mobile banking, which provides
access to one’s bank accounts from mobile phone in a quick and
easy manner. The customers are able to pay bills and carry out
other financial transactions. In the days to come, the m-bank-
ing will be more user-friendly, have instant
access, speedy transactions and all that at
a much lower cost. It will become easier
for banks to have higher levels of cus-
tomer satisfaction and increased loyalty
by providing m-banking services any-
where and anytime, besides benefitting
from lower administrative cost as well as
lesser number of branches.
This form of banking is expected to substitute the
credit/debit card system, as it has the same infrastructure as that
of ATM but as far as its implementation and operation is con-
cerned, it is easy and cheap. The development of m-banking has
given a new dimension to the financial services, however in
wake of security threats attached to it, the countries have fo-
cused on making proper legal and regulatory frameworks so as
to cope with the new challenge of branchless banking.
It is an open secret now that m-banking is a cost-effective
method to provide the monetary services, especially to the low in-
come strata of the society. A study by Gartner (2008) states that the

{technology}
nancial services to such areas. But the thing
If there is no proper guidance available for the operators and banks re- that might become a hindrance is security
problem because the people will trust the
garding m-banking, the country will lead towards a big financial chaos.
banks and mobile operators only when
Cyber security advisers might have in their minds the possibility of criminal they are given the security assurance by the
attacks on cellular networks and modes of transactions but now is the sectors’ regulators. Pakistani banks have not
time to act and take necessary steps. The SBP should also lay down strin- yet fully secured the online banking serv-
ices and fraud is a common affair. If such an
gent criteria for banks to offer m-banking, and ensure that service is not
insecure system carries over to the mobile
enforced upon the customers. Furthermore, banks and mobile operators network, the chaos in the country’s finan-
should not be allowed to indulge in misleading campaigns. cial system will destabilize the economy.
The security risks inherent in financial trans-
biggest share of mobile payment users will transaction through mobile banking, he actions and vulnerability of the operators’
be in the Asia-Pacific region by 2012. forgot to elaborate as to why the telecom network are very important concerns for a
Among one of the most potential technol- regulator is so late in the formulation of common man.
ogy markets, the South Asia is likely to be- such a framework. The government will have to work on
come a hub of transactions through mobile The country will see a great boost in two fronts. First of all, a proper and compre-
banking. But this can not be done success- mobile banking activities, with all major hensive regulatory framework should be in
fully without a sustainable regulatory banks as well as telecom operators ready to place with no more delays. Secondly,
framework. The mobile banking may be compete for capturing the market, and this spreading awareness and gaining confi-
controlled by a bank or any telecom opera- should be seen more as a necessity rather dence of the general public that mobile
tor or may be a third party, so regulation be- than a business proposition because a big banking is a viable and secure channel for
comes extremely significant since percentage of unbanked people will defi- transactions. Then the mobile operators
non-banks may also be involved in the nitely rush to adopt an easiest way of finan- should also have to set in motion an infor-
transaction of money. mation security drive and ensure that they
Certainly, there has to be a balance be- have the capability to undertake the high-
tween innovation and regulation, especially In one of his recent speeches, the Chairman risk mobile banking service. If there is no
when people’s privacy is involved. But in PTA said that mobile banking regulatory proper guidance available for the operators
Pakistan, we consider doing such things framework would be introduced soon. and banks, and they rush to capture the ex-
when it is too late. Same is the case if we talk While expressing astonishment over the isting potential in the market, the country
about the regulatory framework for m- lowest cost of money transaction through will lead nowhere but a big chaos in the
banking. Better late than never that Pak- m-banking, he forgot to elaborate as to overall financial system. The cyber security
istan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) why the telecom regulator is so late in the advisers might have in their minds the pos-
and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) are sibility of criminal attacks on cellular net-
formulation of such a framework.
jointly working for a regulatory framework works and modes of transactions but now
for mobile banking, although many mobile is the time to act and take necessary steps.
operators and financial institutions had got cial transactions. Mobile banking offers The SBP should also lay down stringent cri-
into the business long ago. This just shows facilities like paperless money transactions, teria for banks to offer this service, and en-
the non-serious approach of our regulatory bank account maintenance, cash transfer, sure the service is not enforced upon the
organizations, who should have played a besides increasing mobile sales and many customers, and the banks or even mobile
proactive and leading role in their respec- other commercial activities. The country operators do not indulge in misleading
tive arenas. On the occasion of an interna- has a huge space for m-banking with mil- campaigns.
tional mobile conference in March 2010, lions of cell phone users, especially the rural In a nutshell, mobile banking is a win-
the Chairman PTA said that the mobile population, who do not have bank ac- win situation for the government, banks,
banking regulatory framework would be counts but most of them have mobile sets, mobile operators and above all, the com-
introduced soon. While expressing aston- and the m-banking applications can be mon man, only if a proper and comprehen-
ishment over the lowest cost of money used as an efficient channel to deliver fi- sive regulatory framework is in place. n

{technology | Faisal Ahmed
}
places, respectively.
The performance of Pakistan has been remarkable in the cate-
gories of Individual Readiness, mobile cellular tariffs, at 8th position,
and residential telephone connection charges at 11th position. In
the category of Business Readiness, the country has done well in
business telephone connection charges with 15th position and
business monthly telephone subscription at 17th. A marked im-
provement is seen in country’s capacity for innovation, which has
gone up to 56th from 73rd last year. A slight improvement is also
visible in the quality of educational systems, where Pakistan ranks
at 99 from 104 last year, internet access in schools improving by six
places to 75 and company spending on R&D getting better by six
places to stand at 80.
Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF), a collaborator of the
World Economic Forum and a combined project of the Federal Fi-
nance Ministry and the USAID, has made some recommendations
n Though pace may be slow but the economies around the to ensure that Pakistan’s IT and telecom sector contributes in a
world have started improving after the historic recession, but in more progressive way to enhance nation’s overall competitiveness
this whole process of recovery the role of information and commu- rankings. It has suggested that telecom operators in Pakistan
nication technologies (ICT) can not be underestimated since it has should adopt strategies for creating a conducive and competitive
become an integral part of the very fabric of any economy, be it a infrastructure cost sharing environment. It has also recommended
developed nation or the one that is struggling on the path to de- amplifying the bundled offers like voice and SMS with value added
velopment. services including MMS, Mobile TV, Mobile Banking and GPRS. An
There is good news that Pakistan has improved its position in emphasized has been made on maintaining a close coordination
IT by 11 places and has now taken the 87th as compared to 98th with the universities by setting up incubation centers.
position in the previous year, as revealed by the Global Information Although Pakistan’s performance in absorbing the ICT inno-
Technology Report ranking for 2009-10. The report, which is being vations has been encouraging, there is a need to strengthen the
regularly published by the World Economic Forum for the last nine realization that information and communication technologies
years, gives a detailed account of over 130 nations around the play a key role in sustaining the economic growth. Besides, these
globe. It is regarded as the world’s most wide-ranging and authen- have a significant role in ensuring environmental and social sus-
tic assessment of the ICT influence on the development process tainability, both as an industry and as a key element of enabling
and the competitiveness of nations. infrastructure. In this regard, the steps taken by the Higher Edu-
During the reporting year, Sweden, Singapore and Denmark cation Commission (HEC) of Pakistan to strengthen the ICT infra-
have earned the first, second and third positions, respectively, em- structure of the higher education institutions is a best example
phasizing the fact that these nations have a strong ICT foundation. follow. HEC’s initiatives like Pakistan Education and Research Net-
The United States has moved two places to 5th, while China and work (PERN), Digital Library, Video Conferencing and Pakistan Re-
India are at 37th and 43rd positions, improving nine and eleven search Repository are truly remarkable, especially when we see

{technology}
national benchmarking tool that policy-
World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report has makers and all relevant stakeholders can
use to identify national shortcomings and
become one of the most authoritative studies of its kind, providing strengths, and to design national policies
a unique international benchmarking tool that policymakers and that set their economies on the path to-
ward enhanced networked readiness. The
all relevant stakeholders can use to identify national shortcomings report may be accessed through
and strengths, and to design national policies that set their http://www.weforum.org/documents/GITR
economies on the path toward enhanced networked readiness. 10/index.html.
The improvement shown by the coun-
try at global level has proved the tremen-
it in the context of a developing country featured in the whole series of Global Infor- dous potential that Pakistan possesses as a
like Pakistan. Similarly, the National ICT mation Technology Report, provides a nation. It is highly recommended that for
R&D Fund, a project of the Ministry of In- methodological framework that identifies ensuring continuous progress of Pakistan in
formation Technology, is another success- the enabling factors for countries to fully ICT, effective e-strategies should be devised
ful experience, which has promoted an benefit from ICT advances while highlight- while taking on board all the stakeholders
innovation centric ICT research and devel- ing the joint responsibility of individuals, including government, IT industry, telecom
opment ecosystem in congruence with businesses, and governments. The Report companies and academia so that the issues
socio-economic landscape of Pakistan. has become one of the most authoritative and problems faced by the industry may be
The Networked Readiness Index (NRI), studies of its kind, providing a unique inter- highlighted and addressed properly. n
launch of core i3 Desktop

firm’s milestones, he further added “Viper Technology has the
strongest presence in the Pakistani market offering solutions
that are at par with international standards while being cost-ef-
fective to the consumers.”
Congratulating Viper Technology on the launch of Pakistan’s
first Core i3 desktop, Intel Pakistan Corporation’s country Manager,
Mr. Ashar H. Zaidi said “On behalf of Intel Pakistan Corporation I
congratulate Viper Technology on their desktop launch based on
Mr. Faisal Sheikh, COO, Viper Technology, Ali Zafar, Manager Mar-
keting, Viper Technology at the launch event New 2010 Intel® CoreTM processor family with unique feature set.
Viper Technology has shown tremendous growth since its incep-
n Viper Technology recently launched country’s first Core tion and continues to play a vital role in the development of the
i3 Desktop machine assembled locally. The event was attended local IT industry by offering customers the latest technology. Look-
by high-level executives from various sectors including IT, banking forward to a successful/ seamless ramp of the new product” n
ing, textile and media. Event aimed to highlight

Viper Technology’s achievements in the last 15
years, as a local IT firm competing at par with in-
ternational standards.
Speaking at the occasion, COO Viper Tech-
nology Mr. Faisal Sheikh said “Viper Technology
was created with an idea to consolidate its prod-
uct-line with a brand based approach and to
provide the best IT products across enterprise,
sme and consumer segments.” Highlighting the Mr. Faisal Sheikh talking to media people

{technology | More Team
}
n The Government’s plan to remove regime, the growth of country’s economy was a much-awaited requirement of the
the taxes and duty on the import of new would have been much higher. It became IT industry to be given a tax holiday that,
and used computers is a welcome step one of the biggest reasons for Pakistan to if given, should prolong for at least a
and it is hoped that the initiative will not lag behind in the field of Information decade. Also, the Government will have
only give further boost to the IT industry Technology, as compared to many other to keep in view that illegal ways may be
but will have positive and far-reaching countries like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, adopted to import computers for smug-
impacts on almost every sector. Had this China etc., who have achieved a tremen- gling to other countries having higher
policy been adopted during the last dous growth in this area. In Pakistan, it rates of duties and taxes.

{technology}
In addition to the poor security situa-
tion in the country, the increase in sales
tax as well as the burden of import duty The ban on used computers will only benefit the multinational
on computer/accessories has increasingly
adverse impact on FDI in the IT sector. A
companies, but will certainly take the technology out of poor per-
report of the SBP reveals that that foreign son’s reach who would include a large number of small businesses
direct investment in hardware reduced
as well as students. Once the government withdraws the duties
by 52.1 percent in the first six months of
the current fiscal year, as compared to the on computers and related accessories, the industry may develop
equivalent period of the last year. The in- in such a way over a period of time that the lowering demand of
vestment in the IT has decreased from
$81.9 million to $53.3 million, showing a
used computers automatically stops their import into Pakistan.
decrease of 34.9 percent.
Sources in the computer industry say
that it is badly hit by increase in sales tax still investing in the country. This invest- estimated that 500,000 used computers
and the import duty, which was imposed ment is still not up to the mark, as com- are finding their way into Pakistani com-
in the previous budget. The financial pol- pared to the predictions for the current puter market each year. But it is not the
icy also had a great impact on FDI in the fiscal year. One hopes that if the Govern- solution that a ban is imposed, rather the
hardware development, besides affecting ment really succeeds in abolishing the process of sorting of computers should
the purchasing power of the people es- duty on the import of computer and re- be toughened, in addition to a proper
pecially the end users. As a result of the lated accessories, the industry will be on mechanism for recycling and disposal of
overall increase in taxes the demand of its way to an urgent recovery. the electronic waste. Simply throwing the
hardware has substantially decreased. Furthermore, the reported ban on the waste in landfills is a wrong approach as
Similarly, the investment in the IT Services import of used computers is totally unjus- the metals become a part of the soil and
tified. Although the government has de- ground water causing serious illnesses.
nied any such move, there is still We can protect our environment and, at
If arguments are made, there may confusion in the industry people who are the same time, achieve economic bene-
be some points for imposing the ban of the view that banning this import will fits by safely disposing and recycling the
such as e-waste, which is emerging have a highly negative impact on indus- electronic waste. Planning should be
as a major problem. But a ban is not try’s overall growth. It is impetrative that done to build proper electronic waste
government introduces policies after management centres across the country.
the solution, rather the process of thorough consultation with all the stake- At this point in time, the move to ban
sorting of computers should be holders. Such a ban, if imposed, would the used computers will only benefit the
toughened, in addition to a proper deprive the ordinary consumers of low- multinational companies, whose profits
mechanism for recycling and dis- priced computers and related acces- may increase manifold, but it will cer-
sories. Some people may argue that used tainly take the technology out of poor
posal of the electronic waste. computers cost less but the expenses in- person’s reach and they would include a
curred on their maintenance equals the large number of small businesses as well
has also decreased and it is also feared cost, however when we compare the cost as students. Just see the difference, a new
that many top brands like Microsoft, Acer of new and old computers it is literally im- computer costs between Rs. 25000 and
and HP may cancel their future plans to possible for majority of the population to Rs. 45000, while a used one ranges be-
invest in Pakistan, so all this should be a even think of buying the new machines tween Rs. 5000 and Rs.10000. Once the
matter of great concern for the govern- as well as the accessories. government withdraws the duties, the in-
ment. Albeit FDI in some areas, such as If arguments are made, there may be dustry may develop in such a way that
software development, has increased but some points for imposing the ban such as the lowering demand of used computers
the analysts say that this increase is be- e-waste, which is emerging as a major may automatically stop their import into
cause of the overseas Pakistanis, who are problem having serious implications. It is Pakistan. n

{revIeW | More In-House
}
HTC Touch2 is not a new phone,

its here in the local market for
last couple of months but this
time, actual difference is its offi-
cial warranty.
Unlike our regular reviews which
we do in detail, we will try to
highlight its major features to
know how useful this smart
phone is.

{revIeW}
call and Messaging do not get quality pictures in low light but during the day light
Touch2 is good for basic functionality, the voice call. Either with a firm grip you can get better pictures. Maximum resolu-
press the call button located at bottom left corner or push the tion you can get is 2048x1536 pixels.
soft key, it will activate the soft dialer, keys are easy to push.
Voice quality is excellent. Lack of accelerometer disturb you little connectivity
when are unable to have your key pad in landscape mode. since its a business phone, connectivity is up to the stan-
Similarly, SMS, MMS and Emails are also easy to play with. dards. HSDPA 7.2Mbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0.
Unlike some of the phones, setting up email is easy. Type your
email and password and all the other options are configured au- audio & video
tomatically. This machine has the music player that will not disappoint
you. Music files can be organized nicely. Equalizer application is
office applications not the part of player but is available as “Audio Booster” only
The phone is full of office utilities, Word mobile, Powerpoint when you plug in the headset. You will always want to use your
Mobile, Excel Mobile, OneNote mobile, Adobe, Email Applica- own better head phones because the one with package will not
tion, calendar, calculator etc are packed inside the phone. It will please you for sure.
take a while to load the heavy files but files of normal sizes will Video playing is easy with built-in media player but it does
not create any problem. it in only two formats mp4 and 3gp. For more formats you need
to install a separate video player application.
camera FM radio is a nice application and only run when you plug
Picture taking is not the hall mark of this phone. The 3 mega in your headset as they hold the antenna in it. Inside the build-
pixel camera doesn't outperform its rivals with the same ing you will be able to receive only limited stations, all it
strength. It doesn't have a dedicated shutter therefore, you have searched were FM 100 and 108 but you can get more if you go
to rely only on the soft shutter key. With no flash on board you outside in open.

{revIeW | Meraj Alam
}
weight instantly, high levels of stress or a is facilitating a fast-paced lifestyle that many
workaholic lifestyle. A study conducted by young individuals in Pakistan are adopting.
AC Nielsen revealed that in Pakistan one Increasing demand from work, family and
out of every four adults skip their breakfast. friends has forced a number of people to
The study also indicated that adolescents rely on technology for time saving, budget-
are more likely to skip their breakfast than friendly and convenient solutions.
people of older or younger age group. Dawlance – a trusted household name
These statistics shed light on just one of in Pakistani home appliance market is now
the many aspects in which a majority of introducing the next generation of healthy
people are careless towards their health. refrigerators as part of their Health Zone (H-
Not only we ignore the most important Zone) initiative. These hi-end H-Zone refrig-
n Most of us aspire to achieve a meal of the day but satiate our cravings erators are expected to use a special H-light
greater purpose in life. Personal health and during the later part of the day by consum- that forms a protective shield on all items
fitness is instrumental to our journey to- ing food which is high in calories and de- stored in refrigerator. This light has proven
wards attainment of our goals. prived of essential nutrients. What we don’t to be highly effective in increasing food life
Unfortunately, many of us from 3rd realize in the process is that by practicing twice its regular refrigerator life. Lab tests
world countries don’t realise the impor- this kind of unhealthy behaviour, we rob showed that the preservation factor is most
tance of good health and the extent to ourselves off a ore fulfilling and happy life. predominantly visible on green vegetables.
which it can support us in turning our Healthy food includes richly coloured Green vegetables, when stored in these re-
dreams into reality. The rationale behind fruit, dark green vegetables, lean meats and frigerators, not only stayed fresh for longer
good health and better performance is whole grains to give your body optimum but also retained their natural green color
fairly simple. A healthy person falls sick less energy. There are different methods of and texture. The fan attached inside refrig-
often, is more active and has a more atten- preservation used today to keep the key erator close to the source of light helps in
tive mind leading to better performance at nutrients of the food intact. Of all common spreading the H-light in each and every cor-
whatever task he/she undertakes. methods of preservation, refrigerator is ner of refrigerator covering every single
A small section of our society however, considered the most convenient and effec- food item in its protective shield. This spe-
is becoming more health-conscious with tive appliance for short-term food preser- cial light completely retards bacteria
passing time and is likely to grow as increas- vation today. growth within the food to maintain the
ing number of marketers attempt to raise Realising the need for better health, original fresh condition in which the food
awareness about health to create space for technology has also shifted its focus to- was placed in the fridge. The technology
their health-based products. wards products that support a healthy only stops bacteria from growing; it cannot
However, a considerable section of Pak- lifestyle. Technology which is prevalent in reverse fungal growth already present in
istani population doesn’t pay attention to one form or the other in our everyday lives food when it is placed in fridge.
their diet and to make matters worst we is moulding itself with our changing This new breed of HZone refrigerators
even skip meals. The reasons for this kind of lifestyle too which is a positive sign. It is is a marvellous addition in Dawlance port-
behaviour can be as varied as desire to lose technology that in today’s dynamic world folio and is available in the market. n


{Month In focus}
Corporate governance, heart of organizations

matically follow the path. In telecom sector, other than PTCL and
PTA, all the companies are unlisted, just recently Wateen has in-
ducted in. We hope that other telecom player will also get listed.
Currently, most of the telecom companies are doing more than one
billion business and have a great impact on country’s economy so
if they are listed and their corporate governance framework gets
stronger it is going to impact the industry and the economy in a
favourable manner.
how do you introduce this culture?

We were limited to Karachi but now we have moved forward
to Lahore and Islamabad. We have negotiated with PTA and PTCL
and they are giving positive gestures. Similarly, we are also getting
good response from other companies. Though it is not easy to
faiza nasir, Manager Marketing and Training gather all the board members at one point in time due to their ex-
Services, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance
tremely busy schedule, therefore, we are making customized pack-
More talked to faiza nasir at telecon 2010 in lahore. ages and time period for them.
following is the excerpt.
What does your company do? What is your target for the coming years?
My company aims to improve corporate governance on the SECP has made our program compulsory for every company. It’s a
level of board members. We provide training and do certification, certification program and compulsory for all listed companies and they
all of which is of international standards. We believe if the board have to get one of the board members certified. So we are assuming
level is in the right direction, the company’s other areas will auto- some 3000 directors to be trained in the next couple of months.
3rd 2010 Global TeleCON Pakistan
Mr. Menin Rodrigues , President, SHAMROCK Communications Mr. Nuguibullah Malik, Secretary IT & Telecom presenting
presenting shield to Dr. Muhammad Yaseen, Chairma PTA shield to Mr. Faisal Khaliq, CIO Ufone
From (L-R) Mr. Naseem Usmani, Advisor & Director, Huawei,

Dr. Muhammad Yaseen, Chairman PTA, Mudassar J Mufti, Dr. Naveed Malik, Rector, Virtual University giving shield to
Editor in Chief, MORE Magazine at Telecon 2010 Mr. Xu Haiyong, CTO, Zong

{Month In focus}
n Sub Keh Do Day was celebrated for the second year on children and gives them an avenue for self-expression.
April 12, 2010, with an emphasis on open communication and To mark its first year in business in 2009, Zong launched an
maintaining relationship. Looking at its popularity and unique- emotive music video that appealed to all age groups. Directed by
ness, it could be described as a wonderful accomplishment of Saqib Malik and performed by Shafqat Amanat Ali, the music video
the Zong brand. The day celebrated the importance of self-ex- is based on the brand’s core philosophy of promoting a healthy
pression superbly, by encouraging people including children, communication in society, joining hearts and eroding misunder-
adults, housewives, professionals, and workers to express standings. A clear and uninhibited channel of communication is at
openly whatever is in their minds, and clear misunderstandings the root of any healthy relationship and this video shows how a
and build positive communication. bond of love and understanding may be build by removing all bar-
riers, which might exist in communication. The
video effectively shows how satisfying it can be if
The latest video urges the youth of the country, which makes the majority,
one does not hold back the deep feelings in heart
to use their energies in the best possible manner as there is a lot of hope or the thoughts in mind, but comes out with these
from them, and that they must not forget the duties they owe to their coun- to create harmony and understanding.
try. It encourages the viewers to work hard so that we prosper as a nation, Now another video on the second anniversary
free of extremism and other such menaces. This also gives a lesson to the of Zong has not only an emotional but a very prac-
Government to come forward with such ideas, not only to spread awareness tical message for the viewers. It gives a message of
hope and commitment and tells us that everything
among the masses but also embark upon development projects for the
is possible provided you are dedicated towards the
welfare and betterment of the people, especially the neglected ones. cause. It tells the youth of the country, which
makes the majority, to use their energies in the
A major activity in the Sub Keh Do campaign is the one-on- best possible manner as there is a lot of hope from them. And that
one interaction with the common public, including painting they must not forget the duties they owe to their country. It en-
and essay writing competitions in more than 100 schools in courages the viewers to work hard so that we prosper as a nation
Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Sub Keh Do teams interacted free of extremism and other such menaces.
with students and encouraged them to express themselves This also gives a lesson to the Government to come forward
though painting and essays, and the activities were broadcast with such ideas, not only to spread awareness among the masses
on all major television channels across Pakistan. This is indeed but also embark upon development projects for the welfare and
an interesting activity, which cultivates talent and creativity in betterment of the people, especially the neglected ones. n

{Month In focus}
Shahid Afridi becomes Samsung’s Brand Ambassador

bust Cricketer Shahid Afridi. Together
these two iconic players will take fresh ini-
tiatives, to win the hearts of all progres-
sive consumers”.
Shahid Afridi appreciated this new status
of being Samsung’s Brand Ambassador
and said, “It is a pleasure for me to repre-
sent a global leader in electronics. Sam-
sung has always inspired me with its
fantastic products. Just like the game of
cricket, the technology arena is also very
competitive, where Samsung has always
showed great performance, determina-
tion and innovation”.
The truly innovative Samsung products
Samsung and Shahid Afridi exploring new boundaries. From left Zeshan Ahmed Head of Mobile Division, Samsung and services - like revolutionary 3D TVs,
Pakistan and Afghanistan, Steve Han General Manager Samsung Electronics Pakistan & Afghanistan, Shahid Afridi cutting-edge smart-phones, and an end-
Brand Ambassador Samsung Electronics, Injae Lee, Senior Manager Samsung Electronic Pakistan & Afghanistan, and
Khurram Farooq, Head of Consumer Electronic Samsung Pakistan & Afghanistan at the brand ambassador ceremony less store of “Samsung Apps”, reflect the
technological advancement of Samsung.
Through such evolution, Samsung con-
n Samsung Electronics Company Limited, a global leader in tinues to be among the “World’s most admired companies” of
home appliances, mobile phones and electronics, has an- the Fortune magazine.
nounced the appointment of cricketing icon Shahid Afridi as its
new Brand Ambassador. This announcement was made at a
press conference held by Samsung at a Country Club in Lahore.
Shahid Afridi will be engaged in various media activities and
events to promote the latest electronic appliances and cellular
devices from Samsung. Afridi enjoys an international fan follow-
ing, including millions of young active fans and sports enthusi-
asts, who aspire to use trendy new devices and appliances in
their daily lives. Similarly, Samsung is perceived as a successful
modern and stylish brand globally. Therefore, Afridi’s sporting
personality and trendy attitude truly complements the Sam-
sung brand concept.
The General Manager, Samsung Pakistan, Mr. Steve Han, ex-
pressed his anticipation for a dynamic association with this lead-
Mr. Steve Han giving a gift to Samsung's new brand ambassador
ing cricket star and said, “Samsung is a youthful, active and Shahid Afridi. Also present are Mr. Zeshan Ahmed, Mr. Khurram
high-spirited player in the electronics industry, just like the ro- Farooq and other officials
Samsung focus on rural areas

n Samsung Electronics is engaging rural E 2120 mobile phones. The floats will stay simple Quizzes and singing competitions
populations in a fun-filled Activity across two days in each city, while travelling where attractive gifts will be presented to
Sindh and Punjab. This Float activity is through Sindh and Punjab provinces. the winners.”
supported by the “Samsung-Guru” cell- Mr. Zeeshan Qureshi, Head of the Mobile The live product demonstrations at the
phones series. The idea is to provide Phones Division, Samsung-Pakistan and float allow potential customers to experi-
recreation in the entertainment starved Afghanistan said, ence and purchase the Samsung Guru
rural areas. The theme of this campaign is “The rural populace has always shown mobile phones that feature; Dual Speak-
“Samsung Guru comes to your town with complete faith in the high-quality of Sam- ers, Torchlight, FM radio, Three color vari-
excitement and prizes”. sung products. It is a pleasure for us to ant, etc. The floats will entertain rural
These colourful floats will feature sound create opportunities of entertainment areas around Gujranwala, Jehlum,
systems for live musical performances of and excitement for these customers, who Rawalpindi, Attock, Abbotabad, Muzaf-
popular local musicians and performers. are generally deprived of fun-filled farabad, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Multan, Hy-
Samsung products will be displayed on amusement. Samsung Guru Floats will derabad, Nawabshah, Sukker and
the float including; Guru E 1105 and Guru engage the participating enthusiasts in Rahim-Yar- Khan etc.
{Month In focus}
Mega Business Machine brings new incentives

n Mega Business Machine (MBM) held their annual dealer convention in Lahore. The
event was attended by Director Ruba Group, Manzoor Khan, Executive Director Ruba
Group, Mehmood Naqvi, Country Head Sales, MBM, Khursheed Abbas and other MBM
officials.
In order to acknowledge the
efforts of dealers, MBM had
invited all its major dealers
from Punjab especially those
who had performed excel-
lently during the last one
year.
In his address, Mr. Khur-
sheed shared the key facts
that how MBM is gathered
world's renowned brands
under one umbrella and it is
continuously adding prod- Khursheed abbas,
ucts and brands to facilitate Country Head Sales, MBM
Mr. Ijaz Kiyani, Global Photo receiving shield from its customers and dealers.
Mr. Manzoor Khan, Director Ruba Group He said, “ the reason to hold
this event is to bring your
people closer and let you
know what we feel for you.
We are in the distribution
business, our task is support
and service and your job is
to make profit. Currently our
dealers are just trying to ro-
tate their investment instead
of making good profits be-
cause of current economic
down turn. We want to make
sure that this economic
crunch does not hurt you.
We are making use of our
Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Billu Photo receiving sheild from marketing funds for the Manzoor Khan,
Mr. Mehmood Naqvi, Exec. Director Ruba Group Director Ruba Group
product development so
that you get more cus-
tomers. Our plans for coming months are aggressive and we are going to change our
advertising techniques and the business model”.
He further added, “We are amending our master dealer concept to give you more in-
centives. For example, I proudly announce, starting from this year, MBM will present a
car to our master dealer who will meet the targets”.
Later the guests presented shields to the leading dealers.
Mr. Tahir, Fest International receiving shield Sheikh Javed, Al-Hafeez Photo receiving Mehmood naqvi,
from Mr. Manzoor Khan shield from Mr. Manzoor Khan Executive Director Ruba Group

{Month In focus}
Nokia, the most trust worthy partner

oped world. Their first ever internet expe-
rience will be on their mobile phone and
services like mobile email are seeing some
of their highest adoption rates in develop-
ing countries. Nokia doesn’t apply one
size fits all strategy to all emerging mar-
kets; rather we study the consumer pat-
terns in each market to bring out the most
relevant solutions to the market. Making
more possible for Pakistani masses, we are
now introducing the most affordable
Nokia devices to date that offer a great
value for money.”
Sharing the details of new entry mobile
Mr. Haseeb Ihtisham, Marketing Manager, Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan presenting
phones launched, Haseeb Ihtisham, Mar-
Nokia's four new affordable entry devices at the launch event
keting Manager, Nokia Pakistan and
Afghanistan said, “Nokia offers to Pak-
n Expanding the portfolio of its Entry scribers come from? Analysts at Juniper istani market the widest product portfo-
Solutions in Pakistan, Nokia Pakistan research believe that 80 percent or more lio to choose from at all price points. The
today announced the latest additions to of all new mobile phone subscribers per launch of these new entry devices today,
its most affordable device range at their annum will come from emerging markets. Nokia 2690, Nokia 2220, Nokia 1616,
launch event: Nokia 2690, Nokia 2220, Talking about the significance of Pakistan Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1280 adds to the
Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1280. as an emerging market, Imran Khalid growing entry mobilephone range of-
Leading analysts around the world be- Mahmood, Country General Manger, fered by Nokia. The relevant features
lieve that it is emerging markets like Pak- Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan said, “Pak- packed in these affordable phones are
istan that will lead the future of mobile istan is a market with a growing telecom flashlights, calendars, durable keypads
communications in coming years. By sector that provides us with many new av- and long battery life. Nokia has combined
2015, 83 percent of the global population enues to bring more affordable and valu- these standard features and add-ons like
will be living in emerging markets. As de- able solutions to this market. Most of us pleasant form factor to bring to Pakistani
veloping world incomes rise, household take the convenience of using a mobile consumers a perfect low-cost package.”
spending on mobile phones, and the op- phone for granted, but for billions of peo- The new Nokia entry phones announced
portunities they are bringing people, ple, mobile devices and services can trans- today the Nokia 1280, the Nokia 1616 and
grows faster than spending on energy, form their lives. Many people in emerging Nokia 1800 are priced very competitively;
water or indeed anything else. So where markets are using the mobile in more with the Nokia 1280 being the lowest
will the next billion mobile phone sub- powerful ways than those in the devel- cost mobile phone to date.
Mobile Monday
Arrives in Pakistan
n MobileMonday (MoMo), the global
community of mobile industry visionar-
ies, developers and companies, launched
its 100th chapter in Islamabsad in April at
a glittering event attended by key players
of the telecommunication industry, gov-
ernment officials, diplomats, dignitaries,
media and others. Representatives of the
global MoMo community who had espe-
cially flown into Pakistan for the launch
were also present.
The remarkable MobileMonday phenom- Jari Tammisto, CEO, MoMo, Zibber Mohiuddin, Country Manager, Ericsson Pakistan,
enon began almost by accident in Mohsen Tavakol, President, Ericsson Pakistan, CIIT Rector, Dr S. M. Junaid Zaidi and other
Helsinki, Finland in the autumn of 2000. dignitaries at the launching event

{Month In focus}
A couple of well-known Finnish visionar- working and partnerships locally and is very special as it is the 100th.”
ies invited the who’s who of the Finnish globally by providing a platform for in- In Pakistan, the COMSATS Institute of Tech-
mobile industry to an informal get-to- dustry players. MoMo also contributes to nology (CIIT) is the local counterpart for the
gether and incidentally the time that generating awareness amongst the Mobile Monday network. The CIIT with 7
suited everybody was Monday evening. broader public through various means. campuses countrywide, 42 degree pro-
After this first meeting the group decided Pakistan has now come into the global grams, 17,000 students’ enrollment, 11,000
to continue meeting on the first Monday limelight with the launch of MoMo’s graduates and 1700 faculty members of its
of each month — and thus, MobileMon- 100th Chapter in Islamabad, which began own is the fastest growing institution. It is
day was born. Towards the end of 2004, with an address by H.E. Osmo Lipponen, currently ranked at seven by the Higher Ed-
the movement started to spread to other Ambassador of Finland to Pakistan. This ucation Commission of Pakistan.
areas of the world and new MoMo chap- was followed by speeches by H.E. Shahid CIIT Rector, Dr S. M. Junaid Zaidi (S.I.) said
ters were started in Tokyo, the Silicon Val- Kamal, Ambassador of Pakistan to Ger- that Pakistan has immense potential to
ley in USA and Rome and Milan in Italy. many, Jari Tammisto, the Founder and benefit from the global networking and
Since then, the number of MobileMonday CEO of MoMo Global and other speakers. peer support offered by MoMo.
chapters and members has dramatically "Pakistan is a huge mobile market where Some of the activities that MoMo Chap-
increased making MobileMonday the there is much innovation the world ters initiate are workshops, seminars, in-
world’s leading mobile community. should be aware of. MobileMonday is ex- formation hubs and a website with the
MoMo today is a hub of influential stake- cited to invite Pakistan's mobile commu- latest mobile technology information in
holders of the ICT industry, fostering co- nity to connect with peers globally," said one place. Just like mobiles and internet
operation and cross-border business Tammisto and added “After several suc- services the important thing is not the de-
development through virtual and live cessful launches in other countries, in- vice but the opportunity created by its ex-
networking events to share ideas, best cluding the most recent ones in Uganda istence. Similarly, the MoMo community
practices and trends from global markets. and Kenya, MoMo's global team is excited creates tremendous opportunities for the
It also facilitates the creation of peer net- by this milestone - the Islamabad launch ICT industry and the general public.
The ceremony began with recitation of Holy

HUTIC Graduating Ceremony Quran by Mr. Naseem Ahmad Usmani. Later on
the director Al-KICS, Dr Waqar Mahmood formally
welcomed all the honorable guests and the grad-
uates of HUTIC. He talked about the role that the
centre has been playing in providing quality
technical training, in the vital area of GSM tech-
nology, to the students and professional from all
over Pakistan.
He described the two phases of investment made
by Huawei and counter investments made by
UET Lahore, making the centre such a success.
The centre has trained 2000 students and profes-
sionals and the same numbers of professionals
are trained by Huawei’s staffs which come from
Huawei’s customer companies.
Deputy CEO, Huawei Technologies Mr. Xiao Ning
shared his views about telecom market in Pak-
istan saying: “Pakistan’s telecom sector has flour-
Xiao Ning, Deputy CEO, Huawei Technologies, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, ished greatly in the recent years. Scores of new
Member Technical, PTA, Naseem Ahmad Usmani, Advisor & Director, Huawei, Dr companies are gearing up to provide service, and
Waqar Mahmood, Director, Al-KICS, Kashif Bashir, Manager Marketing Al-KICS
along with successful students cellular subscription has crossed 9 million---
making Pakistan one of the fastest-growing cel-
lular markets. It’s an absolute revolution.”
n Al-Khwarizmi Institute of Computer Science (Al-KICS), Uni- He closed his address by saying, “Long lives Pakistan-China friend-
versity of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore organized ship bringing technological improvement for generations to come.”
a ceremony to award certificates to the successful graduates of Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, technical member PTA, praised
the Huawei UET Telecom & IT Centre (HUTIC). Xiao Ning, Deputy the telecom training facility and said, “It is a matter of immense
CEO, Huawei Technologies was the chief guest of this ceremony, pleasure that Pakistan has such state-of-the-art GSM equipment
Member Technical of PTA, Khawar Siddique Khokhar also at- at UET, Lahore with the collaboration of Huawei Technologies,
tended the ceremony as guest of honour and Several Huawei China. I strongly recommend UET to focus on further collabo-
officials including Huawei’s advisor Naseem Ahmad Usmani, di- ration with Huawei-Technologies in the field of software devel-
rector Lahore office Mr. Poundss Peng were also present. opment and transfer of technology to Pakistan”.

{Month In focus}
New AMD Phenom Dell awards students

II X6 Processor Dell recently held exciting compe-
n
tition activities at leading universities
in Karachi, where Dell organized stim-
ulating interactive sessions with large
groups of students. The latest Dell LCD
monitors were awarded to the student
groups who won the competitions.
Other attractive gifts and Dell T-Shirts
were also distributed among the par-
ticipating students.
The latest products from Dell were also
n AMD announced in India the imme- displayed at the “Institute of Business
diate availability of the AMD Phenom II Administration (IBA) and Institute of
X6 processor and AMD 890FX chipset Business Management (IoBM-CBM) in
ushering in a new era of immersive 3D Karachi. The students also got an op-
entertainment and visualization. Trail- portunity to experience their favorite
blazing consumers seeking immersive technology products. Dell-Inspiron
3D entertainment and high definition Cheerful students holding Dell gift-hampers
and Dell-Studio notebooks series offer during Dell’s University Activity at Institute
multi-monitor display now can afford- innovative computing and Internet ca- of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
ably upgrade to six-core performance pabilities, whereas the Dell LCD tech-
and award-winning ATI Radeon™ HD nology delivers pioneering features
5000 series graphics. Today also marks with striking visual display and clarity. The participants were thrilled to know more
the availability of the flagship AMD Phe- about the capabilities and lifestyle advantages of Dell products.
nom II X6 1090T Black Edition processor, The Marketing Manager for Consumer and SMB at Dell Pakistan, Nubla Iftikhar was
AMD’s fastest and most tunable desktop also present during this competitive interaction, where she said; “Interacting with
processor ever. AMD Phenom II X6 these brilliant youngsters studying at these prominent universities was a fabulous ex-
processors feature new Turbo CORE tech- perience for Dell. We have always gained from exchanging ideas and insights with
nology that transfers performance to our customers. The university students are among the vital market segments for Dell,
three dedicated cores operating at as they are truly inspired by the fresh and innovative Dell technology”.
higher frequency.
Redtone's license Customer's Complain

canceled n Recently, a customer used Telenor easypaisa service to transfer Rs. 3,000 from Islamabad
to Lahore. At senders’ location, the process was as per the guidelines of the company as the
sender submitted the NIC copy and paid Rs. 174 additionally as transaction fee (Trx ID
n PTA has suspended the LDI license of 5357813). The EasyPaisa shop at the receiver’s end in Lahore asked for Rs. 30 as his personal
Redtone Telecommunications (Pvt.) Ltd on fee to deliver the amount. The shopkeeper did not provide any receipt of the amount nor
account of concealment of minutes pertain- did he ask for any NIC copy. The shopkeeper in Lahore was not entitled to receive any amount
ing to the international incoming traffic. from the receiver (Waheed Ahmed Butt).
The details of international traffic (CDR) telenor's response
for the month of October 2009 provided Thank you very much for your report “Telenor easypaisa needs strong supervision” dated
by Redtone Telecommunications were April 8, 2010. We appreciate the media for playing their role in helping us establish branch-
compared with the CDR of licensee’s in- less banking in Pakistan.
terconnect partner (access provider) and Telenor Pakistan has processes in place for addressing all concerns and complaints regarding
the analysis of these CDRs highlighted easypaisa transactions. For easypaisa Money Transfer, the schedule of charges is clearly com-
discrepancy in minutes terminated on municated and displayed on posters at all Merchant Locations. Only the sending customer
mobile network which were not found in is charged a fee while sending funds. No such charges apply at the receiving customers end.
the licensee’s CDRs. A retailer that is in not in compliance with these guidelines is in direct violation of the com-
The decision was passed pursuant to the pany’s policies. The retailer in such cases is issued a warning at first and if another subsequent
Show Cause Notice issued to the company complaint of this nature is received, the retailer is then taken off the easypaisa panel and is
by the Authority on March 1, 2010 in re- blacklisted for any further business opportunities.
sponse to which the company could not The specific incidence you have mentioned is being investigated and the complainant will
satisfy the Authority during the hearing be contacted soon.
thus resulting in the immediate suspen- Telenor SIM users can always dial 345 and from other networks 111-345-100 to report such
sion of the LDI license of the company. incidents, ensuring a quick resolution of such incidents.

{Month In focus}
Rashid Khan meets Latif Khosa
New and handy netbook is about to in-

troduce in Pakistan in May. The machine
can perform everything a mobile phone
and a computer can. It has a keyboard as
well as a touch display. The price is ex-
n Advisor to Prime Minister for Information Technology, Sardar Muhammad Latif
pected to be around PKR 35,000
Khan Khosa has said that cellular companies have major contribution in the promot-
ing the national telecom sector and have created job opportunities in the country.
He expressed these views while talking to Chief Executive Officer and President of
Mobilink, Rashid Khan who called on him here on Monday.
The Advisor lauded the services provided by the cellular companies to the public and Connect To Learn
recognized that they have invested a huge amount in Pakistan which has expanded
the job market for the Pakistani youth. The Advisor said that government is making n Madonna joined the Earth Institute,
all out efforts to boost up the national telecom sector and spreading the telecom fa- Ericsson and Millennium Promise to an-
cilities all over the country to benefit maximum people. nounce a new global education initiative
‘Suggestions from the cellular companies to promote the network will be welcomed aimed at supporting access to primary
and the discrimination and disparity between cellular companies and local loop op- and secondary education for every child
erators will be addressed, he maintained. in the world, with an emphasis on sec-
ondary schooling for girls. The initiative,
‘Connect To Learn’ , will provide second-
ary school scholarships, with a special
focus on scolarships for girls.
This powerful partnership is designed to
address the current global crisis regard-
ing education. It works to encourage in-
dividuals on all levels to respond to this
urgent call, which requires action not
only from individual people but also from
corporations, non-profit organizations
and governments worldwide. The main
reason that this initiative has come into
being is because of the fact that close to
70 million children world wide do not
have access to good education institu-
PIA achieved operating profit of Rs. 2.84 billion for the year 2009 after four years of tions.
operating losses, operating loss for the year 2008 was Rs. 7.3 billion. Managing Direc- “It’s time for a change,” Madonna com-
tor PIA, Captain Muhammad Aijaz Haroon informed the Shareholders at the 53rd An- mented on the issue. “There are millions
nual General Meeting of PIA held at a local hotel today. of kids around the world not in school so
In his address to the shareholders, Managing Director PIA said that the year 2009 we’re inviting everyone to join us in
proved to be a challenging year for the national flag carrier as global recession con- hooking kids up with access to a basic
tinued widening financial crisis. Globally, airlines have recorded dips in passenger education through scholarships, and the
loads, cargo loads and yields. Higher inflation in the country also exerted pressure on opportunities that come with access to
the cost structure of the airline. He added. technology.”

{Month In focus}
WorldCall at Jinnah
International Airport
CEO of WorldCall Telecom Limited Mr. Babar Ali Syed

President and CEO PTCL Waleed Irshaid with the senior management team and Regional Director & CCMO Headquarter (Karachi)
at the concluding session of annual way forward meeting of PTCL Mr. M. Hanif Aurakzai launched the Business Center at
2010/2011 , that marked this year as "Year of customer and Employee care" Jinnah International Airport
President inaugurates USF project for broadband in Punjab

n President Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated a project to provide Broadband Internet
in Southern Punjab funded by Universal Service Fund (Ministry of IT) on April 22,
2010. The project was originally launched by President Zardari on January 20th 2010
and within a short span of a few months, more than 25,000 broadband connections
have already been provided in 32 cities. While addressing the gathering, President
Asif Ali Zardari said that government is committed to mainstream the less-developed
areas, like southern Punjab.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Information Technology, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Sec-
retary IT, Naguib Ullah Malik and Parvez Iftikhar, CEO-Universal Service Fund were
also present at the occasion along with Federal Ministers and Secretaries, MNAs, MPAs, government officials and other notables. This project
(being implemented through PTCL and Worldcall) involves providing broadband facilities in un-served urban areas of Southern Punjab.
Dummy mafia looting innocent customers

malik khalid iqbal owns younus mobile, he is also saqib malik, ceo sagir mobile (secretary ithad
the vice President of electronics trader association, group) says, Union plays an important role at Hall
Hall Road. While talking to MORE, he highlighted that Road. Current union should address the Dummy Mafia
we are facing a big issue of Dummy Mafia. These crook issue but unfortunately, office bearers have failed to
minded people are looting the customers who ever end the menace. This mafia befool the ordinary cus-
comes to the market to purchase a mobile. It is bringing tomers and replace their new handsets with their own
us all a bad name. I want to end this mafia and we will old ones or replace it with dummy mobiles and then
call a meeting to discuss the issue. I also request the ad- flee away. I appeal through MORE that don't listen to
ministration to help us out. Unfortunately, other leaders any such guy for a discount.
of the association are not interested to solve the issue.
mian muhammad rafiq, chief executive, ali Qizilbash ceo of mobile outlet says, Dummy
aa mobiles, told us that Dummy Mafia is strength- Mafia is active at Hafeez Center as well. We try to min-
ening its roots at Hall Road and looting innocent peo- imize the loss of customer by asking the guards to keep
ple. Though, we have guards who keep an eye on the an eye but these people follow the customers, ask
business and try to catch Mafia people but they are them to buy cheap handset which they can't get from
still running their show. Few of the shopkeepers sup- a shop and then sell them something Dummy. We
port these Mafia people. have caught them couple of times but due to the sup-
port of other shopkeepers they get freed.

{paKIstanI professIonals}
variables regarding investor’s behaviour haviour that helps to scrutinize the stock
on the KSE. The study covers the most sig- market in future. It can also explain the
nificant variables that have a great impact worth of stocks, where do they stand, and
on investors’ decision-making behaviour facilitates the investors whether their risk
Dr. Mohammad Azam and provides a pattern for investors par- has been increasing or decreasing and
ticularly ‘ordinary investors’ as how to what is the point where investors should
n Muhammad Azam has success- make a better investment in the equity enter or exit from the stock market?
fully completed his PhD under a scholar- market. The research done by Dr. Azam
ship from the Higher Education It has been argued that the model will proves that if our academia and industry
Commission (HEC) of Pakistan from the eliminate the bubble also or any great work in collaboration with each other
University of Paris Ouest-Nanterre La De- crash like “KSE March 2005 Crash” perma- keeping in view the national priorities,
fense, France. The title of his thesis was nently in the stock market. KSE “March nothing can stop Pakistan to prosper and
“Investors’ Behaviour and Stock Price Vari- 2005 Crash” inspired the scholar to work stand high in the comity of nations. And
for this to happen, it is indispensable that
the government plays a proactive role.
The Government must realize that our youth has enormous poten- The analysis and findings of the afore-
mentioned research should be duly con-
tial and if they are provided the right opportunities, they can pro- sidered by the relevant government
duce amazing results agencies like Securities and Exchange
Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and re-
lated ministries so that the proposals
ations in the Karachi Stock Exchange”. on stock price variations to save the small made by the researcher are translated
Dr. Azam, who is currently an Assis- investors’ capital from big players who into practical steps.
tant Professor at Iqra University Karachi, manipulate the stock market through The Government must realize that our
completed his PhD studies under Com- media announcements and many other youth has enormous potential and if they
mission’s scheme “Overseas Scholarship sources. No similar studies have been are provided the right opportunities, they
Programme (Phase-I)”, which was aimed made earlier on the Karachi Stock Market. can produce amazing results. Lack of gov-
to create a critical mass of highly-quali- The researcher has developed a Stock ernment’s attention is costing this nation
fied human resource in all fields taught at Prices Variations Model (SPVM), which fol- a lot as many of our bright young minds
the advanced level in the world. lows the approaches of M. J. Gordon are preferring to stay and work abroad
Dr. Azam’s research deals with the in- (1959) and Kothari and Zimmerman where, unlike Pakistan, they are given ap-
vestors’ behaviour and stock price varia- (1995) models by adding more explana- preciation as well as incentives. There is a
tions for the period 1998-2008 on the tory variables according to the institu- dire need to capitalize on the precious
Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). The objec- tional/professional Investor’s behaviour human resource that Pakistan has, and
tive of this research was to determine the of KSE (Fund Managers, Brokers, Financial encourage and support scholars like Dr.
stock price variations with respect to the Analysts, etc). The model has been devel- Azam so that they may serve their moth-
macroeconomic, firm-specific accounting oped by observing the past investor be- erland in the best possible manner. n

{energy | More Report
}
n Due to the ill-advised planning and People have been forced

wrong policies of the successive govern- to go for alternate energy options and The depreciation in the value of rupee
ments in Pakistan including the present that’s why the demand for generators has against dollar has further sky-rocketed the
one, all of whom claimed to have served been growing immensely. Reportedly, prices. How interesting and pathetic also
the masses, the energy crisis has engulfed generators amounting to $75 million and that on one hand the import of generators
the whole country. Whether it is industry, $141 million were imported in January is increasing, while on the other hand the
agriculture, corporate sector or govern- and February this year, respectively. The stocks available for customers are limited
ment organizations, it seems that every- deteriorating situation has provided enor- and that too on exorbitant prices. So due
thing has come to a standstill as there is mous opportunity of minting money to to lack of any enduring solution to the lin-
almost no electricity. The students prepar- those traders who had accumulated gering energy crisis, the people are help-
ing for exams or busy in regular studies are stocks till massive power failures hit the less to bear the brunt of the higher costs.
badly affected by the increase in load- nation and the demand increased mani- In the last few months, prices of power
shedding. In the urban areas, people face fold. The traders release inadequate generators have increased by 40 %. Usu-
it for more than 12 hours, while in rural stocks despite greater demand in the ally the demand picks up from April, as per
areas the duration crosses 18 hours a day. market. Looking at the worsening electric- practice in the previous years, but realizing
Despite surging energy crisis in the coun- ity situation, even before summer is in full the government’s inefficiency the public
try, the government is feeling so relaxed as swing, the customers are thronging the has lost hope of any immediate solution
if the problem will be solved itself. markets to purchase the generators. and have decided to help themselves.

{energy}
Two kinds of generators are available in Adding insult to injury, the Sui gas au- any nation. Any sort of local or foreign in-
the market, including 2-stroke generators thorities are taking action against the uti- terference in the energy sector will fur-
that work with petrol and the 4-stroke gen- lization of gas generators for household ther aggravate the situation. Moreover,
erators that work with both petrol and the purposes. Interestingly, there is no curb plans to privatize the energy sector
natural gas. These range from five-hundred on the import of gas generators and a va- should be abolished because if control of
to three-thousand watt. There is no local riety of such generators are making their the state is removed, the private sector
can not have the capacity to tackle the
situation and, more importantly, their
foremost aim is to earn profit.
Reportedly, generators amounting to $141 million were

imported in February alone this year. The deteriorating
situation has also provided enormous opportunity of
minting money to those traders who had accumulated
stocks till massive power failures hit the nation and the
demand increased manifold. The traders release inade-
quate stocks despite greater demand in the market.
The policy makers should also seri-
ously start planning for alternate energy
sources. There is much talk of building
dams and setting up nuclear power plants
way into the market, however the users but there is no proper planning for sources
are being stopped from availing the facil- such as solar, windmill energy, etc. Around
manufacturing and different sort of gener- ity, who just want to reduce the effects of the world, the dependence on traditional
ators are imported from China, Japan, USA unending outages. The plight of end- sources of energy is decreasing with a fast
and UK. A one kilo-volt generator of Chi- users aside, the Pakistan Electric Power pace. A vast majority of sunlight reaching
nese origin that you could buy between Company (Pepco) has also complained the earth is left unabsorbed and Pakistan
seven to eight thousand rupees last year that SNGPL is not supplying enough gas has been gifted with this precious source.
has crossed the figure of 10,000. Likewise, a for power generation. If our planners had Internationally, solar engineers are trying
two kilo-volt electricity generator is avail- come up with a proper gas load manage- to develop more efficient and effective
able at around 20,000, as compared to 12- ment plan, the use of natural gas would solar cells so as to rely on solar energy for
13 thousand in the previous years. Both the be much better, not only for generating majority of appliances.
wholesalers and retailers are exploiting the electricity but also for other sectors. Similarly, the power of wind is also used
shortage of generators and charging exor- It is high time that government to generate electricity. Wind is converted
bitant rates from customers on the pretext should learn lesson from its mistakes as into electricity through the utilization of
of their non-availability. The customers ac- well as those of its predecessors and work wind turbines, which have taken on a thin,
cuse traders and importers of making artifi- on a comprehensive energy policy to end three bladed shape in modern times. Cur-
cial shortage of generators and maintaining this whole trauma and provide relief to rently, wind power supplies one percent of
that no government agency was taking no- the masses. After completing two years in the world's electricity needs, although with
tice of the shortage as well as high rates of power, the government has miserably coming advancements in technology and
generators. However, the importers say that failed to resolve the energy crisis and its expansion of the industry, that number
if the government waives off duties on their ongoing policies give no hope of ending could rise substantially in the next few years.
import, the people could easily access the the acute shortage in the coming years. Pakistan can also effectively utilize this
generators for their houses, businesses and At least, there should be no politics in the source as some of the areas in the country
other requirements. energy sector, which is the backbone of are best suitable for this purpose. n

{energy | Halima Qureshi
}
Pakistan. It bound India from stocking water of
western rivers, which flow into Pakistan. Although
as per the Indus Basin Water treaty, Pakistan fully abides by the treaty, India has openly
India may build reservoirs with certain violated the agreement. In 1984, it unveiled its proj-
limitations but new delhi started con- ect to build Wullar barrage on Jhelum River but it
structing dams without informing had to halt because of increased protests from Pak-
pakistan. India's stubborn attitude is
costing pakistan a lot, especially coun- istan. In 1992, another controversial project of
try’s agriculture sector has been hit Baglihar came to light, which again made it clear
hard. despite continuous efforts of that India is in no mood to follow the treaty and
pakistan, India has never become seri- Pakistan's demand, not as forceful as it should have
ous in settling the issue. been, to stop the work fell on deaf ears. Rather In-
dians insisted that treaty has no provision for stop-
ping work and invited Pakistan for talks just as a
time gaining tactic and the result was that the dam
was completed in 2008. The aggression did not stop
here and India planned a number of other projects,
including Kishan ganga and many others. If only
India stops water at Head Marala, the origin of two
most strategic canals, the irrigation of the Punjab
province may collapse. The issue is so severe that if
India builds a few more hydropower projects violat-
ing the agreement, it will make the Punjab dry and
destroy the irrigation system.
India’s water terrorism is also verified by the
n The water resources are rapidly depleting in the region and the global warm- revelation that it has offered technical assistance to Afghanistan to construct a dam
ing is rapidly melting the glaciers, big source of water for both the countries. While over Kabul River, and such reports prove that India is using water as a tool of ter-
seizing Pakistan's water share, India is planning to use this for irrigating millions of rorism. While taking benefit of different local and external challenges faced by Pak-
acres of the land, a big part of which falls in the disputed territory. As per the treaty, istan, the New Delhi intends to advance its hostile aim of prolonging its unjust
India may build reservoirs but there are certain limitations, but the New Delhi started occupation of the Kashmir valley. It is for this purpose that India is creating the
constructing dams without properly informing Pakistan. India's stubborn attitude problem of insurgency as well as taking wrong cover of the Mumbai attacks. But
is costing Pakistan a lot, especially country’s agriculture sector has been hit hard. the main problem is that the government of Pakistan has yet to adopt a straight-
The issue has been taken up with the World Bank, treaty’s main guarantor, with the forward and assertive policy, which should force India to solve this problem, once
hope that the Bank will play a positive role to amicably solve the problem. The United for all. Even General Musharraf, who was considered a tough man for India, could
States has also shown its willingness to mediate for a long-term solution, although not do anything except rhetoric. The aggressiveness by India should be given a
India has never become serious in settling the issue despite continuous efforts of strong response, and this water terrorism should be highlighted at every relevant
Pakistan. The international community is very right in its concern that water dispute forum. Mr. Yousaf Sarwar, who is part of the Indus Basin Water Council, has warned
among the two nuclear countries may lead to a bigger conflict. that if the issue of water flow to Pakistan is not addressed urgently, the country
Most recently, an Indian delegation led by Oranga Nathan, Indian Water Com- will become a disaster-affected by 2013. And, God Forbid, this will be last nail in
missioner visited Pakistan, but the three-day dialogue ended without any devel- the coffin of a nation already hit by rising inflation, shortage of wheat, sugar and
opment and, as usual, promises were made to hold another session probably in a host of other problems.
May. The Government of Pakistan has been facing India's hostile attitude for too The non-serious attitude of Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for proper man-
long now and our leaders will have to devise and adopt a firm policy, otherwise agement of the use and distribution of water has also caused enormous loss of the pre-
India will continue to linger on the matter, which is a big threat to even Pakistan's cious resource. The rift among the provinces over water supply has further aggravated
existence. There should be no hesitation to clearly voice country's stance and for the situation. If we can not solve our internal differences, we could not even think that
this purpose all the political parties will have to stand united with the government. India will take the water issue seriously. This is high time that our politicians and insti-
The Indus Water Treaty provided India rights to construct reservoirs on the tutions devise a comprehensive strategy to address both internal as well as external
eastern rivers while a limited use was allowed from the western rivers reserved for threats and protect the country from an endless disaster. n

{energy}

{agrI tech | More Report
}
n While presiding over a mid-term re- tain their outstanding loans. The Govern- 89 percent of agriculture loans in 2009
view meeting of the ‘Agricultural Credit Ad- ment on its part should take immediate against 86 percent in 2008 and 81 percent
visory Committee’ recently, the Governor of steps to develop cordial environment and in 2007 respectively, which is a good omen
the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has asked mechanism for the promotion of agricul- because if the loan recovery system is
the banks to revamp and restructure their ture credit through banking system. strengthened, it will become much easier
agriculture lending mechanism through in- A proper strategy should be in place to for the government to allocate much more
novative products and by adopting best spread awareness among farming commu- funds for agriculture lending.
practices. This is a very timely directive as nity about banks’financial services and other It needs to be analyzed whether credit
the agriculture sector is one of the most sig- cropping-related information. Unfortunately, going to farmers is sufficient and whether
nificant areas for country’s economic the smaller provinces have always been it will have any meaningful effect in the ab-
growth. And unless small farmers are given a lesser share in the agricultural credit, sence of other measures for ensuring their
strengthened through agriculture lending the issue needs to be given top priority. economic viability. In this context, creation
and other related measures, the sector will For fulfillment of their basic needs like of production and employment opportuni-
remain unable to play its due role. seed, fuel, fertilizer, pesticides etc, a big ma- ties in the rural sector through public in-
There has been a considerable develop- jority of the farming community is depend- vestment assumes critical importance.
ment in this sector, however the issue of ent on the credit support. Therefore, while Besides increasing the agriculture credit,
agriculture lending has remained a neg- working in a crisis-like situation, the banks the banks should also be asked to restruc-
lected area. Surveys show that banks have must devise plans to spare money for this ture and reschedule the outstanding debts
shown least interest because of which per- purpose, with a special attention to rural and make special offers for farmers of the
centage of agriculture credits has de- and far-flung areas. The fact of the matter is affected areas, which will definitely lead to-
creased in the last couple of years. But the that of cities and tehsils have better oppor- wards strengthening the whole sector.
latest SBP initiative is a welcome step and tunities, while those of rural areas are al- Being one of the largest producers of
things are expected to change gradually. most devoid of them. cotton, rice wheat as well as milk, what Pak-
The banks should adopt special strate- Critics say that Zarai Taraqiati Bank Lim- istan urgently needs is streamlining the agri-
gies for lending to small scale farmers. In ited (ZTBL) caters to a large community of culture lending, and facilitating the small
this regard, coordination with the associa- farmers who have no problem of access to farmers. The country that was self-sufficient
tions of farmers for raising awareness as institutional credit and enjoy debt write-off in basic food is now importing even onions
well as marketing of agriculture industry by the bank. If it is true, it would be in the and tomatoes, not to speak of wheat at
and loan products is very important. This fitness of things to convert it into a rural times. Our problem is not resources but
will also help the financial institutions to ob- bank. A good news is that ZTBL recovered proper planning and implementation. n

{MoBIle phone}

{MoBIle phone}

{gadgets}

{gadgets}
It is always a million dollar question for you to find out which computer is best depending
upon your working style, computing requirement and of course your budget.
Feeling the urge for best solution and to help customers, Dell Pakistan has categorized the
latest products for you. Below is the largest variety of notebooks with Core i processors from
Dell. All of them are in the colors (except XPS which is black and red) -Obsidian Black, Cherry
Red, Gecko Green, Ice Blue, Alpine White, Pretty Pink, Passion Purple and Midnight Blue
Bifurcation is as below:
school students, high school students, bloggers, Professionals with heavy pocket, designers, university students, young professionals,
tweeters, people on the go, housewives photographers home users, women- price point is great.
Mini 10v 1557 i7 1464/1564 i3/330

• Intel® Atom Processor N280 (1.66 GHz) • Intel® Core™i7-720QM (1.6GHz, Turbo upto • Intel® Core™i3-330M (2.13GHz, 4 Threads,
• 1GB DDR-2 RAM 2.8GHz, 4 Threads, 6MB Cache) 3MB Cache)
• 160GB Hard Drive • 4GB DDR-3 RAM • 2GB DDR-3 RAM
• 10.1 ” Widescreen WSVGA (WLED) • 320GB Hard Drive • 250GB Hard Drive
• WiFi, Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card Reader • WiFi , Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card Reader • WiFi , Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card Reader
• Windows 7 Starter • Windows 7 Home Basic • DOS
rs. 33,900/- rs. 89,900/- rs. 59,900/-
university students, young professionals, university students, young professionals, expensive high end machine- theme: made
home users, women- price point is great. home users, women- price point is great. for the man in power
1464/1564 i5/430 1464/1564 i5/520 XPS1645 i7

• Intel® Core™i5-430M (2.26GHz, Turbo upto • Intel® Core™i5-520M (2.4GHz, Turbo upto • Intel® Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz, turbo up to
2.53GHz, 4 Threads, 3MB Cache) 2.93GHz, 4 Threads, 3MB Cache) 2.8GHz, 8 Threads, 6MB Cache)
• 3GB DDR-3 RAM • 4GB DDR-3 RAM • 4GB DDR3 SD RAM
• 320GB Hard Drive • 320GB / 500GB Hard Drive • 500GB Hard Drive
• WiFi , Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card Reader • WiFi , Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card Reader • WiFi , Bluetooth, LAN, Webcam, Card
• DOS • Windows 7 Professional
rs. 68,900/- rs. 79,900/- rs. 122,900/-


{cover story | saddads
}

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IndIa Must stop telecon 2010

Water terrorIsM 44 06 DelayeD actions causing

MORE got a unique chance to talk to telecom gurus at the

20 you Don't neeD to get a Phone,

22 Without ProPer regulatory

mobile Phones, gaDgets

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naguibullah Malik, Secretary, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Government of Pakistan

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dr. Muhammad yaseen, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

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saad M. Waraich, Country Director, Nokia-Siemens

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tanveer ul haq, CTO, Wi-tribe Pakistan

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3rd 2010 Global TeleCON Pakistan

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The ceremony began with recitation of Holy