Flare Mar+Apr

CONTENTS
08 | EDITOR'S NOTE
Editorial
MARCH 15 - APRIL 15, 2012
09 | READER'S RESPONSE
Letters to the Editor
INTERVIEWS
20 | PTCL to offer branchless banking soon: Naveed Saeed
TELEPEDIA
18 23 29 30 34 37 38 40 42 45 50 54 | | | | | | | | | | | | PTCL holds vigorous Annual Sales Conference 2012 Telenor charging extra, looting customers Blackberry software irk users, RIM struggles to fix problems Retail store to become touch-point Zong celebrates tremendous success Lack of local market skills hurting Samsung CEO or farmer No one's safe from mobile addiction Tablet PC revolution in Pakistan Etisalat to quit Indian telecom market Tablet PC vs Laptop- Think before you buy Your next gadget, a connected car Life, future in your hand
26 COVER STORY
COVER STORY
26 | 3G rollout? Govt, PTA deprive nation
INSIGHT
36 41 44 46 51 53 55 56 | | | | | | | | Ban on VoIP in Pakistan Rise of online advertising The plight of cloud services The rise of iWorker Ineffective networking Android apps too spy users' photos Free antivirus with advanced features Facebook sees slowing growth
Zaheerul Islam takes 12 charge as DG-ISI
EVENT
13 14 17 22 48 49 | | | | | | Finally Oscar lands on Pakistani soil Warid provides career counseling at IBA Career Fair Mobilink Jazz Jazba celebrates Pak new Martial Arts Record HTC gives away prizes to dealers, retailers World Mobile Congress Barcelona, 2012 Highlights The future comes at Hanover fair
EXCLUSIVE
10 12 16 31 52 | | | | | Govt pushes people into 'stone age' Zaheerul Islam takes charge as DG-ISI Political stunt or to benefit students? World's billionaires list, 2012 Earth escapes biggest space storm
SYNOPSIS
57 | National News 65 | International News
14 Warid provides career counseling at IBA Career Fair
Zong celebrates tremendous success
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SYNOPSIS
70 72 76 78 79 80 81 82 84 | | | | | | | | | Mobile Review Current Mobiles Upcoming Mobiles High Range Mobiles Low Range Mobiles Laptops Computers Accessories Gaming Zone
38 Lack of local market skills hurting Samsung
HTC gives away prizes 22 to dealers, retailers
Editor s No t e
3G auction fiasco
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) performance proved disastrous in the last four years as it has failed to auction the most lucrative technology 3G so far. Its a major question the authority and its chairman has to answer that all the government institutions are following PPRA rules in conducting their respective affaires but, why Dr Yaseen showing reluctance to follow the book? Now he asked the present government to wave-off the PPRA rules to arrange timely auction for the 3G, what he was doing in the last four years, if yet he needs the wave-off for the auction? If Mr Chairman has some problems with PPRA rules, he should have the moral courage to get resign over his post and let a fresh candidate take his place to run the affairs of PTA smoothly, which is need of the hour. The telecom sector is the cash-cow for the national exchequer, the largest contributor in taxes and the largest to attract FDI so far. The PPP led government has made their mind to collapse each and every public institution. The disastrous condition of Pak Steel Mills, Railway, WAPDA and PIA show their good governance and qualified candidates for the offices. If this government and Dr Yaseen remain in the office, the same will be happened to telecom as well. The delay in the 3G-licence auction could erode investor confidence because both cellular operators and consumers would suffer opportunity losses. Investor sentiment could be affected because they have prepared to make the investment. But the bidding has been pushed out. This will create opportunity losses for both the operators and consumers. The failure in 3G licensing would cause damage in the long run. The auction fiasco had definitely affected the telecom industry by depriving the country and people of the opportunity to enjoy modern technology, while the country also misses new business opportunities. The Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, also minister-incharge of MoITT, should have to focus on the growth of this lucrative sector, which is at the moment the cash-machine for the national purse, as all the other institutions are nose-dying in complete losses. If the Prime Minister will not come on the front foot to address these issues, it would damage not only the telecom sector but the public exchequer as well, which will result in joblessness, high inflation and poor economy. If we could provide some attractive business environment to foreign business tycoons, our economy will shoot up. Our government should have to attract more investors. The more we will provide room to international investors the more it will ignite competition which will lead to more job opportunities, best quality of services at low cost. The national economy will kickoff in a couple of months. The more jobs for educated youth will 8 result in prosperous Pakistan, which is a day dream of every citizen.
March 15 - April 15, 2012
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri Irfan Khan Usman Yaqoob Director Marketing M. Farooq Malik Manager Marketing Zafar Khan Afridi Senior Graphic Designer M. Naeem Mughal Graphic Designer Azhar Javed General Manager Muhammad Saeed Chief Photographer Mobile: 0321 - 8404389
Editor Assistant Editor
Legal Penal: Sardar Fakhir Ahmed Advocate Rana Naveed Ahmed Joya Advocate Lahore Office 46J-Gulberg III, Lahore-Pakistan. Ph: +92-42-38350195, 042-35880183 Fax: +92-42-35880183 Islamabad Office Phone: +92-51-5892027 +92-51-2254548 Kasur Office Phone: +92-492-770820-763250 Karachi Office 14 Star Marketing & Production 32-1-C-1/6, Block 6 PECHS Main Shahrah-e-Faisal. Tel: 021 34311781-3 Registration No PCPB/105 (Vol. 8 Issue:7) Price Rs: 300 URL: www.f la re .pk Email: flare.mag@gmail.com Colour Sepration: Fotoscan Process, 25-C Lower Mall, Lahore. Ph: 042-37111906, 37234042.
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri, (Editor-in-Chief) publisher of FLARE leading telecom magazine, printed it from Qasim Naeem Art Press, Near Bank Road, Main Bund Road, Lahore and published from 46J, Gulberg III, Lahore.
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Govt pushes people into stone age

Pakistan has the 21st largest river in the world in terms of annual flow, many small rivers, and one of the largest irrigation systems in the world with abundant canals. There is proven potential to generate more than 40,000 MW by hydroelectric power alone
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akistans economy depends on two major resources electricity and natural gas. The country has rich natural resources and it can utilize for the betterment of the common man. Every government had promised that they put the country out of crises but not practically done. I appreciate sincere efforts being taken by Dr Samar Mubarakmand but government creates hurdle for not issuing funds. All the efforts of Pakistani scientist will be wasted if the government will not provide the funds. He urged government to ensure financing of Thar Coal power generation project. Despite the consideration of PM Yusuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari, the Sindh government has not issued the fund and finance minister has said to complete the project through private sector. Another cheapest source to generate electricity is hydroelectric system. Pakistan has the 21st largest river in the world in terms of annual flow, many small rivers, and one of the largest irrigation systems in the world with abundant canals. There is proven potential to generate more than 40,000 MW by hydroelectric power alone. A large number of small dams can be easily constructed by entrepreneurs under a liberal public-private partnership policy. Hydroelectric power should be given top priority as it is the cleanest and cheapest form of energy. Hydroelectric power is an important domestic primary energy resource, and hydroelectric potential is estimated at around 10,000 megawatts. Pakistan has two river dams Tarbela Dam and Mangla Dam where Punjab borders Azad Kashmir has an installed capacity of 800 megawatts. Provinces have called for ending the role of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) in determining power tariff and have demanded transfer of income of power distribution companies (Discos) to them after implementation of the 18th amendment. The existing draconian Nepra method to raise electricity tariff by issuing a single notification for millions of its consumer is not only unjustified but unethical as well. There was a time when a busi-
nessman calculates return on investment keeping in view the two factors, including the cost of electricity and the cost of raw material but now it is very unfortunate that even local investor has no idea of the prices of the electricity because Nepra keeps on adding various components in power tariff and that too with retrospective effect. While severely criticizing 39 percent per unit increase in electricity tariff under the monthly fuel adjustment formula, the traders and manufacturers urged the government to withdraw this hike and direct the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to freeze the tariff at least for one year for the sake of the economy.
Provinces have called for ending the role of the Nepra in determining power tariff and have demanded transfer of income of power distribution companies (Discos) to them after implementation of the 18th amendment
Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Mohsin Aziz has urged the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Minister for Water & Power Syed Naveed Qamar to withdraw the decision of Fuel Adjustment Surcharge (FAS) deduction determined by NEPRA. He said, even the government would not be able to come up with a practical mechanism as to how the FAS can be recovered from the customers and then paid to the concerned DISCOs. Chairman APTMA feared that any such deduction would put textile industry into a financial crunch, as the APTMA estimates suggest that a mill with the consumption of 70,000 to 100,000 units
per day is supposed to bear an impact of Rs7 million to 10 million if the decision is implemented by the government. He said the textile industry was already on the brink of collapse with no liquidity available to meet its expenses and deduction of additional amount from mills under the FAS would bring total closure of industry. No textile mill is in a position to pay such huge amounts and any power supply cut from DISCOs would pave the way for bank defaults across the country, he added. Mohsin said textile industry is an export-oriented industry and it cannot pass on this additional burden against already materialized transactions. Further, he said, the textile industry was highly energy intensive. But still not only the industry faces six hours a day load shedding but gas supply is also restricted due to political considerations of the government. Resultantly, the industry was lacking cash generating capacity. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, a government body that sets energy policy, has announced that it would be freezing utility tariffs in Dubai over the next few years. Nejib Al Zaafrani, Secretary General and CEO of Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) emphasized in a statement today "that there will be no increase in the tariff of Electricity and Water consumption during the few coming years in Dubai". The announcement, which comes after an increase in January, was also interpreted as a green light to industries from cement to metal smelters to invest in Dubai. Zaafrani added that Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy (SCE) is the only authority responsible for determining the consumption tariff, which cannot be changed without a comprehensive study. The announcement that Dubai will keep prices fixed increases pressure on the Government to introduce a feed-in tariff to help renewable energy compete with conventional power. Dubai aims to source one per cent of its energy from solar power by 2020. n
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Gen Zaheer is known as an honest, hardworking and upright person. It is the right choice at the right time. After a series of ill-fated decisions made in the last four years by the incumbent government, finally made a wise decision, as it appointed Gen Islam new DG-ISI
rime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani appointed a new director-general of the countrys powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Lieutenant General Zaheer-ul Islam, Commander 5-Corps (Karachi), has been appointed the new Director-General ISI to succeed Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who retired this month. Zaheers appointment will help to restore good working relationship, as in the Pashas period our premium spy agency was criticised for some security breaches and lapses. It is pertinent to mention here that among the 18 DGs of ISI General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani is the only DG who become chief or army staff. Gen Islam has already served the organisation, thus bringing with him rich experience in the fields of internal security and intelligence. The new DG ISI hails from Kahuta (Murree) where he served as GOC during the Musharraf era. Following weeks of consultations at the highest civil and military levels, two important decisions were taken in a meeting of the president, the prime minister and the army chief: no more extensions as DG ISI for Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who has already availed it twice; and the appointment of a new DG ISI. After a series of ill-fated decisions made in the last four years by the incumbent government, finally made a wise decision, as the new DG-ISI, is the most suitable candidate for the position having a clean record of service with highlyskilled and rich-experienced profile. Belonging to 13-Punjab (Infantry), Lt Gen Zaheer-ul Islam was promoted to the present rank last year and shifted to Karachi as Commander 5-Corps, after he served more than 3 years as DG (C) in the ISI. He had been dealing with internal security. Gen Zaheer is known in military circles as an honest, hardworking and upright person. It is the right choice at the right time. His appointment marks a clear shift in the thinking of the military and civilian leadership in the sense that he has no connections, whatsoever, with the Americans unlike Pasha who had a large circle of American friends and those
regarded as Americanised. Zaheer has a crystal-clear career with no American connections or background, said one of Gen Islams friends. In Lt Gen Zaheers appointment as DG ISI, Army chief General Kayani got his trusted person to head the elite intelligence organisation, though Lt Gen Pasha too enjoyed his full confidence and often used to talk to the Americans on behalf of the army chief, and served as a kind of interlocutor during a period of tense military-to-military relations between Pakistan and the United States.
Zaheer served as DG (C) in the ISI before he was promoted as a 3-star general and moved to Karachi as corps commander. He was GOC Murree for some time before coming to the ISI. He also served as Chief of Staff in the Army Strategic Force Command
Zaheer-ul Islams father retired as a colonel and his brothers - Azhar-ul Islam, Fakhar-ul Islam and Mazhar-ul Islam also retired as military officers, as did his brother-in-law. Zaheer served as DG (C) in the ISI before he was promoted as a 3-star general and moved to Karachi as corps commander. He was GOC Murree for some time before coming to the ISI. He also served as Chief of Staff in the Army Strategic Force Command. Tensions between the army and government soared last year over a note, alleged to have been sent at the behest of Asif Ali Zardari, the president, seek-
ing Washington's help to curb the military's powers amid fears of a coup after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbottabad. The memo allegedly delivered to the then chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, was first made public by a US-Pakistani businessman in October. Both Pasha and Kayani wanted a judicial inquiry into the affair, dubbed "memogate", while the civilian government sought to play it down. A judicial commission appointed by the Supreme Court is investigating the matter. Pasha's departure is likely to come as a relief to the US intelligence community which had a working, if frosty, relationship with him. The ISI has helped capture or kill hundreds of senior al-Qaeda fighters in Pakistan since it joined the "war on terror" in 2001, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on the US.
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But many Western officials suspect that, having helped to create the Taliban that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the organisation has been playing a double game. Pakistan strongly denies any such links, although former military ruler Pervez Musharraf admitted in 2006 that some retired Pakistani intelligence officers may have been abetting fighters. n
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Event
harmeen Obaid Chinoy has won the first Oscar award for Pakistan for her short documentary about acid attacks on women in Pakistan. Her documentary title was Saving Face. Sharmeen Chinoy is a bold lady who talks through the lens of her camera and always searches for touchy subjects and turns them into heartbreaking movies. She has worked on subjects ranging from child abuse, violence against women, terrorism and natural disasters. Ms. Chinoy is a brilliant journalist and established filmmaker has made a real distance in her short career by winning an Oscar nomination from Pakistan. Apart from this she is first non-US citizen to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalist. She revealed last year that her documentary saving Face had been shortlisted for the Best Documentary (short film) category for the Oscars. This achievement has rendered Ms. Chinoy Speechless An Academy Award nomination is stuff dreams are made of. It has reaffirmed my belief it doesnt matter who you are or where you come from, if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated. I hope I can make Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar, The BBC quoted Chinoy, as saying. The news of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy winning the Oscar Award is multi-facial in nature. On one pretext it tells about the atrocities and crime against women like Acid attacks which is a very serious issue. It is believed that incidents of acid attacks are grossly
under reported with official figures saying only 100 cases on average over one year. On the other hand it shows the rosy picture of the society as where women like Sharmeen Chinoy has to opportunity to test their skills and earn a worldwide fame for themselves and for the country. Saving face talks about the acid attacks on women and winning of Oscar award by this documentary is also a saving face for Pakistan and its civil society. A beautiful and rosy face of Pakistan was attacked terrorist attacks (very similar to acid attacks). It also has another resemblance like acid attacks damages caused by terrorist attacks are also grossly under reported. However this is a very good effort and very big achievement by young Sharmeen Chinoy which shows just a glimpse of immense talent she has. The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday paid tribute to Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, an Oscar award-winning Pakistani documentary filmmaker. The lawmakers, especially women MPAs while delivering speeches on a resolution, congratulating Sharmeen Chinoy, terming her winning of Oscar award as a big achievement for the women of Pakistan. Following her Oscar win, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has announced a high Civil Award for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. He, in his congratulatory message, said that Chinoy had made all Pakistanis proud by producing the documentary Saving Face, which is a perfect work of art representing creativity, objectivity and reality, with a touch of passion and
devotion. Sindh Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution, which was moved by the women lawmakers from across the political divide of assembly, felicitating Sharmeen for her Oscar award on her documentary Saving Face based on acid victim women and their struggle. The lawmakers in their resolution said that Sharmeen Chinoy through her documentary had not only created awareness about the menace but also became the first Pakistani Oscar winner in recognition of her work for the rights of the women. They said that through winning the Oscar award, the Sindh born Sharmeen Chinoy has brought honour for the entire nation. MQM, chief Altaf Hussain has announced a gold medal for Sharmeen Chinoy. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif congratulated Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, director of a documentary film Saving Face from Pakistan, on winning the Oscar. She got the award on her film based on violence against women. In his message, Shahbaz also invited Sharmeen to visit Lahore. He said that winning the Oscar by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy as a first Pakistani was a matter of pride for the country as her talent had been recognized at the international level. He said it was a proof of the fact that the Pakistani nation did not lag behind anyone in any field and Pakistani women, especially, were blessed with creative abilities. n
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Event
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Warid provides career counseling at IBA Career Fair

Warid Telecom, Pakistans best cellular services provider, reaches out to students at IBA career fair 2012. Warid team provides career counseling, coaching and career advice to students; in order to excel in the professional world, it is of utmost importance that students identify their strengths early on and develop a link between their academics and prospective job opportunities
imed at transforming futures by providing lucrative learning and growth opportunities, the renowned equal opportunity employer Warid Telecom reached out to students at IBA career fair 2012. The Companys Recruitment & Staffing team along with Senior Team member from Organization Development & Training, provided career counseling, coaching and career advice to the students.
importance that students identify their strengths early on and develop a link between their academics and prospective job opportuni-
Warid plans to become one of the leading employers in the Telecom industry of Pakistan, the representatives elaborated on some of the upcoming interactive and creative student support programs to strengthen Warids bond and commitment towards society. A Large number of students turned up to explore career opportunities available with Warid Telecom
ties. This can only be done through timely career counseling and Warid Telecom is reaching out to students to support this cause. Talking about Warids plans to become one of the leading employers in the Telecom industry of Pakistan, the
representatives elaborated on some of the upcoming interactive and creative student support programs to strengthen Warids bond and commitment towards society. A Large number of students turned up to explore career opportunities available with Warid Telecom. The Company also recently participated in career fairs held at LUMS and LSE, strengthening networking between students and
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The Senior Executive representing Warid Telecom stressed the importance of providing timely career counseling and advice to youngsters by highlighting the existing void between employers and graduating students. In order to excel in the professional world, it is of utmost
the Organization by interacting directly with them and providing guidance and career advice. This initiative was greatly appreciated by students and career offices alike. This event was organized at the IBA Main Campus by the IBA Career Development Society (ICDS). n
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he incumbent rulers started various schemes, such as the Benazir Income Support Programme, the Sasti Roti scheme and the free laptops scheme etc, introduced by the federal and provincial governments. If whatsoever the government do, I dont have any problem, but the elected persons should distribute all the public stuff, as we did evidence that Nawaz Sharif was caught by media cameras distributing free laptops, who even dont pay tax, if he has the moral courage, then he has to provide such laptops with his personal purse, but he often visits such places with a huge security protocol as he is the present Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has no right to give away laptops on the account of public kitty.
PML-N has been ruling Punjab for the last four years. What progress the province has made in these four years? Wouldnt it be better if instead of awarding free laptops to students the money should have been spent on raising the standard of education at the primary level especially in the rural areas of Punjab?
Do these schemes really benefit the masses and contribute to the countrys progress? Or they are mere political stunts to get votes in the next elections? The PPP has been ruling the centre for the last four years while the PML-N has been ruling Punjab for the same duration. What progress the country has made in these four years? Wouldnt it be better if instead of awarding free laptops to students the money should have been spent on raising the standard of education at the primary level especially in the rural areas of Punjab? A student who received a laptop after Punjab Government's Laptop Scheme has said that there were Punjabi stage dramas and dances (Mujras) in the DVDs of software pack with the laptop. Interestingly, it was a free laptop scheme which was started by PML-N's government. These laptops were distributed by Nawaz Sharif to the students of Bahudin Zikria University recently. Some 5,443 students of Bahauddin Zakriya University were given free laptops by the Punjab government. However, the CDs which were meant to have educational software instead had the stage actresses mujras. The students said that CM Shahbaz Sharif should direct the officials concerned to check the CDs being given under the scheme. He should also direct the law enforcement agencies to probe the matter and bring the culprits to justice, as software CDs were full of mujras, who did this, was it a mistake or a deliberate effort to defame Mr Shahbaz? Investigation should be ordered to find truth. The image of students tapping away on laptops is certainly a pleasant one. It suggests progress, modernisation and a desire to explore. But perhaps, we need to take a more holistic view of the situation. Is it really wise to spend Rs4 billion of the taxpayers money on laptops? Instead, shouldnt we assess what our real educational priorities are, rather than opting for decisions that garner publicity and public perception? Perhaps, we should think about the situation in our primary school classrooms across the country, where children have no desks to sit on, no fans to keep the heat away and no clean water to drink. Teacher absenteeism makes things even worse. Only when our primary-level of learning improves will we be able to turn out truly educated men and women, who are able to compete with their counterparts across the
Political stunt or to benefit students?
how laptops will improve Education in Pakistan or Punjab? If we want to excel in Information Technology government should have to provide IT labs in Universities and at a much lesser cost than this. Wary of the rising political capital of Imran Khan in the plains of Punjab, the provincial government led by the erstwhile CM Shahbaz Sharif has unleashed the most valuable weapon in its arsenal to target the urban youth who are, by far, the vanguard of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf. This political stunt by PMLN is in an effort to bribe youth, who supports PTI. Carrying a price tag of four billion rupees, the laptop distribution scheme is supposed to benefit the brightest across campuses across
province. The money earmarked to launch this laptop onslaught is meant for the development of the whole province, slicing it off from the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the province.
A student who received a laptop said there were Punjabi stage dramas and dances (Mujras) in the DVDs of software pack with the laptop. CM should direct the law enforcement agencies to probe the matter and bring the culprits to justice, as software CDs were full of mujras, who did this, was it a mistake or a deliberate effort to defame Mr Shahbaz? Investigation should be ordered to find truth
world. Hence, investing this same amount of money in the education system will bear more fruits for the longer run. Punjab government is wasting Rs4 billion on distributing laptops to well-off only, while 62 percent of children dont have the means to get the basic education. Can Chief Minister Punjab tell us
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The chief minister aides believe that the scheme would go a long way in attracting the bulk of the youth from the province who, at the moment, have put their weight in the favor of the promise of change Imran Khan. Confidantes of the chief minister also believe that when these laptops purchased by public money go to students, the entire neighbourhood would sway politically in favour of PML-N. However, detractors of the chief minister are of the view that the scheme would miserably fail just like sasti roti, food stamp, yellow cab and Ashiana schemes. Critics also point out that the Election Commission must take notice of the misuse of public money in an election year. n
Flare Report
Event
obilinks Jazba sponsored a special event where Ahmed Hussain set the new world record for the most rapid martial art kicks in one minute. The event was held recently in Peshawar at the International Islamic University, Khyber Campus where Ahmed set this record with 307 kicks within 60 seconds. The current record is the second achieved by Ahmed Hussain who is a Pakistani martial arts instructor by profession. His previous record of 146 kicks in one minute was broken in June 2011 by Raul Meza of the US who completed 281 kicks in one minute. Additionally Ahmed set another world record in martial arts kicks as he struck 1110 kicks
to be added in the next edition. After claiming the world record Ahmed Hussain stated he always knew that he would reclaim the record and make his countrymen proud. He especially expressed his gratitude to Mobilink Jazba for coming to his support at the most important time. In addition to sponsoring this event, Jazba, Mobilinks youth platform, also awarded Ahmed
Hussain with prize money of Rs. 50,000 as appreciation for promoting a positive image of Pakistan on an international forum. This was done in the spirit of encouraging Ahmed for his hard work and commitment. Sadia Khurram, the Director Marketing at Mobilink (Jazba) commended Ahmeds performance stating that it is indeed a moment of pride for the whole nation that a young Pakistani has created a new world record. Jazba remains committed to providing the youth of Pakistan with the opportunity to explore and promote their remarkable talents on a global platform. I congratulate Pakistans very own Karate Kid on this very special achievement.
in 30 minutes without breaks and using only one leg in October 2011. He also holds the world record in the category of punching with achieving 400 punches in 60 seconds. Ahmeds previous records have already been inscribed on the Guinness Book of World Records and this new record is expected
Jazba is Mobilinks vibrant and spirited youth brand. Aligned with its message of empowering the youth, Jazba is continuously immersed in activities that helps promote and encourage such talented individuals as Ahmed Hussain through various platforms. n
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Telepedia
Telepedia
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Interview
Flare Report
s Senior Executive Vice President Commercial at PTCL, Naveed Saeed is responsible for all the revenue streams of the Company. Saeed has a rich profile in the telecom sector spanning over a period of nineteen years. He has previously held leadership positions in telecom firms such as Warid Telecom, IMTCL (Thuraya project), Mobilink, Instaphone, Pakcom Limited and Paktel Limited (now China Mobile Company). Excerpts from his interview: Q: What does it really mean when PTCL says 'Hello to the future'? Naveed Saeed: PTCL has undergone massive transition since it has been taken over by Etisalat in 2006. Now, it's a transformed company with a new outlook, new culture, new management, and new focus, and has become more customer-friendly and customer-centric. It has moved on to the next level, and launched new services for both the wireless and wire line segments.
The Pakistani telecom market, which has hit saturation point in the Voice segment, is going in that direction; therefore, growth will be driven by the data market. PTCL is extremely well-positioned to take advantage of that because we are backed up by the fiber optic, backhaul, long haul infrastructure, and under-sea cable infrastructures
Today, PTCL's portfolio includes services like Smart TV and EVO, and products like Smartphones and tablets. This essentially takes us into the futuristic direction. Thanks to the large platform and network available with PTCL, our capacities to design, host, store and manage multiple services are immense. So, we are actually telling our customers to say "Hello to the future" with PTCL. This reflects our brand philosophy and our future direction in the business.
PTCL to offer branchless banking soon: Naveed
SEVP Commercial-PTCL, Naveed Saeed says the Etisalat group is very much interested in branchless banking market. Though it is still evolving, we, as a group, feel that we can really benefit out of the huge market of commerce, remittances, banking and financial transactions and cross-border commerce by leveraging the outreach of Ufone and PTCL. We are looking at having our own financial institution to be able to offer branchless banking services. Ideally, we are best suited to lay the platforms, connect all the banks and the MNOs
Q: But the bread and butter for PTCL still remain its Voice business, whose revenues are on a constant decline for many years now? Naveed: PTCL's voice revenue is still quite substantial, and we are trying to protect and maintain our share of voice in this hyper-price-sensitive market. We have seen shrinkage in our fixed line subscriptions, but that has ceased now, and the current subscribers are from the business community and households. We feel that Voice will eventually become a value-added service because the growth that we are having from the broadband services is expected to outgrow Voice revenues in the coming years. We are expanding accordingly. Today, we have close to 800,000 DSL users, over 200,000 EVDO users, and these numbers are growing. These are high revenue and high margin customers, so it makes more business sense for us to sell one broadband connection rather than running after 3 or 4 PSTN connections. Q: So, what is the strategy in action at PTCL, to diversify the revenue mix away from Voice to other emerging segments? Naveed: The strategy is to make the PSTN connection a prerequisite for a customer to avail broadband services. For the future, we are contemplating to offer double play services, rather than giving the PSTN connection alone. That's the model, and then we'll gradually go for triple play (voice, data and video), and then quad play which includes surveillance, too.
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Flare Report
Interview
Our "PTCL Jadoo campaign" is a step in that direction, which offers a PSTN connection, bundled with DSL broadband, IPTV, wifi hotspot and EVO backup. Our business is to specialise in certain domains and provide customised solutions in every single one of them. Through unified connectivity platforms, we are moving towards cloud services where businesses would have dumb terminals and computers at their end, and their data storage would be happening at our end. That's the dimension we are moving towards where businesses get rid of their data warehouses and telephone terminals, and depend on us from emails to phone calls (VoIP) to broadband to mobility. We have the capacity to offer all these services under one umbrella. Q: How well-poised is PTCL to take advantage of the evolving data-age in Pakistan? Naveed: Globally, data connectivity platforms, which are more efficient and accessible, are being used for Voice services, too. Smartphones and tablets, coupled with a plethora of applications, have given a boom to this data age. The Pakistani telecom market, which has hit saturation point in the Voice segment, is going in that direction; therefore, growth will be driven by the data market. PTCL is extremely well-positioned to take advantage of that because we are backed up by the fiber optic, backhaul, long haul infrastructure, and under-sea cable infrastructures. We have data centers, landing stations, internet gateways, IPTV services and unified communication platforms. On the business side, the per capita data consumption is going to be far bigger than that in Voice, because there is so much that can be extracted from data services. Commerce, logistics, trading, and banking - all of them have to eventually move on to the data platforms. This has already started in Pakistan. For instance, we have connected over a thousand branches of National Bank of Pakistan, and given them a total new network and centralised connectivity. So, whether one likes it or not, Voice is going to take a back seat, and data is going to be the primary driver for connectivity and business growth. Customised iPads for various business functions have been launched in the West. For instance, Industrial iPads have been marketed in the US for inventory management, logistics, etc. I believe that Pakistanis are going to be early adopters in this data age. We have been gearing up for that by launching customised, 3G-enabled Smartphones and tablets. We are offering the device as well as data connectivity in a price that is unmatchable, and the market uptake has been really good. We are contemplating to launch another tablet device soon. Q: Since you are marketing customised Smartphones too, what is your take on the dynamics of the Smartphone market in Pakistan? Will the device usage increase in the foreseeable future? Naveed: The mobile network operators have the ability to identify the exact profile of the Smartphone users on their respective networks. That's one of the bases that the MNOs are ambitious about the upcoming 3G spectrum auction. The size of the Smartphone market is estimated to be between five to six million users in Pakistan. This market will eventually outgrow the dumb phone market because a smart phone is capable to communicate with platforms like Android and Apple's iOS, which are very versatile compared to conventional STK platforms. Mobile applications and the 3G-enabled data experience are worthwhile only on a Smartphone. After the 3G spectrum auction, the circulation of smartphones is bound to increase. MNOs would be pushing themselves to protect their 'Smartphone category' of high-end users. Q: How do you see the future of tablet computers in Pakistan? Naveed:The uptake is already happening. We
recently gave a presentation to CM Punjab, who is now contemplating to adopt the tablet model after distributing laptops to students. PTCL is trying to evolve applications that can potentially transform the way education is provided. We are envisaging a scenario where education is provided through tablet computers. This model would offer a complete academic environ-
Add to this the upgrades and replacement of handsets and we are looking at a demand of at least two million new handsets per month. If we take the average price at $50, which is a very conservative price, then that's at least $100 million in foreign exchange lost every month. The mobile handset manufacturers should have come to Pakistan long ago.
ment on a single device. Students wouldn't have to buy books, because they will be available on an eReader on the tablet. We are trying to develop a column where they can write notes and highlight important points. The teacher would immediately learn about the class attendance as students walking into the class would automatically be registered. Class work, quizzes, home assignments and final exams would be disseminated through these tablets and submitted back through the same.
Pakistan is a big market for mobile phones, where roughly one million handsets are required by just the new subscribers. If we take the average price at $50, which is a very conservative price, then that's at least $100 million in foreign exchange lost every month. Hundreds of millions of dollars are unnecessarily going out of the country on handset purchases. At least some brands, if not the top brands, should have been here
This model has received immense attention in India, where the government is soon going to make it mandatory for all the schools. Tablets costing less than $50 are on offer in India. I have a feeling, if we adopt this model we are going to leap much ahead because we are less structured than India. We at PTCL are convinced that we have to bring this service to the community. Q: Pakistan is over a hundred million mobileuser market. Why is it that not a single mobile manufacturing company is found in Pakistan? Naveed: That is really ironic because the mobile handsets market in Pakistan is still very large, as roughly one million new cellular subscribers are being added to the tally every month. This is a big market where roughly one million handsets are required by just the new subscribers.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are unnecessarily going out of the country on handset purchases. At least some brands, if not the top brands, should have been here. Q: Being a wireless broadband service provider, how would PTCL compete with the soon-to-enter 3G operators who will be offering high-speed mobile broadband? Naveed: We are in no way threatened because our primal business is wire line and our support is wireless. Thanks to its optic fiber network, PTCL can offer upto 100MB broadband to its users, and a host of other services including IPTV, surveillance, etc. We are selling our dongles, and we will continue that after the 3G rollout. Today, our wireless footprint, spreading over 200 cities, is at par with any GSM operator. Q: How do you foresee the appetite and uptake of 3G-enabled services in the low ARPU segments? Naveed: We have already seen very high usage of internet services from rural areas, and interestingly the per capita data usage is actually higher in smaller cities compared to large cities. This is perhaps because of greater quest for knowledge due to lesser access to the information highways among the dwellers of these areas. So, the uptake would happen. There was a stage when many in Pakistan did not know how to use SMS. Yet today, Pakistanis are one of the most SMS savvy nations in the world. This service is going to affect everyone in society. The content is there, the platforms are there, the applications are there, the push is there, and the will and desire are there. Q: Any progress vis--vis stepping into the branchless banking market? Naveed: The Etisalat group is very much interested in this market. Though it is still evolving, we, as a group, feel that we can really benefit out of the huge market of commerce, remittances, banking and financial transactions and cross-border commerce by leveraging the outreach of Ufone and PTCL. We are looking at having our own financial institution to be able to offer branchless banking services. Ideally, we are best suited to lay the platforms, connect all the banks and the MNOs. Courtesy: Business Recorder
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Event
Farooq Malik
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Flare Report
Telepedia
Telenor charging extra, looting customers
Violates ethics, promotes Indian stars
Telenor imposed Rs. 2 plus tax for every call made to helpline; Telenor has been served Show-Cause notices but still violating PTA rules. PTAs legal department has authority to slap maximum fine of Rs350 million on the infringement of its rules and regulations to a single cellular phone operator through the determination enforcement order (DEO)
elenor started extra charges to postpaid customers under service fee umbrella. Telenor has done it again; it has once again become the first operator in the Pakistani market to impose charges on postpaid customers for calling helpline service. Telenor, without notifying customers even with an SMS notification (something they keep sending their customers every day but for promotions only) imposed Rs. 2 plus tax for every call made to helpline. Just a prompt message is being played during helpline calls, explaining that postpaid customers will be charged Rs. 2 plus tax for talking to customer representative. Prepaid customers were already paying charges plus taxes for seeking help from cellular operators. Postpaid customers are usually considered premier due to high paying tariffs they bear. It merits mentioning here that ARPU (Average Revenue per User) for postpaid customers for Telenor in Q4 2011 was Rs. 771 as compared to Rs. 236 for prepaid customers. Additional charges are something cellular customers in Pakistan are facing every other day now. Telcos claim offering of lowest call rates in region seems more of just a catch line now. I am wondering when they will stop justifying low ARPUs because of low calling rates, as low calling tariffs are supported by humongous additional charges. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) should have act now, PTAs primary function is to ensure that the customers rights been protected, if it is so helpless to protect users rights then it has no right to sit in offices and living a lavish life with public purse. Lahore High Court (LHC) has recently awarded stay order Telenor for interim period against the show-cause notices issued by PTA on poor Quality of Services (QoS). We know that PTA is hunting for operators by imposing penalties like they did in the past, but cellular companies are apparently fighting back. But PTA has to take every possible measure to guard consumers rights.
It seems PTA has no control over cellular operators tariff mechanism as, every other day; they put some increment in their service charges. PTA has to take on board all the stakeholders and give them a plan to regulate their tariffs with consent to the regulator. PTAs legal department has authority to slap maximum fine of Rs350 million on the infringement of its rules and regulations to a single cellular phone operators through the determination enforcement order (DEO). The regulator declared cellular telephony services substandard on technical grounds and issued show-cause notices recently to Telenor, but Telenor is still violating PTAs rules.
Telenor is continuously acting on Jewish agenda to attack Pakistans indigenous culture; its promoting Indian film stars in all its marketing campaigns; they use Indian actors to give strength to their brand, considering there is no one capable enough in Pakistan fashion industry to accompany their Brand
But, as we reported earlier that Telenor Pakistan, a Norway based cellular company is continuously acting on Jewish agenda to attack Pakistans indigenous culture. Its promoting Indian film stars in all its marketing campaigns. Telenor has recently launched a campaign to promote their caller tunes. In their recent marketing promotions they used Indian actors to give strength to their brand, considering there is no one capable enough in Pakistan fashion industry
to accompany their Brand. Telenor Marketing team while giving comments on the issue said This is a caller tune of movie DON and using Shahrukh Khan is to promote the content, not the actor. Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahinNa mumkin hai Duniya dhoondhti reh jayey gi magar sirf Talkshawk ke customers hi pakar saktey hein Don 2 film ki smart tunes. Industry analysts forecast it as a second major blunder after their last Umrah campaign blunder in which they hired a christen artist from Pakistan who was seen performing Umrah in their TV commercial. Later the company stopped the TVC and developed a new version of the same TVC. The decision of promoting Indian artists in Pakistan is highly condemned by locals. Another marketing campaign of Telenor Khamoshi ka boycott promoted Indian film, Rockstar song, Sada Haq Ithey Rakh. The campaign was also having a TV commercial, showing students making fun of their teacher. Such ethics by a Christen origin multinational disgracing our ethical values and hurting our emotions is not acceptable at any level. Taimoor Gardazi, a Telecom IT professional while giving comments on Telenor way of Marketing said Telenor must revisit their marketing approach towards Islamic state of Pakistan. People in this part of the world teach their children to bestow utmost respect to their teachers. The way Telenor is feeding our youngsters is misleading them. It is important to mention here that in the past, Telenor Pakistan was involved in Plagiarism i.e. Telenors Advertising Plagiarism As their video Khamshi ka Boycott is not even original. It has been copied by Volkwagen Beetle ad. The important point to note here is that this is not the first time Telenor has copied from other ads. They previously copied from Pepsi campaign for their Karo Mumkin website and this time they didnt even hesitate to copy from the ad which is also available on YouTube. n
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Zubair Ahmed Kasuri
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he delay in the 3G-licence auction could erode investor confidence because both cellular operators and consumers would suffer opportunity losses. Investor sentiment could be affected because they have prepared to make the investment. But the bidding has been pushed out. This will create opportunity losses for both the operators and consumers. The failure in 3G licensing would cause damage in the long run. The auction fiasco had defin i t e l y affected the telecom industry by depriving the country and people of the opportunity to enjoy modern technology, while the country also misses new business opportuniSyed Yusuf Raza Gilani ties. Prime Minister of Pakistan The Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, also ministerin-charge of MoITT, should have to focus on the growth of this lucrative sector, which is at the moment the cash-machine for the national purse, as all the other institutions are nose-dying in complete losses. I dont think the whole economic team of PM knows anything but how to empty public kitty. Already delay in the auction of 3G licenses is hindering growth in the telecom sector, which in turn means less jobs for youth and losses to the national economy. If the government rollouts the spectrum in time, by increasing 10 percent broadband penetration will increase 1 percent in GDP. Parliament also termed the auction of 3G licensing as uncompetitive, the legislators of the Lower House presented a privilege motion against the government (Ministry of Information Technology) in the National Assembly for not incorporating the recommendations of the NA committee on the 3G policy for the last two years. Our neighboring country, India is ready to auction 4G licenses in September this year, but its sad that Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is so far failed to hold auctions for even the 3G technology. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a circular that due to the great interest shown by operators through their representatives in World Mobile Congress being held in Barcelona, Spain, the Pre-bid meeting which was earlier to be held on March 5th, 2012 has been postponed to allow more time to the operators to evaluate the emerging situation and allow them more room to plan. The new date shall be announced shortly. It is still uncertain that the auction to take place in mid-May or June this year; this not only depriving the reverend consumers to enjoy high quality services but denting national kitty also. The government should have to direct PTA to hold auctions to give a hand to budget deficit and create jobs for jobless educated youth. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislator Anusha Rahman Khan Advocate told the committee it is regrettable that the auction of 3G licensing was made totally against the interest of the country. The auction was made in the interest of current operators of cellular companies and there is no room for a new company. The existing operators dont have the capacity to invest any more in the country while the government has shut doors for new company, which she claimed would deprive the government from earning more revenue. She regretted that the government has made wrong agreements with
Cover Story
Etisalat over privatisation of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL). During the Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA) between the government and Etisalat, it was decided that the government would not allow any new telecom operator by 2013. The PML-N legislator regretted that the government has made 3G auction policy keeping in view the SPA it did with Etisalat, but the company failed to fulfill its obligation of payment of about $800 million to the government. The Ministry of IT and other government functionaries totally sidelined the recommendation of this committee over 3G-policy and termed it totally damaging for the country, the PML-N legislator maintained. All members of the committee agreed with her to present privilege motion in the NA. Recently the PM Gilani said that his government would ensure fair competition and transparency in the auction of 3G spectrum technology. Talking to the heads and chief executive officers (CEOs) of major telecom companies, including PTCL, Mobilink, Zong, Ufone, Telenor, and Warid, the Prime Minister said the government was committed to provide an enabling environment for the introduction of the latest technology in the field. 3G comes with enhancements over previous wireless technologies like high-speed transmission, advanced multimedia access and global roaming. entrance so complicated? PTA Chairman Dr Mohammad Yaseen said if a new operator is allowed to function before March 2013, the matter (auction of 3G) can be challenged in the court by any one, which will further delay the process of modern technology. In order to avoid such a court issue, the government decided that a new operator, if qualified, would start its function after March 2013. He said most of the countries including Afghanistan have adopted 3G technologies and Pakistan is far behind in this regard. He stressed for early introduction of 3G technology. PTA said in an official handout that, the 3G spectrums auction has been postponed after Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh the internaFederal Minister for Finance tional investors said they were unable to come up with the finances in the given time span and because of the difficulties being faced in hiring a consultant for the auction, said PTA. The PTA said that during the discussions with international investors, they raised the point that the tentative timelines published by PTA for the auction process were difficult to meet. The PTA said it would soon announce fresh dates for auction. The government had given three months deadline to PTA to auction the 3G licences and the now vacant Instaphone licence, aimed at raising about a billion dollars to restrict the budget deficit. However, PTA and the Auction Supervisory Committee, headed by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh failed to observe the deadlines. The statement said that other relevant stakeholders including Auction Supervisory Committee had emphasised the necessity of appointing the consultant. In the policy directive issued in December 2011 the government had asked the PTA to appoint an internationally reputed consultant to oversee the transaction aimed at ensuring transparency. The PTA insisted that keeping its tradition of taking stakeholders on board and to make all possible efforts towards a highly transDr. Mohammed Yasin Chairman, PTA parent auction process, the regulatory authority has initiated the process of hiring the consultant of international repute. It said requirements have been advertised in the local and international media and consultant will be appointed after fulfilling all rules and regulations of the government. The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was informed that auction of 3G licensing might be delayed till June 2012 if the government does not relax Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rule for the auction. PTA Chairman Dr Muhammad Yaseen told
The new date shall be announced shortly. It is still uncertain that the auction to take place in mid-May or June this year; this not only depriving the reverend consumers to enjoy high quality services but denting national exchequer also. The government should have to direct PTA to hold auctions to give a hand to budget deficit and create jobs for jobless educated youth. PTA and the Auction Supervisory Committee, headed by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh failed to observe the deadlines
Gilani said it was encouraging that the telecom operators were focusing on the delivery of value-added services and mobile banking. He directed the Ministry of Finance and the FBR to hold meetings with telecom companies and rationalize the tax regime keeping in view the interests of industry and consumers at the same time. Earlier, member telecom in his presentation told the committee that it is the right time for introducing the 3G technologies. He said the policy was made to give opportunity to existing operators (five functional and winner of defunct licence through auction) as well as new operators (willing to start operations after March 2013; hence ensuring maximum competition. After March 2013, the SPA with Etisalat will expire and then new operators can enter the telecom industry. Chairman of the Committee Muhammad Barjees Tahir and Anusha, strongly opposing the idea about new operators starting function beyond March 2013, termed it as total injustice with the country. They questioned the ministry and PTA that why they made the auction for new
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the committee that 3G is need of the hour and we have requested the government to wave off PPRA rule for quick transaction of the 3G licensing. If the government approved wave off, then it is possible to hold bidding in May 2012 and in case of not granting the facility, then the PTA will try to hold the bidding in mid-June 2012. But, I wonder, how the PTA Chairman could ask for PPRA rules wave-off? The rules are simple, it said procuring agencies, while engaging in procurements, shall ensure that the procurements are conducted in a fair and transparent manner, the object of procurement brings value for money to the agency and the procurement process is efficient and economical. Within one year of commencement of these rules, all procuring agencies shall devise a mechanism, for planning in detail for all proposed procurements with the object of realistically determining the requirements of the procuring agency, within its available resources, delivery time or completion date and benefits that are likely to accrue to the procuring agency in future. The procuring agency may decide the response time for receipt of bids or proposals (including proposals for pre-qualification) from the date of publication of an advertisement or notice, keeping in view the individual procurements complexity, availability and urgency. However, under no circumstances the response time shall be less than fifteen days for national competitive bidding and thirty days for international competitive bidding from the date of publication of advertisement or notice. All advertisements or notices shall expressly mention the response time allowed for that particular procurement along with the information for collection of bid documents which shall be issued till a given date, allowing sufficient time to complete and submit the bid by the closing date. If the PTA Chairman now wants PPRA rules wave-off, what he was doing for the last four years. All the government agencies and institutions follow PPRA rules then, why Mr Yaseen is showing reluctance in following these rules. This is the clear evidence of his inefficiency, I dont know, what the PM Gilani and his entire team is doing? They are the most incompetent; this team of Gilani brought every national institution on the verge of collapse. Now, the only sector, which is the largest tax payer and attracting a huge amount of FDI in the country, is being pushed to the corner. Yaseen said that opening of air corridor and faxed lines in telecommunication sector has fetched over $10 billion investment in the country with $5 billion in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI). According to the PTA chairman, telecom sector has been paying an average of Rs 110 billion annually to the government in taxes and paid Rs 117 billion last year. The telecom sector as the only documented sector in the country could be of great help in bringing other non-documented sectors into the legal economy. Yaseen said that initiatives like branchless banking for money transfers could help in enhanced taxes for the government through documentation of the economy. He absolved himself of responsibility of some concerns voiced by the members about telecom sector. The members suggested that the PTA fix a ceiling on account of service charges by regulators so as to protect the consumers; however Yaseen spoke in defence of telecom operators and said he could not ask operators to fix service charges. He said setting a ceiling price is im-

erated from the licenses auction. They suggested that the government should make it mandatory for successful bidders to adequately invest and expand the sector as part of a long-term commitment to telecommunications in Pakistan. The experts ranging from academia to telecom industry to consultants and practitioners lamented the governments inability to introduce 3G even though the PTA was ready to roll it out three years ago. Even now, as they mull over delaying the auction from end of March, other countries, including India, are already moving on to 4G. Salman Ansari, CEO Telecommunication Consultants, said the future of mobile telecommunications would be dominated by data services (3G and 4G technologies) and voice would be just an additional component. Thus the government should switch over to 3G at the earliest. Sharing global technology trends, he said that growth in fixed line broadband is shrinking whereas share of wireless broadband is persistently on the rise. He said currently there is confusion and lack of clarity in Pakistan over adopting 3G technology or leapfrogging directly to 4G technologies. Ansari believes the best solution for Pakistan is a hybrid approach, with 3G mobile broadband to optimise current assets before moving towards new and further advanced systems, network radio interfaces and spectrum. He termed National IT & Telecom Policy 2005 outdated and called for a coherent national action plan. He cautioned that without proper homework, desperate moves to switch to 3G may lead to failure. Shahid Mahmood, CEO Interactive Group of Companies, said that further delay in 3G auction will adversely impact the economic growth potential of the telecom sector. Redefining the 3G technologies in macro-economic context, he said that increasing the broadband speed leads to economic gains, as every 10 percent increase in broadband penetration increases the GDP growth rate by around 1percent. He said around 80 new jobs are created for every 1,000 new broadband connections in Pakistan. He called for identification of additional spectrum to enable broadband technology deployments. If the Prime Minister will not come on the front foot to address these issues, it would damage not only the telecom sector but the public purse as well, which will result in joblessness, high inflation and poor economy. If we could provide some attractive business environment to
possible because the cost of operators has gone up due to increase in power tariff. It is his duty to defend operators; he is enjoying the lavish life and Chairman office to protect consumers interests not operators. In reply to a question he said that Pakistan telecom industry has made remarkable progress within a few years and is providing affordable services to the people and progress in
PTA Chairman Dr Muhammad Yaseen told the committee that 3G is need of the hour and we have requested the government to wave off PPRA rule for quick transaction of the 3G licensing. If the government approved wave off, then it is possible to hold bidding in May 2012 and in case of not granting the facility, then the PTA will try to hold the bidding in mid-June 2012. How the PTA Chairman could ask for PPRA rules wave-off? What he was doing for the last four years. All the government agencies and institutions follow PPRA rules then, why Mr Yaseen is showing reluctance in following these rules?
technology, especially in telecommunication, is also having a positive impact on social and economic life in the country. Recently experts discussing the subject at the 57th meeting of Sustainable Development Policy Institutes (SDPI) study group on internet and communication technologies in Islamabad, they also urged the government to focus on setting obligatory performance benchmarks instead of merely focusing on the revenue genforeign business tycoons, our economy will shoot up. Our government should have to attract more investors. The more we will provide room to international investors the more it will ignite competition which will lead to more job opportunities, best quality of services at low cost. The national economy will kick-off in a couple of months. The more jobs for educated youth will result in prosperous Pakistan, which is a day dream of every citizen. n
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Flare Report
Telepedia
Blackberry software irk users RIM struggles to fix problems

Users around the globe are turning their back on RIM and BlackBerry devices. Blackberrys software problems annoyed users as customers have lost all their contact numbers; reportedly they accessed for backup support but couldnt make it recover
do to turn things around in the coming months. There is also the question of whether RIM will be bought out. It's a real issue. And it's something that's pushing some companies to vendors that have a more stable corporate environment right now. RIM's BlackBerry devices aren't exactly the cheapest handsets on the market. In fact, there are many cases in which companies can find a better deal on Android-based handsets than on their BlackBerry counterparts. Over the years, that didn't matter much, since RIM's devices were the best. But now, with more appealing devices available and tight budgets, it matters quite a bit. Oftentimes, when the issues of BlackBerry adoption are brought up, consumerization is left out. But in 2012, it will prove to be a major concern for RIM. Consumerization is bringing devices like the iPhone and Android handsets into the enterprise, and there isn't anything RIM can do about it. At the end of the day, productivity means more to companies than anything else. Although the BlackBerry has historically been a productivity powerhouse, it's being beaten by the iPhone because of employee familiarity with that device. Business people have the iPhone in their daily lives now, which they bought for personal or business use. They know which apps are best to use and are comfortable with the touch display. What's more, iOS delivers far better application and browser support. From a productivity perspective, it's hard for enterprises and their employees to choose a BlackBerry over an iPhone. For corporate customers, having the ability to develop proprietary applications designed for internal use is extremely important. Luckily for those folks, Apple's software development kit is ideal for that, and its software affords companies many more opportunities. Although RIM offers a development kit, it pales in comparison to Apple's. And that's a real problem for the BlackBerry maker. When Apple first launched the iPhone, the company didn't seem all that concerned with appealing to enterprise users. But over the last couple years, as more features have been added to iOS, which has changed. Apple is now heavily engaged in attracting enterprise customers. And so far, it appears that effort is working quite effectively. Back before the iPhone launched, RIM's BlackBerry devices were the only enterprise-focused handsets that companies wanted. Compared to all the others, the BlackBerry was far superior. But nowadays, RIM has stiff competition, and the company has been unable to come up with new features or services to stay ahead of the latest smartphones. RIM was once the only show in town that mattered; now, it's lost in the crowd. Though its BlackBerry range of handsets were once considered trendy, the Canadian telecommunications company has failed to compete against Apple and Googles operating systems and have reportedly lost over $70billion from its value since 2008. n
esearch In Motion, Blackberry maker, has been going through an exceedingly difficult time over the last several months. Its mobile market share is dwindling; its former co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie nearly ran the company into the ground; and it brought in a new CEO to help turn things around. All the while, it has watched its core marketthe enterprisestart to slip away as an increasing number of companies back away from BlackBerry smartphones and turn to iPhones, iPads and Android handsets. Following the downturn in fortune for BlackBerry maker RIM, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have stepped down from their roles as cochief executives of the Canadian firm. Blackberrys software problems irked users as customers have lost all their contact numbers; the contact file has been deleted due to some software hidden errors which the customers lost their contacts forever, reportedly they accessed for backup support but couldnt make it recover. So, what happened? And why is the enterprise suddenly resisting the purchase of RIM devices when over the years it had a dramatically different view on things? Unfortunately for RIM, the reasons are numerous. By the look of things, the company doesn't have a plan in place to address them all before the enterprise market slips away entirely. Users around the globe are turning their back on RIM and BlackBerry devices. Why the company's new CEO Thorsten Heins doesn't seem prepared to address those troubles? For a long time, security was the main reason enterprise customers stuck with the BlackBerry. They reasoned that RIM's services, including built-in data encryption, would keep their networks secure, and
that made them reluctant to switch. However, Apple's iOS platform has proved extremely secure, making RIM's argument that it's the only company offering secure mobile services to enterprise users a bit harder to believe. Last year, RIM suffered a multiday outage of its email and messaging services. The mistake was enough for many enterprise IT decision-makers to wonder if the BlackBerry maker could be trusted. Email and messaging is an essential business appli-
RIM has stiff competition, and the company has been unable to come up with new features or services to stay ahead of the latest smartphones. RIM was once the only show in town that mattered; now, it's lost in the crowd; it has reportedly lost over $70 billion from its value since 2008
cation, and it has to be available 24/7. Even a single instance of downtime is enough to damage the credibility of a mobile application service in the enterprise. If the enterprise can't stand anything, it's uncertainty. And at RIM right now there is an awful lot of uncertainty. Companies aren't sure what Heins will
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Telepedia
Irfan Khan
Retail store to become touch-point

Apples influence can be detected in some of the key shifts that we are witnessing. While retail is once again a key priority for operators, the focus is less on shifting boxes and signing up cud-munching consumers than on using this first point of contact as a launch pad for the somewhat ephemeral Customer Experience
he retail store is back in vogue as operators look to inject the customer experience into the first and most influential touchpoint in the customer relationship lifecycle. Not too long ago, customer acquisition was something of a dirty term in the cellular industry. Operators were queasy with the hangover from their land grabbing activities and the focus turned to customer retention as they sought to identify the highest value customers and keep them in the fold. The industry operates on cycles, though, and acquisition has now come back to the foredriven, as much within the industry is today, by the arrival of the smartphone era. That era, of course, was ushered in by the iPhone andyet againApples influence can be detected in some of the key shifts that we are witnessing. While retail is once again a key priority for operators, the focus is less on shifting boxes and signing up cud-munching consumers than on using this first point of contact as a launch pad for the somewhat ephemeral Customer Experience. The ideal is that everything the operators brand stands for can somehow be distilled into a retail experience that leaves each customer feeling so happy with the product theyve bought that they never want to churn. Nowhere else in the mobile operators business is the ideal more divorced from the reality. Network technology, broadly speaking, works. And when something goes wrong with it, the problem can be identified and fixed. This is because technology obeys laws of physics. People are an altogether more unpredictable element of the operators worldemployees as well as customersand this is what makes customer experience management in general, and retail in particular, such tricky games to play. Nonetheless, the retail phase of the customer
lifecycle is benefiting from a great deal of analysis and investment as operators try to refine their acquisition activities. Greater sophistication in the retail process is necessary because of greater sophistication in the devices and services being retailedand the blend of channels being used by operators to initiate contracts is a delicate balancing act. The first sees the customer taking ownership of the device and finding, after some initial experimentation, that they are defeated by the complexity of the handset and/or the associated services. The user then reverts to basic service use, such as voice and text. In the second scenario the initial experience is the same but the user is more moti-
People are an altogether more unpredictable element of the operators world employees as well as customersand this is what makes customer experience management in general, and retail in particular, such tricky games to play
vated to overcome their difficulties. In being so, however, they become a support burden to the operator. A third customer might simply return the phoneresulting in wasted time or even churn while in the fourth, ideal scenario, the customer is well matched to the product and services they have
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bought, and is well set up to become a profitable user. The influence of Apples retail stores cannot be overestimated here. Vodafones director of content services, Lee Epting, says that, in terms of retail customer experience, Apple set the bar with its Genius Bar. This facet of Apples retail environment, where a number of in-store agents are trained to an expert degree in the firms products and solutions, enabling them to answer any customer query or demonstrate any process, is a defining element of the firms customer experience. The idea is to create a positive relationship with the client, to say yes even when you dont really mean it. You might be saying that certain things are possible, but explaining to the customer that there are certain requirements that have to be met in order to get those things, he says. Clients are much more receptive to this approach than to being told that theyre not eligible for something, or not entitled to it. Operators need to satisfy customer needs in a way that suits their business. Dont turn down the client, given them a choice. Because if you push back, the client will go somewhere else and never come back, he says. An operator can have the best systems in place, the most dynamic approach to tariff building and a chief of retail sitting in head office who genuinely believes in the sales environment they are trying to create. But it simply cannot be guaranteed that the person standing face to face with the customer, on the other end of the phone, or typing responses into the chat window will be motivated to act as an ambassador for the customer experience. Customer experience is people dependent and people are nowhere near as dependable as the technology mobile operators employ them to sell. n
Flare Report
Exclusive
31
Telepedia
Usman Yaqoob
34
ong, the fastest growing network of Pakistan, enormously widened its subscriber base during the year 2011. The telecom company contributed immensely to the overall growth of the industry as more than 50 percent of the total number of net addition to the subscribers base in 2011 belonged to Zong. To celebrate this accomplishment, Zong has decided to share its success with stakeholders by rewarding them through one of its kind scheme named Wheel for all 2011. As part of this scheme Zong is awarding 150 franchisees to have achieved sales targets with Suzuki cars. In the history of Pakistan, this is the first time that a company has decided to honor every accomplishing franchisee by giving away rewards of such huge amount. During the year 2011, Zong the digital partner of Pakistani people, attained unprecedented success and was able to add 10 million users to its subscribers base. Also, Pakistans telecom industry witnessed a huge number of subscribers migrating from one network to another. A total number of 5.6 million mobile users used the Mobility Network Portability (MNP) service to shift to their preferred service provider. Zong left all other operators behind in net users gain. This remarkable growth is largely attributed to the sales team of the telecom company who has been working closely with 273 franchises. Out of these, 150 franchises were able to achieve their sales target and they are now being rewarded for their contribution to the tremendous accomplishment of Zong. Speaking about the success, Director Marketing Mr. Usman Ishaq said, We are really delighted over the fact that we were able to cross our targets in 2011. We want to maintain this progress and are confident that our franchisees will continue to support us with their hard work and dedication. We feel blessed to have such committed people who have gone extra mile to achieve our targets and to express our gratitude we have launched this scheme. Director Sales and Distribution Mr. Zahir Shah talking about the scheme said, These figures are clear confirmation of public confidence in Zong and
we are proud of all teams members who have made this possible. We are delighted to share this success with our franchisees as we believe their contributions have helped us achieve our goals. He further added, Zong has now become the digital partner of peoples life in Pakistan as we are not only offering amazing call rates with unparalleled quality, but are also providing unique data services. This has augmented the trust which our users have in ZONG and we will continue to strive for excellence.
tomers, therefore, following its philosophy of keeping customer satisfaction as foremost priority the telecom company has launched this service in Lahore. The company is already operating two contact centers in Islamabad catering various customer segments. This new contact center is expected to employ more than 900 trained agents. Persistent and effective training provided to these agents will help in offering quality services to Zong subscribers. While talking at the launch ceremony Babar Bajwa, Director Customer Services, ZONG said The contact center has been built to cater for the growing market needs and anticipated growth in coming years, especially in north and central regions. We want to give unmatched service to our valued subscribers this is why ZONG has invested in a high-tech contact center to ensure quality. Zongs state of the art contact center, which is using cloud computing platform allows contact center functionality to be integrated with cloud-based Customer Relationship Management.
ZONG has been able to reach 145percent of total SIM activations target, 114percent of recharge loading target and 107percent of recharge issuance target during the year 2011. Its aggressive selling strategies in conjunction with synergized teamwork have aided the company in over-achieving all budgeted targets set for the year. Zong is fast becoming the first choice of mobile users in Pakistan and the ever growing subscribers numbers is a testimony to this. Meanwhile, Zong has launched the state-of-the art fully multimedia Contact Centre in Lahore. The first of its kind in telecom sector of Pakistan, multimedia features rich Contact Centre using next generation Cloud Computing Model, the Contact Centre has a service capacity of 300 seats fully dedicated to cater for its customers needs. A statement issued by the company said that following the corporate strategy from parent company (i.e. China Mobile), Zong realizes that excellent service is the key for attracting and maintaining cus-
The center will function in parallel with Islamabad contact centers to ensure service availability, reliability, traffic overflow management and automatic failover in case of disaster situation at any one site. Since its establishment in Pakistan, Zong has launched various packages and services to facilitate its subscribers needs. Among all the Chinese investments in Pakistan, China Mobile is the biggest investor in Pakistan. n
Insight
Azhar Javed
oice over Internet Protocol or IP telephony has become the sort of communication tool increasingly viable to use and capable of reducing the cost of phone calls that connect via the Internet in the world. Developed and developing countries take full advantage of this facility but in Pakistan this service has been banned in the context of anti-terrorism and misuse of it. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued strict directives to internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile phone companies to implement the Monitoring & Reconciliation of International Telephone Traffic Regulations 2010, by prohibiting and reporting all users sending encrypted information over the internet. Encryption is used in Pakistan to provide secure banking and e-commerce, and to bypass the PTAs regular blocking of websites. The ban on encryption will be particularly dangerous for human rights defenders, female internet users and larger civil society movements as they face increasing self-censorship and reprisals for what they say. The PTA directive is not the only measure that allows interference with the right to freedom of expression and right to privacy in Pakistan. Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act of 1996 allows the federal government to authorise any person or persons to intercept calls and messages, or to trace calls through any telecommunication system in the interest of national security or in the apprehension of any offence. The PTA directive also enforces another regulation, issued in March 2011 that requires ISPs to allow for real time surveillance of all communications and monitor and keep all internet traffic including websites visited and
Developed and developing countries take full advantage of this facility but in Pakistan this service has been banned in the context of anti-terrorism and misuse of it. PTA issued strict directives to ISPs and mobile operators for prohibiting and reporting all users sending encrypted information over the internet
emails sent. The PTA has based the prohibition of encryption on the need to stop terrorists from communicating in secret using VPN technology. Banning encryption will allow for the routine surveillance of all internet users by the security services. PTA has asked not to use any encrypted VPN (virtual private network) for any kind of data transfer and if it is necessary to use that, get it enrolled with the authority first. If you do not know already, be sure that PTA monitors what you are doing with your internet connection. Either you are on a mobile internet connection or on your home based broadband: PTA wants you to not to hide your data from Government; and this is for national security. Keeping up this monitoring, PTA has asked all ISPs and cellular networks to notify their customers about using encrypted virtual private networks. Customers are asked to provide information regarding any encrypted Virtual Private Networks (EVPNs) used by them. In a letter issued by PTA clearly states that authority had already prohibited using all such mechanisms, including Encrypted VPNs which conceal communication to the extent, which prohibits monitoring. Seems like this is the time when PTA has thought of taking action, so make sure to take necessary measures in this regard if you are using an EVPN, or you may face the legal consequences. This means the government-imposed limitations on privacy in Pakistan and elsewhere. But even as the debate continues, the new regulation could prove impractical because of the harm it is liable to inflict on many businesses, security experts say. According to the memo, the intent of the ban is to prevent militants from using secure connections to relay information to one another. But it will affect many ordinary citizens' communications. And it's likely to have an even greater impact on businesses, which regularly use VPNs to conduct e-commerce and send internal communications securely, says Rainer Enders, chief technology officer of NCP Engineering, a German provider of VPN software. says Enders. "It is a very questionable move." The best way for citizens and businesses to deal with the ban in Pakistan, says NCP's Enders, is to continue to use encrypted communications for legitimate purposesin effect passively resisting the restrictions. It would be hard, he says, to use technology to circumvent the ban. Software that enables steganographyhiding messages in innocuous-seeming forms of communicationis freely available and would allow people to communicate without tipping off the authorities, but it is far more complicated to use than a VPN. Secure VPNs use cryptographic tunneling protocols to provide confidentiality by blocking intercepts and packet sniffing, allowing sender authentication to block identity spoofing, and provide message integrity by preventing message alteration. Skype is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) program that allows multiple users with the same program to use voice and webcam services with each other over an Internet connection. Voice over IP (VoIP) commonly refers to the communication protocols, technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques involved in the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. Other terms commonly associated with VoIP are IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, and broadband phone. The whole world uses VoIP if it is anti-state then entire worlds people are mad. Everything our agencies do, may be it is right or wrong, they termed it for the interest of national security but still national security is a question mark in my mind n
The PTA directive is not the only measure that allows interference with the right to freedom of expression and right to privacy in Pakistan. Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act of 1996 allows the federal government to authorise any person or persons to intercept calls and messages, or to trace calls through any telecommunication system in the interest of national security or in the apprehension of any offence
"The business use of the Internet requires encryption and requires authentication and security and confidentiality, so this does not make any sense,"
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Flare Report
Telepedia
t is a very shocking and bitter fact that Samsung which claims Pakistans top selling brand imported mere 19,204 handsets, which tells the poor performance of its Pakistani management team itself. According to Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) released the import of Samsung handsets figures for the month of February 2012. It depicts the real face of ill-skilled Samsungs management team in Pakistan, as Pakistani telecom market experiencing expansion with every passing day, as Pakistani cellular users topped 114.61 million mark in a country of 188 million population, while the Korean handsets makers Pakistani team imports only 19, 204 handsets, which means 1 handset for 13,000 people pathetic; the hilarious proportion depicts Samsung popularity and credibility. There are many reasons but key reason of failure is Samsungs pathetic management in Pakistan. The head is responsible for managing and controlling the companys business and day-to-day operations with the aim of securing significant, sustained increase in the value of the company. Samsung totally failed to provide good services to the customers as major customers have numbers of complaints regarding sales and services, helpline non-attendance, inferior quality handsets, etc. The rumours hovering in the market that Muller & Phipps Pakistan (M&P), a medicine distributor company, will be new distributor for Samsung mobile phones. It means the Korean management is thinking to change its strategy in Pakistan to boost its business and get rid of the present management team, which led Samsung on the verge of total collapse. Mobile phone users in Pakistan reached 114.61
Pakistani cellular users topped 114.61million mark in a country of 188 million population, while the Korean handsets makers Pakistani team imports only 19, 204 handsets, which means 1 handset for 13,000 people; the hilarious proportion depicts Samsung popularity and credibility among the users
million and its population in the estimated to be 188 million higher by 2.1 percent than the last year. The countrys population has been growing at a decelerating pace but still Pakistan has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. of various brands. As per estimates, the handset sales have increased to 0.125 million handsets on monthly basis having price range between Rs 1,000 to Rs 55,000. According to the dealers the mobile handsets market is changing its dynamics constantly in the past three months with number of global and local branded phones increasing their shares tremendously. The Samsung management in Pakistan lacks market knowledge and hence failed to fulfill customers demands and hilariously incompetent in solving problems, which led Samsung in complete loss. Another reason for the failure of Samsung in Pakistan is the non-professional attitude with reverend clients. The service support from Samsung is really pathetic. Samsung Electronics admitted that its attempt to breach the tablet market has largely been a flop, with one executive offering a sobering summary of its performance, Roger Cheng reported. Honestly, were not doing very well in the tablet market, Hankil Yoon, a product strategy executive for Samsung, said during a media roundtable here. That Samsung hasnt met expectations in its tablet business isnt a huge surprise; the company lags well behind Apples iPad and even Amazons Kindle Fire in the US market, Cheng reports. Samsung, however, appears to remain confident that the Galaxy Note will take off. Cheng reports, The 5inch version, which is already out in the market, has been hit by a string of criticism, largely due to its size. While it acts as a phone, it looks more like a tweener product in between a smartphone and tablet, calling some to label it a phablet. Yoon said he expects to ship 10 million units of the 5-inch Galaxy Note, lofty expectations for a company still smarting in the tablet business. He believes the S-Penthe stylus that comes with the deviceallows users to more easily create content, rather than consume it. Samsung earlier this month announced a 10.1-inch version of the Galaxy Note. n
The rumours hovering in the market that Muller & Phipps Pakistan (M&P), a medicine distributor company, will be new distributor for Samsung mobile phones. It means the Korean management is thinking to change its strategy in Pakistan to boost its business and get rid of the present management team, which led Samsung on the verge of total collapse
The imports of mobile handset witnessed growth of 58 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2011-12 compared with corresponding period of previous fiscal year, reflecting high domestic demands of customers for multiple brands. According to the figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), the expenses of mobile handsets are on the rise as Rs 14.25 billion were spent on the imports
FBS released Samsung imported handsets figures for February 2012
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Telepedia
Absar Kazmi
akistan didnt see it coming. The early 90s insidiously ushered in a potent addiction which never made it to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). When the Y2K didnt turn out to be a virtual apocalypse and Pakistan made it to the early 2000s, this particular addiction was already too deeply rooted and quickly imbued in the culture for there to be any room for intervention. Different dealers package it under different names, and cell it with various attractive freebies. Welcome to the world of the debaucherous, the invisible and the deprived, where mobile phones are one of the rare objects of everyones obsession. In 1999, when Instaphone and Paktel were the popular networks in Pakistan and
CEO or farmer No ones safe from mobile addiction

where most banks see no profit in opening a branch, easypaisa will eventually allow people to transfer money to accounts locally and internationally;
Of course, where the rural population is benefiting the urban centers have all but exploded with the hyperbuzz of being connected to everyone, everywhere, at the same time. The question in 2011 is what cant you do with your cell phone? iPhones, Windows-based phones, Androids, Symbians; each operating system offers its own unique and cross platform applications for everything. You can now become a photographer, a writer, a stock market trader or savvy political analyst; if youve got the right phone. All you need is a camera phone and GPRS and you can participate in realtime news streams, Facebook updates, tweets and blogs. Young and old corporate employees are often seen juggling not one but two Blackberrys in the name of business and personal use. Timeoff no longer means no work; its just the new
Welcome to the world of the debaucherous, the invisible and the deprived, where mobile phones are one of the rare objects of everyones obsession. The cook, the driver, or the cleaning lady owning cell phones
GSM was not part of the vernacular, the business man, the corporate executive, the spoilt heir, all flashed their bulky Ericsson flip phones with certain aplomb. Nowadays, if anyones going for the look, their only reassurance is that their domestic help, their 4-year-olds nanny and the grandma arent carrying the same iPhone 4. Recently I walked into someones kitchen in Karachi to witness the cook talking to himself while working; oh no! It was his bluetooth hands-free set that was hidden by his hair! By the way, I think theres a huge downside to the cook, the driver, or the cleaning lady owning cell phones; taking advantage of them just keeps getting easier for the women who treat them like machines. This restless hand syndrome (mobile addiction) has permeated from the urban to the rural; villages in Sindh that till recently didnt have a source of electricity still managed roughly 3 cell phones per house! Is that an anomaly? It wouldnt seem so since Mobilink, one of the leading GSM network providers, launched Mobilink Kisan. This service provides farmers with weather updates and produce rates at their fingertips. Telenor Pakistan, in conjunction with Tameer Microfinance Bank, has introduced branchless banking with the introduction of easypaisa. For people living in remote villages briefcase with homework. But in an increasingly volatile urban environment, most people consider cell phones to be a constant safety blanket. Young women travelling alone at night will keep their mobile within reach; many stay on the phone to feel safer. Parents hand their young ones limited service mobiles as their children hop from one tuition to the next. Though ironically, in recent reports, security personnel have been noted to be extremely distracted texting and browsing. With an increase in attacks at military and police security check posts, this mobile addiction seems to be a lapse in security waiting to explode (no pun intended!). From the CEO to security guard; that amounts to plenty cell phones. In 2000, Pakistan had some 300,000 mobile users, now it boasts 110 million mobile users. These numbers garner investments; Polar Wireless, a Canadian company, has signed an exclusive distribution contract with Karachi-based Hasan Associates for Pakistan and the UAE. These numbers bring opportunities to fingertips (worn smooth with furious texting) that ten years ago were a dream and continent away. And of course, at the same time these numbers also encase each person in a bubble where in a room full of people, the glowing LED indicator is the only thing demanding attention. n
You can now become a photographer, a writer, a stock market trader or savvy political analyst; if youve got the right phone. All you need is a camera phone and GPRS and you can participate in real-time news streams, Facebook updates, tweets and blogs. Young and old corporate employees are often seen juggling not one but two Blackberrys in the name of business and personal use
thought at the moment the services are limited to the payment of utility bills. All through the mobile phone!
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Fr e e d ow nl oa d | f la re .p k
National
SBP to provide banking services to everyone

Karachi: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Yaseen Anwar has said the central bank aims to provide basic banking services to every adult and bankable citizen in Pakistan. As a large portion of our population has access to mobile phones, we feel that if a workable partnership between the banking and telecom sectors continues, we shall see our dreams come true, he added. Delivering his keynote address at the 5th International Conference on Mobile Banking in Pakistan at a local hotel in Karachi, he said that mobile phone subscription has seen an explosive growth in Pakistan total subscription now reaches to 114.61 million customers in all income segments of the society, and growth continues rapidly. He, however, observed that banking accounts are owned by approximately 25 million customers, in a population of 180 million, largely belonging to high income segments while there are about 7 million borrowers. He pointed out that Pakistan has one of the lowest financial penetration levels in the world with 56 percent of the adult population totally excluded, and another 32 percent informally served. Anwar said that SBP will continue to play its role in promoting an environment, which is conducive for financial innovation. At the macro level, we will continue to work with the industry and the other regulators to promote a sound, safe, efficient and inclusive mobile commerce ecosystem, he added. He said, On this front, we are already working closely with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and have also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enabling the interoperability framework where all banks and telecom companies can join hands to serve the customers. We are also in the final stages of formulating the regulatory framework for interoperable mobile banking system. Anwar said that SBP is keen to work with different
stakeholders including financial institutions, different regulators, private sector, application developers and telecom companies to provide an enabling environment for the creation of mobile commerce ecosystem in the country. However, the common challenge is to ensure that all banking transactions, irrespective of the technology platform, are cost effective, effi-
cient, and pose the lowest risk for the consumers, he said, adding that this requires close coordination among the stakeholders in the area of regulations especially monitoring, licensing, provision of technological infrastructure and ensuring maximum benefits for consumers. SBP governor emphasised that the existing agents network needs to be further ca-
pacitated to generate new demand, and to handle and service even larger volumes of transactions to establish the business viability of branchless banking operations. Going forward, SBP will be initiating actionable research on the supply and demand side in collaboration with the branchless banking ecosystem for further development of such services in Pakistan, he added. n
PTCL gains 30pc increase in subscriber base

scribers. This increase has been a result of PTCL Smart TVs aggressive content acquisition strategy, which led to swift content enrichment as well as higher focus on improved quality of service and enhanced customer care. PTCL Smart TV has recently added PTVs hit dramas such as Fifty Fifty, Aangan Teraah, Aahat, and Dhoop Kinary to its VOD service. In addition, a wide range of Hollywood movies, childrens content and Bollywood movies have also been added to this service. Nine percent of the worlds broadband homes now subscribe to an IPTV service and PTCL is striving to achieve the same level in Pakistan. Smart TV is also enriching the television channel list by positioning the channels as per consumers demand. The digital and high quality Smart TV with its advanced and unique features such as rewinding live channels through time shift TV, parental lock and an enriched digitally mastered VOD library has created a favored spot for PTCL Smart TV amongst consumers. PTCL is rapidly increasing its high-end services subscriber base by providing efficient and state of the art telecom services to its customers all over the country, said Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, Naveed Saeed. Smart TV will always make efforts to bring the best service features and highly entertaining content to its valued subscribers. We are giving our customers innovative services and sound packages with a clear strategic direction to facilitate them, said Executive Vice President Wireline, Aasif Inam. PTCL constantly strives to renew and enhance its networking, products, services and capabilities bringing the latest technology for the customers at their doorsteps. n
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has achieved a 30 percent increase in the subscriber
base of its IPTV service also known as Smart TV, claimed an official statement without revealing the number of sub-
Branchless banking reaches Rs. 79.4 bn mark

Islamabad: Branchless banking in Pakistan witnessed another quarter (Sep-Dec 2011) with impressive growth on all fronts, the most prominent being the remarkable growth in number of Branchless Banking (BB) accounts and transactions. Official stats issued by State Bank of Pakistan said that by the end of December 2011, more than 929,000 customers have been registered as m-wallet users. Report said that the number of transactions per day registered 30 percent growth to Rs. 228,855 from Rs. 176,296 in July-September 2011. The report said the average number of transactions per month has increased to 7 million worth Rs. 27 billion. Similarly, the average size of transaction was Rs. 3,855. Moreover, another 3,110 agents joined the fast growing network of branchless banking raising the total number of agents to 22,512 out of which 92 percent are active. The agents network now covers the entire length and breadth of the country having foot print in 86 percent of the total districts. However, the network has a high concentration of 43 percent in 10 districts. Total number of transactions processed during the quarter was 20.6 million, valuing Rs. 79.4 billion. Bills payment & top-up remained the dominating activity with 53 percent share in total numbers, followed by fund transfer and deposits with share of 39 percent and 8 percent respectively. However, in value terms fund transfers have dominated with 71 percent share, followed by bill payments with 26 percent share. n
Broadband subscribers reach 1.79 million

According to latest stats issued by Pakistan Te l e c o m munication Authority, number of broadband subscribers in Pakistan reached 1.79 million till December 2011, adding some 65,000 subscribers in the month. The number of DSL subscribers rose to 792,397, while the number of WiMAX internet
users grew to 495,285. EV-DO customers were 459,790 till December while another 37,491 people used HFC to access the internet. 7,215 users were recorded as FTTH subscribers in December. n
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Telepedia
Humair Saleem
Tablet PC revolution in Pakistan

It is important to note that Tablets are much costlier than what mobile phones used to cost at that time but people are still taking interest
tial these tablets have and are responding to that. Similar to the mobile phones boom in the last decade, experts are predicting that tablets will also see the same kind of growth in Pakistan. It is important to note that Tablets are much costlier than what mobile phones used to cost at that time but people are still taking interest. A year ago, you would not find a single tablet in any computer shop even in the posh commercial areas, but that is not the case anymore. The biggest reason of Tablet PCs finally penetrating the Pakistani market is the drastic reduction in costs by the manufacturers. These tablets are now in reach of those who could not buy the high end but now prefer to grab a tablet instead. So while the growth of PC Tablets looks very positive, these devices still remain as a very small portion of the overall technology market. The majority of the population will still take a few years to catch up before we can really expect a gigantic growth. On looking up the growth and boom of tablet PCs in Pakistan conventional sellers but the online shops also become too much active in order to bring the trend of tablet PCs in Pakistan and to boost up the technological sense in Pakistan. As in early 2005 and 2006 we could see the boom in cell phone markets in Pakistan now the Retailers and whole sellers in Pakistan are trying hard to bring the positive trend and commendable growth of Tablet PCs in Pakistani market, and some how the trend is also becoming in the veins of Pakistan due to the economical prices which manufacturers are offering. Through marketing and selling of tablet PCs the market is also taking a turn towards Online shopping and leaving back the conventional modes of shopping, many online shops are making the good business in the part of tablet Pcs in Pakistan and are also offering the good range and variety of Tablet PCs with very economical prices and with the ease of effective online shopping screen is prone to damage as they are carried around and used in various situations and environments. Compared to other personal computers as notebooks and PC's they have weaker capabilities. Especially video with its low resolution is a drawback comparing it to its big brothers. Minimalist ergonomic can be a trade off regarding typing experience. Traditional keyboard with wrist rest is much more comfortable. We can find different types of tablet PCs on the market. Tablet pc comparison can be done according to their form. These are standard forms of tablet computers: Slate tablet pc - A classical tablet pc form of pad with one touch screen and without keyboard. Convertible tablet pc - Basically a notebook with touch screen capability. They come in form of base and a screen that can be rotated around swivel for 180 degrees. Hybrid tablet pc - Convertible tablets with detachable keyboard Booklets - A dual screen tablets that can be folded like a book. Rugged tablet pc - Tablet pc resistant and adapted to hard atmospherically conditions. Used as a platform for using pc on terrain. Since the iPad first launch in 2010, tablets are going very strong. They found their place between mobile phones and laptop computers. As prices are dropping and number of applications for tablets is growing these gadgets have a bright future in years to come. n
he Tablet PCs have seen a sharp increase in popularity worldwide in the last few years. Apple introduced iPad in 2010, which ignited competition among the tech giants around the globe. Early 2010 can be termed as the launching year for the Tablet PC in USA. The market grew from $1.2 billion in 2004 to $5.4 billion in 2009, with US leading followed by Europe and Asia. Pakistan, however, has been sluggish in adapting new technologies and products and the same has been the case with PC tablets. But recently, things have started to change and people in Pakistan too are taking interest in this market. Our local market has realised the poten-
fingertip or stylus. Many of us ask about the advantages of tablet PCs and many find to say that its just an issue which is attaining attention of public due to its attractiveness and sleek design, but in real are there any advantages of tablet PCs or its just an infatuation for the consumers. Advantages of tablets pc compared to notebooks are their size and weight. Due to their portability, they are very practical and can be used while sitting in sofa, lying in bed or walking around. With a size of a book and special e-reader application they can replace this traditional reading source. When there are advantages, disadvantages also are there, Hardware especially
Advantages of tablets pc compared to notebooks are their size and weight. Due to their portability, they are very practical and can be used while sitting in sofa, lying in bed or walking around
Tablet PCs are quickly becoming the ultimate computing device. They combine the functionality of a notebook with the convenience of a slate tablet to deliver a robust yet portable device that can be used on the go. Tablet PCs are convertible notebooks, consisting of a display screen and a keyboard. In clamshell mode, the device resembles a conventional laptop. However, the device can easily transform into a tablet with a touch screen you can navigate by
40
Flare Report
InsighT
Rise of online advertising

nly a few years ago, digital marketers might have thought all was plain sailing. After a decade of disruption wreaked by the emergence of the popular web, companies and advertising agencies had finally understood the intricacies of placing online display and search ads. Yet in the past few years, a new generation of technologies has come along to disrupt once again the way advertisers operate. Led by Facebook and Twitter, and joined by behemoths such as Google and a bevy of start-ups, these Silicon Valley misfits have muscled into the ad business and upended traditional assumptions about how companies should allocate marketing budgets. In addition to search and display advertising, big companies must now factor in social media, video advertising, mobile marketing and daily deals. The promise of these platforms is tremendous. The new world of digital and social media marketing can give companies increased access to their customers, fresh insights into their preferences, a broader creative palette to work with, and additional data and metrics to study. Yet there are unsolved questions over how best to organise and execute digital and social campaigns. No single formula has emerged, leaving most companies and ad agencies in a state of constant experimentation. There is also lingering confusion over how best to measure the effectiveness of a campaign, and a companys return on investment. Ann Lewnes, chief marketing officer of Adobe, the software company, says she pushed the company into digital and social marketing early on. We saw the insights we could glean from customers, the iterations we could do on a campaign, she says. We saw the ability to really, really measure results. Adobe now spends 74 per cent of its more than $100m marketing budget on digital. Even for a digital-first company such as Adobe, each campaign is a fresh start of sorts. Ms Lewnes says 20 per cent of her budget is going towards experimental campaigns, and that each product launch requires a different mix of paid, earned and owned media. Perhaps the largest shift in recent years has been the transition from the one-way, broadcast messaging of television, print and outdoor, to the two-way conversation that social options now allow companies to have with their consumers.
Advertisers rush to master fresh set of skills

The new world of digital and social media marketing can give companies increased access to their customers, fresh insights into their preferences, a broader creative palette to work with, and additional data and metrics to study
It requires a shift in your perception, says Maryam Banikarim, chief marketing officer of Gannett, the media company. People find it hard to realise marketing is a two-way conversation rather than a one-way pushing out. Yet quantifying the effectiveness, and return on investment, of digital and social campaigns, remains
Yet there are unsolved questions over how best to organise and execute digital and social campaigns. No single formula has emerged, leaving most companies and ad agencies in a state of constant experimentation. There is also lingering confusion over how best to measure the effectiveness of a campaign
a challenge. Rather than tracking click-through and conversion rates as with search and display advertising, marketers are trying to count followers, measure sentiment and analyse purchase intent. A lot of people are just measuring their fans and followers, says Ms Lewnes. But whats important are the insights you can glean from the data. Under-
standing if someone is happy or unhappy with something. Social signals obtained from Twitter and Facebook can also give companies real-time insight. When MTV saw there was a spike in online conversations around the news that Beyonc was pregnant, it added more pictures and stories about the story to its website. Keith Weed, chief marketing officer of Unilever, the consumer products group that is the secondlargest advertiser in the world, says: Digital is in theory more measurable than anything else, in theory and in practice, but its not broad enough yet. What well see is a significant maturation of ROI in digital. More insights and creative opportunities mean more work for marketing teams, and can mean increased costs for marketers. In-house and at agencies, marketers are scrambling to acquire new skills, and add staff to monitor the exponential growth of online dialogue about companies. You have to throw bodies at that, says Ms Lewnes. There are people who have to monitor it all day. Twenty years ago there were templates, says Mr Law at R/GA. Now, we dont have a typical client engagement. Because media are so flexible, we can get very specific. One brand may need a robust Facebook page, while another may call for a strategy of engaging with consumers on message boards, blogs and elsewhere on the web. Such approaches are forcing departments within organisations to collaborate in new ways. Its brought the marketing teams much closer together, says Ms Lewnes. They all used to be in their silos. PR was off operating by itself, advertising was operating by itself. Now theyre working together. At its best, this can result in truly integrated marketing campaigns, with a unified message being pushed out across television, print, radio, and the web. The amount of money being committed to digital marketing varies widely, with more developed countries seeing a higher digital spend. How this shift in the marketing world plays out will help determine the winners and losers in the years to come. At stake are the valuations of companies such as Facebook, which earned $3.7bn last year, mostly from advertising, and is preparing to go public at a value of up to $100bn. n
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20 people facing charges over the scandal. Etisalat wrote off $820 million in connection with its Indian venture following the court ruling. It said it wanted to avoid "incurring further costs at this time of rapid change and continued uncertainty in the Indian telecommunications sector. The Supreme Court has ordered the government to issue fresh licences through an auction. But analysts have said some companies hit by the ruling might not have the desire or resources to bid again and defend businesses still in start-up mode. Etisalat said it would decide on its "future participation in the Indian market when there is clarity on the auction process and telecommunications policy and greater legal and regulatory certainty and stability." Etisalat paid $900 million for its stake in the Indian mobile operation, and said it invested a similar sum developing the venture. Etisalat DB was the 14th largest out of 15 players. Norwegian investor Telenor has said it wants to continue its operations in India, the world's second-largest mobile market after China, but has ditched its Indian partner, accusing it of fraud. The reduction in the number of mobile players is seen by many analysts as a good development for the congested sector as cut-throat competition has slashed call costs and hit profits. Meanwhile, India's Tech Mahindra Ltd is awaiting "official communication" from Etisalat , the company said, after a media report that the carrier has cancelled its outsourcing contract with the Indian provider as it shuts down its India network.
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the countrys Supreme Court declared invalid the 122 2G licences that were controversially issued in 2008 by then telecom minister A. Raja. The licences in question were awarded on a first come first served basis amid accusations of bribery and corruption, and sold at values set in 2001, rather than through an auction. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India submitted a report to the Indian government in 2010 which argued that, by severely undervaluing the spectrum, Raja, who is currently in jail, cost the national purse as much as $40billion. This figure has been disputed by the Indian regulator, TRAI, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, however. The 2008 sell-off was intended partly to bring new players into the market, and several large operators including NTT DoCoMo, Telenor and Etisalatnow face their spectrum being reclaimed. The Indian Government has indicated its intention to reallocate the disputed spectrum, most likely through an auction process. After Bahrain Telecom, Etisalat is the second foreign company to exit India. Etisalat DB an Abu Dhabi based Telecom Company following Supreme Court order of cancelling its telecom licenses will shutdown its operation from India. The company responded in an e-mail, "As unanimously resolved by the Board
The Supreme Court has ordered the government to issue fresh licences through an auction, but Etisalat said it would decide on its "future participation in the Indian The decision has been taken in order to protect the interests market when there is clarity of all stakeholders and to avoid incurring further costs at this on the auction process and time of rapid change and continued uncertainty in the Indian telecommunications policy and greater legal and telecommunications sector, says Etisalat regulatory certainty and he Indian 2G licensing scandal reached a this evening, Etisalat DB will be taking steps to resensational crescendo early in February as duce operating costs, including the suspension of its stability
Etisalat to quit
Indian telecom market
network and services, pursuant to the terms of its UAS licenses." Etisalat said: "The decision has been taken in order to protect the interests of all stakeholders and to avoid incurring further costs at this time of rapid change and continued uncertainty in the Indian telecommunications sector." The company added, "Further information, including the official cessation date will be communicated shortly to EDB's customers through the appropriate channels." Recently Supreme Court had cancelled all 122 UAS licenses regarding irregularities in allotting 2G spectrums. The 2008 licence sales are at the heart of one of India's biggest corruption scandals in which former telecom minister A. Raja is alleged to have mis-sold permits and favoured some firms, costing the treasury up to $39 billion. Etisalat owns a 45 percent stake in Etisalat DB, a joint venture with Indian real estate player DB Group that has 1.7 million subscribers. DB Group was among a number of Indian companies with no telecom experience that bid for mobile licences and then sold stakes in their cellular ventures to foreign investors, including Etisalat and Norway's Telenor, for hefty sums. Raja, senior government officials and top executives of DB and other companies are among nearly
"We await official communication from them on the decision about cessation of operations. We will have discussion with them subsequently," Tech Mahindra said in a statement. It did not elaborate. Etisalat said its Indian joint venture Etisalat DB will shut down the operations of its Indian joint venture, after an Indian court ordered cancellation of the local affiliate's licence amid a corruption probe. Financial news website moneycontrol.com reported earlier Etisalat DB's outsourcing contract to Tech Mahindra, valued at $400 million over 10 years, had been cancelled, citing sources it didn't name. The report quoted sources as saying that Tech Mahindra will likely invoke a bank guarantee of up to 5 billion rupees. "They are a global company, and we believe they will take care of their contractual obligations," Tech Mahindra's chief executive Vineet Nayyar told reporters, declining to give details. Tech Mahindra provides IT services to the telecom sector and counts London-listed BT Group and Vodafone, U.S.-based AT&T andMotorola, and France's Alcatel-Lucent among its clients. n
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any carriers are making a land grab for physical assets as they look to make virtual goods a significant part of their arsenal. According to analytical tool tracking the cloud-related activities of operators worldwide; acquisitions and investments totalling almost $8bn were made in the first six months of 2011. Of these, 80 percent involved the acquisition or construction of datacentres to house virtualisation infrastructure. In this period, operators established 22 go-to-market partnerships, favouring IT services firms and integrators, and 88 new cloud services were announced. Moreover, in the first half of 2011, 25 operators initiated cloud-related investment programs or acquisitions. Based on publicly- announced deal values, this totalled $7.8billion committed to cloud services. But European telecom operators risk being sidelined in the global cloud computing market by aggressive North American and Asian operators spending billions on an international presence. Research reveals that European operators accounted for only seven percent of the $13.5billion that service providers spent on cloud assets in 2011. North American and Asian operators accounted for 90 percent, or $12bn of the total. Camille Mendler, principal analyst at Informa, believes uncertainty around European security and privacy laws, coupled with continuing economic weakness, are responsible for stalling investment. However, the European Commission aims to define a common legal framework for cloud computing in 2012. And European operators are supporting local innovation, with half the cloud services launched in 2011 relying on European cloud technology vendors. Its essential that the industry defuses concerns about cloud computing in Europe to drive market development. European operators are major players in this endeavour with their trusted brands and sales outlets, Mendler adds.
Cloud computing caters to all telecommunication customers; from the consumer to the multinational corporations, as well as the service providers internal operations. But it can also be a make or break play for the service providers
Informas research highlights fundamental differences among the 127 operators worldwide currently selling cloud services. European operators are focusing on launching services at home, while North American operators are acquiring client bases and assets at home and abroad and Asian operators are pursuing a blended strategy of infrastructure investment and service launch nationally and internationally. Meanwhile, Latin American, Middle Eastern and African operators are building up domestic infrastructure and competencies. Many of the acquisitions made were big, but very much forward-looking; Centurylinks $2.5 billion purchase of Savvis and Verizons $1.4 billion Terremark buy involved generous multiples for so-called cloud companies, but they dont yet deliver significant cloud-related revenues. With few exceptions such as NTTs OpSource buyacquired companies generate at best 15 percent of their revenues from annuity cloud services versus traditional hosting and related services. For example, Terremark generated an annualised run rate of $30million in cloud services against 2010 turnover just shy of $300 million, and Savvis reported $15.2 million for its Symphony cloud services against 2010 turnover of $933million. That said, the pace of annual cloud revenue growth is 100 percent or more for companies such as Savvis, and thats the main attraction. The scale of multi-year cloud investment programs saw AT&T (US), Telstra (Australia), Rostelecom (Russia) and Portugal Telecom (Portugal) headline investment activity in the first half of 2011, with moves to beef-up network, data-centre and software infrastructure to support cloud computing services. Cloud services are multiplying in emerging markets but, in their haste to claim territory, many telecom operators in both mature and emerging regions havent focused on service differentiation. Portfolios do not vary widely from operator to operator, or against pure-play cloud service providers. Among the 88 cloud services announced in the first half of 2011, 70 per cent were mass-market launches but lucrative niches, such as that offered by NTT Data in Japan, which offers a COBOL cloud platform service to help enterprises maintain and manage the billions of lines of code still powering legacy mainframe applications, particularly in the public sector. Operators are also allying to dominate market segments. KT and Softbank partnered pragmatically to offer South Korea based cloud services to Japanese enterprises concerned about infrastructure and power reliability in the aftermath of Japans Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Various companies want to help telecom operators exploit the cloud, but cloud-enablement comes in two related classes: goto-market services to facilitate the launch of a cloud service; and operational services, which use the clouds operational model to manage an internal process. Telcos often have a wide range of legacy systems in place, as well as countless different platforms which change from operation to operation. The sheer scope of this fragmentation puts pressure on the operators internal IT management that is not the same as in other sectors, something which Jose Luis Gamo, global cloud services director at Telefnica believes is driving the speed of the migration to the cloud. Also, cloud-based M2M service management is becoming the norm. M2M rivals cloud computing as a technology with tempting revenue growth potential, and the two are increasingly entwined. Some operators see value in developing in-house billing systems, others are buying in expertise. But the launch of new cloudbased services can act as a catalyst to use cloud-based billing. n
Cloud services are multiplying in emerging markets but, in their haste to claim territory, many telecom operators in both mature and emerging regions havent focused on service differentiation. Portfolios do not vary widely from operator to operator, or against pureplay cloud service providers
serving generic needs: business productivity apps, unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) compute, as well as storage, backup and restore services. Therefore, operators also need to find unique,
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Tablet PC vs Laptop -Think before you buy

Both the tablet PC and the laptop have emerged as must-have necessities in recent times. But, when you are planning to make the purchase, what must you eventually buy? Here are some points to compare the tablet PC with the laptop
ablet PCs have become quite popular thanks to their extreme portability, easy to uses interfaces and the wide range of ways they can be used. In many ways, they can almost replace a laptop for someone on the go. But is a tablet really a better choice for someone over a more traditional laptop? After all, laptops can also be extremely portable and have a much wider range of tasks they can be used for. In this article, I'm going to take a look at the various differences between tablet PCs and laptops to see how they compare to one another and which of the two may be better. By examining these in more detail, one can then have a clearer understanding of which of these two types of mobile computing platforms would serve them better. The most obvious difference between a tablet PC and a laptop is the lack of a keyboard. Tablets rely solely on a touch interface on the screen for all input. This is fine when it involves mainly pointing, dragging or tapping to navigate around a program. The problems come in when you have to input text into a program when such as an email or document. Since they have no keyboard, users are required to type on virtual keyboards that have varying layouts and designs. Most people cannot type as quickly or as accurately on a virtual keyboard. Users do have the option of adding an external Bluetooth keyboard to most tablets to make this more like a laptop but it adds costs and peripherals that must be taken with the tablet. Probably the biggest reason to go with a tablet PC compared to a laptop is its size. Tablets have the size roughly of a small pad of paper and a weight that is less than two pounds. Most laptops are far
larger and heavier. Even one of the smallest ultraportables, the Apple MacBook Air 11 weighs just over two pounds and has a profile that is larger than an iPad 2. The main reason for this is the keyboard and trackpad which require it to be larger. Add in more powerful components that require additional cooling and power and they get even larger. The majority of the interior of a tablet is taken up by the battery. In comparison, laptops use more powerful hardware. The battery component of the laptop is a far smaller percentage of the laptops internal components. Thus, even with the higher capacity battery of laptops, they do not run as long as a tablet. Many of the tablets right now can run up to ten hours of web usage before require a charge. The average laptop would only run for roughly three to four hours with a few systems able to stretch it out to eight hours but that still less than a tablet. In order to keep their size and costs down, tablet PCs have had to rely on new solid state storage memory as a means to store programs and data. While these have the potential for faster access and low power usage, they have one major disadvantage in the amount of files they can store. Most tablets come with configurations that allow between 16 and 64 gigabytes of storage. By comparison, most laptops still use traditional hard drives that hold far much more. Since most tablet PCs are based on extremely low powered processors, they will generally fall behind a laptop when it comes to computing tasks. Of course, a lot of this will depend on how the tablet or laptop is being used. For tasks like email, web browsing, playing video or audio, both platforms will typically work just as well as neither requires
much performance. Things get more complicated once you start doing more demanding tasks. The software that runs on a laptop or tablet can be vastly different in terms of capabilities. Now if the tablet PC is running Windows 7 such as the HP Slate or ASUS Eee Slate it can theoretically run the same software as a laptop but will likely be slower. This can make it easy to use it as a primary laptop using the same software used in a work environment. The two other major tablet platforms right now are Android and iOS. Both of these require applications specific to their operating systems. There are tons of programs available for each of these and many will do most of the basic tasks that a laptop can do Tablets are relatively new to the market and as a result, they tend to carry a fairly high price premium for the new technologies they have installed in them. The average starting price for a tablet PC seems to have settled around $499. By comparison, there are laptop computers that can be found for as little as $300 to $400. As it stands, laptops still offer a greater level of flexibility when it comes to mobile computing. They may not have the same level of portability, running times or ease of use of a tablet but there are still a number of issues that tablets need to resolve before they become the main means of mobile computing. Over time, many of these issues will likely be resolved. If you already have a desktop computer, than a tablet PC may be an option if you use it mainly for entertainment and web usage. If it is going to be your primary computer, than a laptop is definitely the way to go. n
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n just a handful of years, work will be seamlessly integrated into an employee's everyday life, on a single device, providing the flexibility, increased collaboration, efficiency and global access today's businesses demands. Social enterprise applications that run over powerful, converged networks will put everything a worker needs to do their job, right at their fingertips, wherever they are. Endless accessibility and maximum security is a tall order. Oh, and by the way, it's got to be cheap and smart enough to appeal to the on-demand, smartphonew i e l d i n g , Angry-Birds-playing, wireless-downloading, Facebooking , Tweeting Gen Y consumer. No pressure. It's this technically sophisticated, fickle market that will continue to
iWorkers are happy to use their personal smart phones, social networks, tablets and other devices to help make them more efficient workers, regardless of whether they are supported by their employer IT departments
Sarah Wallace, a telecommunications analyst for Heavy Reading says. Forrester Research released an August 2011 survey that reveals 37 percent of IT decision makers planned to enhance the use of social collaboration tools in 2011. The report identifies IBM, Jive, NewsGator and Teligent as the current leaders in the space. But to make matters more complicated, unified communications is quickly becoming a reality and business increasingly demands one point of contact for all of their communications solutions.
plication providers and the enterprise," Palumbo says. "They have the network, billing and customer service infrastructure and the application and non-traditional service providers have the agility and innovation." But getting everyone on board with that plan might take some convincing. "But that's really the goal for the traditional carriers," Palumbo adds."Convergence is really enabling traditional service providers to expand their portfolio." But Dr. William Lehr, a researcher with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), suggests the push for open, accessible solutions for the iWorker might loosen the control traditional providers have had over the market. "End-users will play a bigger role in selecting among models, and more
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push convergence and challenge service providers to provide seamless reliabilityand endless bandwidthacross multiple networks. The potential payoff is a hefty slice of a multi-billion-dollar market. There's plenty that's still uncertain about the future of network convergence. Ultimately, how convergence evolves to truly meet the demands of enterprise applications will be driven by consumers. In the past, IT departments were the early adopters of business technologies. Not so today. With more than 40 million Generation Y employees in the workforce, technology isn't just a business tool any more. With the pitter-patter of thumbs on touch screens, this generation thrives in a connected world. These information workers, or iWorkers, are out there, on their own, looking for technology to help them be more flexible and efficient in both their work and personal lives. An August 2001 Forrester Research report titled "Information Workers are the New Buying Center for Enterprise Technology" concludes iWorkers are motivated by low-cost solutions with clear benefits. iWorkers are happy to use their personal smart phones, social networks, tablets and other devices to help make them more efficient workers, regardless of whether they are supported by their employer IT departments. And as these business solutions are adopted by the employee, it becomes the role of the IT professional to integrate them into the existing business technology architecture. If attracting the iWorker isn't challenge enough, enterprise has become a more demanding consumer too. "The key for telcos will be to make sure that there is an end-to-end quality customer experience across the network, application and business layers in order to cater to growing customer demands,"
In the past, IT departments were the early adopters of business technologies. Not so today. With more than 40 million Generation Y employees in the workforce, technology isn't just a business tool any more. With the pitterpatter of thumbs on touch screens, this generation thrives in a connected world
Sandra Palumbo, telecommunications analyst for Yankee Group, says traditional carriers might be in a position to become a broker for application providers, providing enterprise with a one-stop shop. "If you asked the traditional carriers what they would like to see happen, they want to be the middle-man and broker services between the ap-
open devices and equipment hold the potential for disintermediating traditional CSP business models, or at least tempering their control," Dr. Lehr says. The Googles and Amazons are offering business solutions without regard to bandwidth, which eats into network revenue. But networks need the Googles and Amazons for their traffic. "There is a perception by users that they should be able to get whatever they want, whenever they want," Palumbo says. "And as much as service providers hate to admit it, when it comes down to it, they just can't bank on selling bandwidth anymore. That's not to say that it doesn't cost money to build, manage and operate the networks it does. But consumers don't want to hear that they need to buy more bandwidth from you." It's that kind of customer demand that will require all sorts of competing networks and applications providers to converge and make uneasy frenemies out of all sorts of CSP's. Dr. Lehr says first, wireless will clearly be "critical to everything moving forward." And mobile broadband, which will also be important, will likely come from 4G+ providers, most likely LTE networks. "But nothing will be the full picture. "There are a bunch of things that need to coevolve for the bold vision to be realized -- that means on the policy, technology, and market side," Dr. Lehr says. But one thing is certain; consumers are looking for cheap, flexible, limitless power wherever they go. CSP's that focus and strengthen the services they provide best and stake their claim as part of an overall end-to-end solution will be positioned to win. n
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Event
The future comes at Hanover fair
A member of staff checks mobile phones at the booth of German company Deutsche Telekom during preparations at the CeBit computer fair.
Two hostesses have a break from distributing computer literature in hall 15 at the CeBIT IT fair, central Germany.
Staff members touch screens on cloud computing software to operate airlines, at the booth of Microsoft during preparations at the CeBit computer fair in Hanover.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff drop a waterproof tablet PC into a fish tank of water.
Ulrike Hoessl, employee of German company Desko, poses beside a 'Gold to go' machine during preparations at the CeBit computer fair.
Visitors try out Blackberry tablet PC's at the world's biggest high-tech fair CeBIT.
A robot said to be able to cook is taking stock of groceries in hall 26 at the world's biggest high-tech fair, the CeBIT, in Hanover.
A staff member poses with a mock oversized Vodafone Secure SIM card at the Vodafone booth at the CeBit computer fair in Hanover.
A touch screen sensitive glove from "Touching" is being demonstrated at the world's biggest hightech fair, the CeBIT in Hanover.
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Mark Hachman
Your next gadget, a connected car

The car is our second living room. We commute in it, take vacations in it, carry the kids to and from school in it. We customize cars, socialize in them, listen, and watch music, podcasts, TV shows, and music
one front-seat HUD to another, blew people away at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. And Mercedes-Benz's own simulation of the future drew lines. What few seem to have learned from an otherwise quiet CES is that the next big connected gadget isn't a $400 smartphone; it's a new $30,000 automobile, with its own apps and services. And why not? The car is our second living room. We commute in it, take vacations in it, carry the kids to and from school in it. We customize cars, socialize in them, listen, and watch music, podcasts, TV shows, and music. We do everything we do in our living room, except that the driver has to keep his or her eyes on the road. So what will the connected car offer that our FM or satellite radios won't? Well, start with the following top brands. Each has its own connected strategy, trading additional monthly services for a small monthly (or annual) fee: Audi, Ford, Mercedes,Pioneer, OnStar, and Escort. Fine, you might say. I can now listen to Pandora on my radio, or do a quick local search on my navigation system. Why should I pay for that, when I can do the same on my phone? For one thing, the convenience factor. Frankly, I fail to see how tapping away at a keyboard can be illegal, while fumbling with a control knob, joystick, or keypad is perfectly acceptable. Both are examples of distracted driving. Speech recognition is this problem's answer, however, and car makers have either licensed or invested heavily in developing the necessary technology. Apple's Siri, Android, and other smartphone apps are nearly there, but they haven't quite bridged the gap between the phone and the car speakers. (Look for aftermarket OEMs to tap into the phone, while automakers push their own cellular connectivity.) comes time to replace the family van, Mom and Dad will have to wonder, "Do we opt for the augmented-reality package, and pay yet another bill?" And that's really the crux of the matter. No, there aren't many shortcuts. Integrating Verizon LTE cellular technology into a OnStar connected device doesn't mean that a consumer with a Verizon phone will be able to tie it in with his or her existing bundle of services. That will likely hold true even if Verizon implements account-based pricing over multiple devices. Instead, your bill will still go to Ford, or Pandora, or whatever services you choose. And unless the manufacturer picks up the bill, mobile services generally cost extra, unless geo-located advertising picks up the tab. Even if, by some miracle, AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile do separate out the car's connection fees, a whole new Pandora's Box opens up. How much does the choice of carrier influence your choice of car? How significant are two wireless bills, rather than just one? Should you opt for a CDMA technology to ensure ubiquity of coverage, as Mercedes is doing, or turn to LTE, and its higher data rates? I hate paying bills. Additional fees irritate me. But if carmakers, app providers, and aftermarket OEMs can justify the additional costs with compelling, near-magical driving experiences, the American driving public will dig deep and justify another bill.
riving slowly down the roads, your car's heads-up display paints a softly glowing yellow line in front of you. Ahead, the technology park appears. More information spills open on your passenger's HUD, revealing contact information, reviews, and a Web site. Two days later, and you're back in your home town. As you whiz down the Embarcadero, an icon reminds you that Teatro Zinanni is closed, and asks to place a reminder of its reopening on your calendar. A parking spot opens up, and you pay, right from your car. Sound preposterous? It isn't. An in-booth demonstration of Audi's multiple-HUD technology, where information could be "swiped" from
plan as well. All told, that's probably well over $100 per month. For many of us, purchasing a luxury automobile is way out of reach, and the choices others will wrestle with (the Mercedes? the Audi?) won't be available to those of us who drive our older econoboxes to and from work. Over time, though, this technology will ease its way into the mainstream, then lowend cars. Aftermarket specialists will also be there for those who want to add the latest technology, now. People may scrimp and save here and there, but Twitter posts and Facebook updates are rapidly becoming as accepted as, well, the car is in American culture. And, when it
For one thing, the convenience factor. Frankly, I fail to see how tapping away at a keyboard can be illegal, while fumbling with a control knob, joystick, or keypad is perfectly acceptable. Both are examples of distracted driving
The problem, of course, is that this means another bill. By now, most consumers have accepted a basic level of connectivity, even as they grumble at the costs. It's safe to say that virtually all U.S. consumers pay for some sort of TV subscription and phone service, either mobile, landline or both. Most include an Internet/data
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Ineffective networking
Social networking websites have both work and play to offer; however, in the excitement of it all we do go overboard by mixing the two together. Be mindful one should have a clear partition between the personal and professional aspect
ocial networking is a recent invention that has the Internet still at the edge of its seat due to its popularity with people. This is mostly because it really is for the people. Bringing every kind of social group together in one place and letting them interact is really a big thing indeed. Everything about it lies on the advantages and disadvantages of social networking, and what it can do for you. There is a potential for failure of security in both personal and business context. While many sites apply certain measures to keep any of these cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolute minimum, you still may never know. Social networking have both advantages and disadvantages, one has to use it in a productive way. We have seen the importance of social media in our personal lives and we have also seen its effectiveness when it comes to our careers. These social networking websites have both work and play to offer; however, in the excitement of it all we do go overboard by mixing the two together. Be mindful one should have a clear partition between the personal and professional aspect. This article covers the five most ineffective networking practices. Not keeping in touch: Most of the times when we add someone to our buddy list, we dont think twice before clicking the add friend button. Once added, we forget about them not keeping in touch is considered very rude and if the person you recently added happens to be a professional, my friend you just hammered your own foot. Following up with your contacts is very important, once you establish connections with other professionals express your interest and show you are keen to keep in touch. Remember your interaction; make notes if you have to so the next time you interact you are up to date. Pointless profile activity: Social networking websites are just like meetings; some are hang outs where you can crack jokes, relax and kick back while others are like meetings or formal gather-
ings where you are required to wear particular attire and expected to behave accordingly. Posting inappropriate links, starting pointless discussions or making childish comments will only make your profile weaker. Imagine, you are at a formal dinner with your parents, you see a few people your age, the rest are all grownups with silver hair and aged foreheads, how would you feel if one of the people your age starts hammer time right in the middle of the tables? Doesnt sound like a good idea; does it? Same is the case here; make sure your posts, comments and replies are appropriate and in accordance with the nature of the site.
A memorable experience will speak volumes for a long time, so make sure every interaction you have, leaves a strong impression. Interact in a way that evokes emotion and feelings, you should be mindful of your abilities and market yourself well with all you have
Making insignificant impressions: When we talk about impressions, they should be strong and long lasting. A memorable experience will speak volumes for a long time, so make sure every interaction you have, leaves a strong impression. Interact in a way that evokes emotion and feelings, you should be mindful of your abilities and market yourself well with all you have. The true meaning: Often professionals would like to employ networking websites to sell themselves
or add to their card collection. Take the time out to know people around, talk about common interests share views and discuss accordingly. Try to develop and maintain a healthy relationship and if you can volunteer your services. It is all about making contacts, right? Big mouth: We like to have our minds heard, and it is alright as long as you dont overdo it. Pay attention to what is going on, what are people talking about, what is that discussion about? If there is a particular topic being discussed and you feel like commenting, make sure your information is correct and up to date. Focus on the people you meet by listening to what they say and try to remember the interaction. A positive upbeat attitude will speak for your personality; it will also allow others to feel more comfortable with you. Even if you are going through some tough times, tell it in a way that is light and positive. Other than the five points mentioned above, the profile picture also seems to be an issue. Let it be clear, on a professional networking website no one wants to see the size of your biceps, or that posh car you have and surely they have no interest in how good you look with that double shadow eye shade or how pretty your hands look with a French manicure. Your profile picture should be modest enough preferably with you wearing something formal. That picture you have on your profile is the first thing other people might see and not all of them will be willing to give you a second chance to improve on your impression. Having an awareness of these ineffective networking strategies improves your chances with your competition. There are many professional networking websites with a number of high key professionals actively participating; make sure you send out the right impression, you never know the person you are interacting with might be willing to offer you the position of your dreams. n
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Fr e e d ow n lo ad | fl a re. p k
he biggest space weather storm in five years was hurtling toward Earth, threatening to disrupt power grids, GPS systems, satellites and airline flights, which gone un-hurting systems on earth, experts said. A pair of scorching explosions on the Sun's surface sparked the biggest radiation and geomagnetic storm the Earth has experienced in five years, space weather experts said. The brunt of the storm was expected to strike earth, possibly garbling some of Earthlings most prized gadgets but also giving viewers in parts of Central Asia a prime look at the aurora borealis, or northern lights, when darkness falls, but thanks Almighty God, it hadnt happened. Space weather has gotten very interesting over the past 24 hours, said Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Meanwhile, Nasa warned of a severe storm event that would impact both the Earth and Mars as well as some key space agency satellites. The fuss began in the first week this month at an active region on the Sun known as 1429, with a big solar flare that was associated with a burst of solar wind and plasma known as a coronal mass ejection that thrust toward the Earth at some four million miles per hour (6.4 million kilometers per hour). A pair of solar flares and a CME followed, setting off a strong geomagnetic and solar radiation storm registering at level three on a five-step scale. Nasa said the first of the two flares on March 6-7 classified in the potent X class and facing directly at the Earth was the biggest this year and one of the largest of this cycle known as the solar minimum, which began in early 2007. In fact, it was second only to a stronger one that erupted in August, and the leading edge of the CME it sparked is expected to reach Earth at 0525 GMT on March 8. Such a CME could result in a severe geomagnetic storm, causing aurora at low latitudes, with possible disruption to high frequency radio communication, global positioning systems (GPS) and power grids, Nasa said. The solar flares alone caused brief high fre-
Earth escapes biggest space storm
A pair of scorching explosions on the Sun's surface sparked the biggest radiation and geomagnetic storm the Earth has experienced in five years, space weather experts said
aboard the International Space Station could be affected by the radiation storm, which may cause them to seek shelter in better protected parts of the orbiting lab as they have in the past. Flight surgeons in Houstons mission control center have been monitoring the solar activity and will continue to do so, Nasa spokesman Mike Curie said. They have determined that there presently is no concern for the six crew members aboard the International Space Station. However, Kunches said some commercial airlines have already taken actions to reroute and fly further away from the poles. And more such storms could follow in the coming days because region 1429 is expected to stay active, he said. Geomagnetic and radiation storms are growing more frequent as the Sun leaves its solar minimum period and moves into a solar maximum over the coming years, but people are generally protected by Earths magnetic field. The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the Suns normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the Sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013, the US space agency said. However, some experts were concerned that because the world is more reliant on GPS and satellite technology now than it was during the last solar maximum, more disruptions to modern life were expected. Space storms are not new. The first major solar flare was recorded by British astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859.
Satellites, power grids and even astronauts aboard the International Space Station could affected by the radiation storm, which may cause them to seek shelter in better protected parts of the orbiting lab as they have in the past; but thanks Almighty God, it hadnt happened
quency radio blackouts that have now passed, according to NOAA. The storm is likely the strongest one since December 2006, Kunches said, noting, however, that the Earth experienced a stronger radio blackout last August. But en masse, if you put it all together with the geomagnetic effects and the solar radiation effects, I would put it on par with one at the end of the last solar cycle, which was over five years ago. Satellites, power grids and even astronauts
A Martian dust twister is shown tearing across the planet in this photo by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
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Other solar geomagnetic storms have been observed in recent decades. One huge solar flare in 1972 cut off long-distance telephone communication in the midwestern state of Illinois, Nasa said. Another similar flare in 1989 provoked geomagnetic storms that disrupted electric power transmission and caused blackouts across the Canadian province of Quebec, according to the US space agency. n
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Android apps do not need permission to get a user's photos. And as long as an app has the right to send data over the Internet, it can copy those photos to a remote server without any notice, according to developers and mobile security experts
t's not just Apple. Photos are vulnerable on Android phones, too. Developers who make applications for Apple mobile devices have access to a person's entire photo library as long as that person allows the app to use location data, according to reports. It turns out that Google, maker of the Android mobile operating system, takes things one step further. By design, Android apps do not need permission to get a user's photos. And as long as an app has the right to send data over the Internet, it can copy those photos to a remote server without any notice, according to developers and mobile security experts. It is not clear whether any apps that are offered for Android devices are actually doing this. The Apple and Android problems are a reminder of how hard it can be to ensure security on complex mobile devices that can run a vast array of apps. Android apps are required to alert users when they want to retrieve other kinds of personal data - like emails, address book contacts or a phone's location -- so the lack of protection for photos came as a surprise to some experts. "We can confirm that there is no special permission required for an app to read pictures," said Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer of Lookout, a company that makes Android security software. "This is based on Lookout's findings on all devices we've tested." In response to questions, Google acknowledged this and said it would consider changing its approach. A Google employee who declined to be identified said that the lack of photo restrictions was a design choice related to the way early Android phones stored data. They could save photos on removable memory cards, which complicated the access issue, he said. "As phones and tablets have evolved to rely more on built-in, non-removable memory, we're taking another look at this and considering adding permission for apps to access images," the employee said in an email. He added that the company had a policy of removing apps from its Android
Market storefront that improperly used personal data. To demonstrate the vulnerability of images on Android devices, Ralph Gootee, an Android developer and the chief technology officer of the software company Loupe, put together a test application that appears to be a simple timer. Installing the app produces a notification that it wants to have access to the Internet, but there is no notice about photos. When the app is started and the user sets the timer, the app goes into the photo library, retrieves the most recent image and posts it on a public photosharing site.
In the Android Market, customers can report suspicious activity in apps so the company can review and potentially remove them. Google also says it uses a security system called Bouncer, which scans apps for things like hidden features that could steal personal information
"Photos if anything are the most personal things," Gootee said. "I'm really kind of shocked about this." Ashkan Soltani, a researcher specializing in privacy and security, said Google's explanation of its approach would be "surprising to most users, since they'd likely be unaware of this arbitrary difference in the phone's storage system." Soltani said that to users, Google's permissions system was "akin to buying a car that only had locks on the doors but not the trunk." In the Android Market, customers can report suspicious activity in apps so the company can re-
view and potentially remove them. Google also says it uses a security system called Bouncer, which scans apps for things like hidden features that could steal personal information. Still, the Android Market permits anybody to publish an app, so a quietly malicious one that evaded Google's automated screening could end up on many devices. Apple reviews all apps submitted to its App Store, but apps that violate its rules do get through, as was demonstrated by a recent controversy over apps that transmitted address book data. "Users typically presume some care is given when designing these platforms such that their personal data is handled in a consistent way," Soltani said. "However, this seems to repeatedly be a false assumption." Google's explanation for the way it handles photo permissions seems to run counter to the company's earlier statements about Android's handling of user data. After Apple, Google and others came to an agreement recently with California's attorney general on privacy protection within apps, Randall Sarafa, a Google spokesman, spoke about Google's strict rules on app permissions. Google's security guide for Android developers says, "A central design point of the Android security architecture is that no application, by default, has permission to perform any operations that would adversely impact other applications, the operating system, or the user." It adds that this includes "reading or writing the user's private data." Justin Brookman, director of the Project on Consumer Privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said his group had been pushing for a law addressing data collection. Such a law would demand openness from companies and give consumers a choice about the data that they shared, as well as old data that they would like to remove, he said. "I think the whole problem with the mobile architecture is your phones are designed to expose so much information about yourself to applications," Brookman said. "It does create so many vectors for bad actors to get information about you." n
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Life, future in your hand

he chief executive officer of a top mobile technology company was up for a rude shock at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, when an engineer joined him on stage, shook hands with him and claimed that his mobile phone had picked up the CEOs credit card number during the momentary body touch. As a puzzled audience watched agape, the engineer clicked a photograph on his mobile phone and used the CEO's body to transfer the image on a television screen to demonstrate what he called the human wire. While technology that can pick up credit card information through a handshake can seriously interrupt human relationships and behaviour, at the same time the potential of using the human body as a wire for data transfer can be mind-boggling. Its not hard to imagine a time when your mobile phone will tell your blood pressure and heart beat rate the moment you pick it up after getting out of bed! Earlier, the US carmaker Ford unveiled its small family car B-MAX at the World Auto Expo, Geneva. While the car made news because the company said it aimed to target the small car segment in emerging markets such as Pakistan, what escaped attention was the fact that it will be one of the most technologically-advanced cars to have come in recent times, that too in the small car segment. The vehicle will have a mobile connectivity that can power a few lifestyle features such as emergency assistance that automatically responds to a crash by using the customer's connected mobile phone to call an emergency service directly in the local language with the location of the accident. Welcome to the advanced information age, where the future is in your hand, literally. The mobile phone that you used only to make calls a decade ago, is already an organiser, a texting device, an MP3 player and a camera, to name just a few. It promises to soon become much more than that it will become a remote control for your life by transforming itself into an entertainment device, a payment device, a security centre, just to name a few. Voice or phone call, which was the main function of a mobile phone, is now taking a back seat as data is taking over. Technology mavens will tell you in just about five years; data flow will be the mainstay of mobile communication worldwide with voice, apps and video occupying less than half of total usage. You must have heard about the mobile wallet that allows people to swipe the mobile phone like a credit card to make a payment.
Emerging mobile tech promises to completely change the way we experience life. Voice or phone call, which was the main function of a mobile phone, is now taking a back seat as data is taking over
In Pakistan, mobile banking is now available, but in a limited way. In fact, in spite of a strong push by telecom operators, banking on mobile phone has not taken off, primarily because of reluctance of our banks to shift to the new technology and also because of security concerns among users.
The future is in your hand, literally. The mobile phone that you used only to make calls a decade ago is already an organiser, a texting device, an MP3 player and a camera, to name just a few. It promises to soon become much more than that it will become a remote control for your life by transforming itself into an entertainment device, a payment device, a security centre etc.
In Pakistan, Telenors mobile money service Easypaisa is seeing double-digit growth month after month. Last year, more than 30 million transactions took place on the Easypaisa platform, involving a transaction volume of $700 million. Even in an under-developed country such as Nigeria, 40 percent of all remittances from all over the world come through the mobile phone. Western Union is launching its own branded handset that will be distributed for free in Uganda and will have an embedded
money transfer service to facilitate easier remittance. Very soon mobile phones will act as a proof of identity, a store of money and enable payment and money transfers. In a country like Pakistan where over 50 percent of the country's population is unbanked, mobile banking is the only answer to achieve financial inclusion. Mobile operator Etisalats Mobile Baby programme, offered across its African footprint, is focused on reducing mother and child mortality and supporting birth attendants and midwives. It is aimed at ensuring safer pregnancies and deliveries by enabling carers to quickly and accurately identify, communicate and act on obstetric emergencies. Mobile technology has brought about an enormous upheaval in both retail and payment activities. Mobile commerce was born in 1997 when the first mobile phone-enabled Coca Cola vending machines were installed in Helsinki, Finland. The machines accepted payment via text messages. The mobile phone has already become an entertainment centre when you are away from home. Soon, it will automatically work with your home entertainment system to find programmes that will interest you and download them as a podcast to watch them on the go. Another area that mobile technologies have transformed completely is media, which has instantly got a social dimension, and has become a two-way process already. As we go ahead, publishing too, is going to see a significant transformation, with a lot of content coming your way much faster on the mobile platform. n
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These are the best antivirus programmes that are completely free and work similarly to expensive programmes from companies like Norton and McAfee
ne nasty virus could expose your financial information or stop your computer from working at all. What you need is the best antivirus software possible on your computer. Luckily, some of the best are also completely free! Many companies offer free versions of their popular antivirus programmes for home users while offering versions with more advanced features as an upgrade option for professional and business users. These are the best antivirus programmes that are completely free and work similarly to expensive programmes from companies like Norton and McAfee. AVG Anti: Anti-Virus Free from AVG is the best free antivirus software available. AVG AntiVirus Free is a full-fledged antivirus and antispyware tool, includes an email scanner, link scanner, scheduled scanning options, automatic updates, and more. There is no need to pay for an antivirus programme when the best free antivirus software in the world is just a download away. Avast: Avast Software's avast! Free Antivirus most certainly deserves to be on any list of the best free antivirus programmes. avast! Free Antivirus has fully functioning antivirus and antispyware engines protecting your PC from threats from the Internet, your files, emails, and even instant messages. Free Antivirus as a best free antivirus programme is because of its "heuristics engine" which can detect previously unknown viruses and other malware. Microsoft Security Essentials: Security Essentials from Microsoft is definitely one of the best free antivirus programmes available right now. Microsoft is relatively new to the antivirus game but don't let that scare you - Security Essentials is a fantastic antivirus programme that protects you from all sorts of malware, updates automatically, and is incredibly easy to use. Two of the biggest reasons I added Microsoft Security Essentials to this list of the best free antivirus software is because it's directly from Mi-
crosoft and also because it's very easy to see if you're computer is secure from threats: if the icon next to your clock is green, you're in good; if it's red, something is wrong. Comodo Antivirus: Comodo Antivirus from Comodo Security Solutions is another excellent programme, easily one of the best free antivirus options out there. As of this writing, Comodo Antivirus bills itself as the "Best Antivirus in the Market. Guaranteed, due to its proprietary Defense+ technology. Comodo Antivirus also protects you from several threat sources, just as most of the other best free antivirus programmes on this list do. Comodo Antivirus is easily one of the best free antivirus solutions solely because of its Defense+ technology that, by default, assumes unknown files are threats instead of safe. Avira AntiVir Personal: Avira AntiVir Personal protects you from viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, adware, and various other kinds of malware, making it a fully functional antimalware tool and certainly one of the best free antivirus programmes. The scope of malware that Avira AntiVir Personal can keep you safe from is alone enough to make it one of the best free antivirus software programmes but the heuristics and ease of use add to its value too. The only things I didn't like about Avira AntiVir Personal was the configuration you have to complete after installation which might be difficult if you're a computer novice. Panda Cloud Antivirus: Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you from several kinds of malware threats - viruses, worms, Trojans, adware, and more - just like all the other free antivirus programmes in this list. What makes Panda Cloud Antivirus one of the best free antivirus programmes is that it does its job from "the cloud" meaning the hard antivirus work that typically slows down a computer is done on computers elsewhere on the Internet, freeing up your computer to work like it should and protecting you from malware even better.
Immunet Protect: Immunet Protect FREE is a unique, cloud-based antivirus programme, much like Panda Cloud Antivirus. Immunet Protect FREE protects your computer from bots, worms, viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware. Immunet Protect FREE works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. You must also be connected to the Internet at all times. I think Protect FREE from Immunet is one of the best free antivirus programmes for several reasons: you never have to update it, it has completely free telephone based support, and it can be run alongside some of the other best free antivirus tools like AVG Anti-Virus Free, Microsoft Security Essentials, and avast! Free Antivirus, increasing your overall protection! Digital-defender Antivirus: Digital-defender Antivirus isn't a popular antivirus programme but it should be. It's certainly one of the best free antivirus software programmes you'll find. It's a full antivirus and antispyware programme and updates on a daily basis. The relatively small installation size, daily virus definition updates, and full antispyware features make digital-defender Antivirus one of the better tools in my collection of the best free antivirus programmes. PC Tools AntiVirus Free: PC Tools AntiVirus Free offers basic protection against viruses and other malware. While not my favorite, AntiVirus Free is still one of the best free antivirus programmes you'll find. The biggest problems I have with PC Tools AntiVirus Free are the reminders throughout the programme that there's a not-so-free version that you should upgrade to. To be fair, you probably won't notice it since the programme runs silently in the background to protect you from viruses. I probably find it annoying because most of the features available in the upgrade are included for free in some of the higher rated best free antivirus programmes above. n
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Flare Report
ome professionals were surprised when Facebook disclosed in its recent IPO filing that its user growth had slowed in the America and Canada. But a deeper look at Facebook's user numbers shows its growth is also slowing in Europe and Asia, untapped markets seen as vital to its fast-growing business, putting more pressure on the company to assure investors it can keep its revenue and profit expanding. The Menlo Park, Calif., social networking giant added 45 million regular users - defined as members who accessed Facebook in the past 30 days - in the last quarter of 2011, its smallest increase since spring 2009, and now counts 845 million total users. But even in Asia, where a small share of the population of countries like India, South Korea and Japan are Facebook
social network. They are looking for signs of what has come to be called "Facebook fatigue," as they try to determine whether the company should be valued as high as $100 billion when its stock begins to trade later this year. "There is always a fear of Facebook fatigue, because we've seen this from most social networks that have been created. You
Facebook sees slowing growth

Facebook disclosed in its recent IPO filing that its user growth had slowed in the America and Canada. But a deeper look at Facebook's user numbers shows its growth is also slowing in Europe and Asia, untapped markets seen as vital to its fast-growing business
users, the social network's fourth-quarter growth was its weakest in six quarters. Analysts say they are not alarmed about Facebook's slowing growth, which they say was inevitable, given its overwhelming popularity in many countries. Still, they say it means the company must find new ways to entice people to spend more time on the social network, to show them more advertising while they are there - and perhaps to enter the world's largest Internet market, China, from which it's now blocked because of government censorship. With the days of its runaway growth apparently over, Facebook's future financial success will be more and more tied to "Zuckerberg's Law" - founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 2008 prediction that each year, people will share information about themselves at double the rate they had the previous year. Facebook is "still going to surpass a billion people, even with slowing growth," said Lou Kerner, an analyst with SecondShares. "So I think the question is, 'Is Zuckerberg's Law going to continue to hold?' " Compared with the end of 2011, early 2010 was an online gold rush for the world's largest social network. In the first quarter of 2010, the number of people using Facebook on a given day grew nearly twice as fast as in the final quarter of 2011. "The worldwide user base is going to slow in growth," said Rebecca Lieb, an analyst with Altimeter Group. "You can't have hockey-stick growth forever." But the slowdown also means analysts this week are picking though Facebook's newly revealed "engagement" numbers, which reveal how frequently people come back after they join the have an enthusiastic user base that later peels off and does other things," said Rick Summer, an analyst with Morningstar who says a $100 billion valuation for Facebook is possible, but remains "a stretch." One positive sign for Facebook is a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which found no evidence of Facebook fatigue among longtime users.
Users are looking for signs of what has come to be called "Facebook fatigue," as they try to determine whether the company should be valued as high as $100 billion when its stock begins to trade later this year
"On the contrary," the new study says, "the more time that has passed since a user started using Facebook, the more frequently he/she makes status updates, uses the 'Like' button, comments on friends' content and tags friends in photos." Facebook declined to comment for this story, citing rules that bar companies from commenting during the IPO process, but in its filing it pointed to a positive trend with engagement. Worldwide, the company said, 57 percent of its regular, monthly users engage with the social network on a daily basis, up from 54 percent a
year ago. Looking more closely at some regions of the world, however, it's unclear whether that trend will continue. In both the U.S. and Canada and in Asia, the ratio of regular users who use the social network each day dropped in the last quarter of 2011 from the previous quarter. Facebook is also getting some heat for its definition of what constitutes an "active user." More than 40 pages into its S-1 IPO filing, the company disclosed that it counts someone as an active user not only if they log in to the social network through a desktop computer or a mobile app, but if they simply click a Facebook "Like" button on another website once a month on average. Facebook in recent months has been concentrating on getting people to spend more time on its desktop and mobile products, announcing in September integration with Spotify and other digital music services, as well as other apps that allow users to share experiences like gym workouts, dining, movies and travel back to their Facebook friends.
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Facebook also says it still has room to grow its user base, although Wedbush Securities analyst Yoni Yadgaran said the bulk of those new members will be in poorer countries, and won't produce the same advertising revenue per user as members in wealthier North America and Europe. n
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Mobilink Foundation Partners with Pink Ribbon

Islamabad: Mobilink Foundation has partnered with Pink Ribbon to spread awareness about Breast Cancer through their Ladies Portal. Pakistan has the highest rate of Breast Cancer amongst all Asian countries. Every 9th woman in Pakistan is at high risk of getting Breast Cancer. Over 40,000 deaths every year are caused by this cancer which can be treated if detected early.With early detection the chances of surviving Breast Cancer are more than 90%. Mobilink Foundation in partnership with Pink Ribbon is striving to make life saving information on breast cancer easily available. One of the biggest challenges faced by Pink Ribbon in Pakistan is that women do not have access to information about this cancer and often do not feel comfortable seeking this information from peers or doctors. In order to provide essential information to women in the privacy of their own homes, Mobilink partnered with Pink Ribbon to create simple audio messages that provide critical information on breast cancer such as how to recognize the signs and symptoms, conducting a self-exam and what to do in case of serious concerns. Mobilink Foundations partnership with Pink Ribbon is a reflection of the commitment of Mobilink and its employees to giving back to the community. n
PTCL to connect 1400 Habib Bank branches across Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the largest integrated telecommunication services provider of the country, has inked a Managed Services Network Agreement with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to provide networking for the leading bank's 1400 branches across Pakistan.
Comptel sees growth potential in Pakistan

Islamabad: Comptel Corporation, leading vendor of dynamic Operations Support System (OSS) software, realises the growth potential of telecom sector in Pakistan with 3G to be launched soon. The step will open up multiple opportunities toward providing newer and more innovative services to the customers in the country and will also augment heavily many other industries. Comptel is a world leader in mediation, provisioning and activation space and has delivered to 280 customers globally in 85 countries of the world. Wataniya Telecom is a truly customer-driven companywe continuously aim to provide our subscribers with excellent products and services and greater value, said Wataniya Telecom PR Director Abdolaziz AlBalool. Comptels solution helps us offer a premium, first use experience: our customers are able to self-activate their subscriptions and choose the packages they want, no matter which handset type theyre using. When using their SIM cards for the first time, they can also search for the numbers they want and purchase the valueadded services of their choice. Comptel Dynamic SIM Management facilitates true service personalisation and an allround more fulfilling customer experience. n
signing held at PTCL CTH Building, Karachi. "As the nation's largest integrated telecommunication services provider, it is our duty and obligation to provide services of international standards to public sector, as well as financial, educational and enterprise markets. The strategic partnership and synergy between PTCL and HBL is
Samsung is expanding its network of Samsung Concept Shops in numerous cities across Pakistan, starting with city of Gujranwala. A special inauguration ceremony wass planned recently, at the new Concept Shop, established on the G.T. roadGujranwala. Samsung Concept Shop is a One-Stop solution for exploring and
Samsung expands conceptstores network
PTCL SEVP Business Development Mr. Hamid Farooq and Habib Bank Limited Chief Information Officer Mr. Mudassir Khan signing agreement at Data Center in Karachi.
purchasing all Samsung products with genuine Samsung warranties. It displays; Samsung 3D Smart TVs, LED and LCD TVs, Monitors, Plasma Display Panels, IT products, Cameras, Mobile phones, and Home Appliances. For the first two weeks, product installation services will be provided free-of-charge to the purchasers. n
The telecom giant's latest initiative in the business and enterprise sector will make possible deployment of primary and backup data connectivity, Information Technology equipment, support and maintenance in every single HBL branch to provide seamless services for the bank. PTCLs customer focused strategy coupled with its comprehensive network infrastructure is the only choice for enterprises to avail one-window ICT solution," said PTCL Senior Executive Vice President Business Development, Hamid Farooq, on the occasion of agreement
an ideal combination to achieve our goal to deliver exceptional client experiences through improved operational efficiency with the inclusion of next generation applications and expansion of online banking by virtue of PTCLs huge and resilient infrastructure," said HBL Chief Information Officer, Mudassir Khan on the occasion. Mr. Khan further stated that HBL's technological partnership with PTCL will enable the bank to focus on its core business functions resulting in supreme customer services. n
Ufone offers low priced BlackBerry packages

Islamabad: For the first time in Pakistan, Ufone has launched two extremely low priced and affordable BlackBerry package plans. Owing to the increasing number of young enables the user to create and use one BlackBerry email address (e.g. username@ufone.blackberry.co m) and offers unlimited access to the BlackBerry Messenger sites such as Facebook, Twitter & MySpace as well. The second package BlackBerry Complete has been specifically devised for entry level professionals and SMEs. email account such as Gmail, Yahoo, Windows Live Email etc. The user will also have unlimited access to the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service and will be able to browse the BlackBerry Internet Browsing Service (BIBS), including data usage on Umail. While discussing the new BlackBerry packages, Akbar Khan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ufone said that these packages are a need of todays techsavvy BlackBerry using generation. He further said that Ufone has been a market leader in offering cost effective and affordable packages that have met the ever evolving needs of its customers. He stressed that smart organizations constantly innovate to keep up in the race to keep their customers satisfied, and Ufone aims to do just that. n
Telenor cricket league 2012 concludes

CEO Telenor Pakistan Lars Christian Iuel handed over the Telenor Premier League Cup 2012 to Waqas Amanullah, captain of Region Central-1, the winning team of the tournament. Telenor Premier League is Telenor Pakistans highly anticipated annual T-20 cricket tournament, now in its fifth year. The aim of the tournament is to encourage a spirit of healthy competition among the seven regions of the company. n
BlackBerry users, Ufone has devised a Blackberry Social Service plan to meet their everyday communication needs. At just Rs 350 per month the BlackBerry Social Service
(BBM) service. The user will also have unlimited access to browse the BlackBerry Internet Browsing Service (BIBS), including data usage on Umail. Furthermore the user will be able to access social networking
At just Rs 600 per month the BlackBerry Complete Service offers one BlackBerry email address (e.g. username@ufone.blackberry.co m) and the user can also integrate and use one third party
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wi-tribe supports Islamabad Deaf Cricket Team

with the Islamabad Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA). The IDCA will be participating in the 1st National Deaf Cricket Tournament, with 32 Deaf Cricket teams representing different cities throughout Pakistan. wi-tribe is honoured to be supporting the team members uniforms, travel, accommodation and sports kits for two major gaming events, among others. The team has played one game as hosts in Islamabad and is currently participating in the 2012 National Championship Tournament, being held in Lahore. At wi-tribe, we hold an unequivoThe Islamabad Deaf Cricket Association team, winners of the 1st National Cricket Championship with the cal belief that each member of the sowi-tribe management. ciety should be given equal opportuKarachi: In an effort to continue Pakistan shares its latest CSR initia- nities and platforms to discover and building community blocks, wi-tribe tive that is comprised of a partnership build upon their strengths. We remind ourselves that each and every human is special in their own way, and our nation will prosper only if we focus on enriching strengths and helping our communities realize their dreams. This is a continuing philosophy for all of us at wi-tribe and we wish our team great success and sporting satisfaction in all their future games, said Zohare Haider, Manager of Corporate & Digital Communications at wi-tribe Pakistan. wi-tribe has a comprehensive CSR policy which is focused on making a substantial and positive difference in the community. wi-tribe makes consistent efforts to alleviate challenges, support and encourage individuals and societies, and offer them new opportunities for a better life. n
Nadra annuls 90,000 CNICs

Peshawar: After installation of Bio-Metric System, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) cancelled around 90,000 computerised national identity cards (CNIC), which were double issued to one person. NADRA also terminated 183 employees, who were found involved in corruption. Sources told that special teams of NADRA, during an operation against dual CNICs, confiscated 38,000 cards throughout the country while the remaining 52,000 CNICs were cancelled by red circling the record. Most of the duel cards were issued during the tenure of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf. n
The Pakistani military has released its first tablet called the PACPAD or Pakistan Aeronautical Complex PAD, in a bid to strengthen National Economy through Commercialization.
Pak-Airforce unveils PACPAD
Karachi: United Bank Limiteds Branchless Banking Service, UBL Omni has won the GSMA Global Mobile Award 2012 for Best Use of Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations. The branchless banking service has been recognized for its effective cash disbursements and this sets the benchmark for utilizing technology effectively during emergency or humanitarian situations. The announcement was made in a special ceremony at the GSMAs Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain recently. The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) Global Mobile Award is the telecommunication industrys biggest annual event. This year it received a record 600 entries from all over the world for the 31 categories. More than 170 independent analysts, journalists, academics and subject matter experts throughout the world participated in the
UBL recognized on global stage
judging of the 2012 awards. For UBL Omni, the judges commented that there was growing interest in how to direct aid payments to the needy and this scheme utilizing mobile phones is a valuable initiative. Mr. Atif R. Bokhari, President & CEO, UBL said, Our customers have always had faith in us and now the world believes in our dedication and commitment to innovate a new dimension in branchless banking. It is a humbling experience for us and at the same time gives us the motivation to achieve even higher milestones in the coming years. Mr. Abrar Mir, Group Head, Branchless & E-Banking, UBL while receiving the award on behalf of UBL said, We are very excited to have been able to leverage mobile technology effectively to facilitate quick, transparent & efficient cash disbursements to people in need. n
Mobilink posts 4pc growth in Q4

Mobilink has posted a Year on Year (YoY) revenue growth of 4 percent in fourth quarter 2011 to reach Rs. 25 billion, up from Rs. 23.9 billion during same period last year. Mobilink posted revenues of Rs. 135.6 billion during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, that is 5 percent up from 129.2 billion in year 2010, despite decreased ARPU but mainly derived from higher maintenance charges on card reloads.
ECP launches mobile service for voters

Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it has started a mobile text messaging service for confirming names of voters in the electoral rolls. The voters can confirm their enrollment in the rolls by sending a message containing their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) number to 8300. Secretary Election Commission Ishtiak Ahmad Khan has said that several recommendations were under consideration to make the election process more transparent. The commission was also considering making 10-15 percent turnout rate of the women voters mandatory. He said amendments would be introduced to curb the incidents of aerial firing in elections as well as trimming down election campaigning expenses by the candidates.
According to full Year Earnings Release EBITDA increased by 10 percent to PKR 10.4 billion and EBITDA margin improved to 41.7 percent from 39.4 percent a year earlier. EBTIDA was positively impacted by higher revenues and declining cost of sales. Groups financial report said that Mobilink grew its customers by 8 percent in 2011 to reach 34,213,552 subscribers by year end. n
Warid Glow introduces Dosti Ke Rung

Unsurprisingly though, the PACPAD is built in China courtesy of a company called Innavtek. The tablet is not the first electronics device designed in Pakistan. The PAC engineers have been busy enough to build and design laptops and ebooks. There's a 7-inch WVGA capacitive display, a single core ARM11-based SoC clocked at 1GHz, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Wi-Fi, HDMI out, up to 10 hours music and around five hours battery life playing videos. n Lahore: Youth-based cellular brand Glow by Warid has announced an exciting campaign, Dosti Ke Rung, celebrating its core ideology of providing youth entertainment and value. Glows Dosti Ke Rung movement is based on the premise of providing groups of friends with an opportunity to come and enjoy its uniquely designed on-ground activities. These special activities will be taken on-ground live with customised Warid Glow activity areas in select colleges, universities, shopping and entertainment venues across Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Glows celebration officially begins with the brand new Dosti Ke Rung music video being aired across all major local networks, promoting the colours of friendship. On Glows sustained efforts to create avenues for entertainment and engaging the youth, Director Marketing Warid Sadaf Zarrar said, Warid launched Glow for the very purpose of providing the youth with the most competitive voice and data packages, as well as providing entertainment across various platforms. To this end, Glow has organised as well as partnered with a diversity of events encompassing education, music, theatre, sports and games. With the Dosti Ke Rung campaign, we want to further our commitment to the youth and promote positivity within the youth, and bring something fresh and new. Brand Manager Glow Saud Khan while giving his comments said, Glow is a brand targeting the youth of the country and we as a brand understand what Dosti means to
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our audience. The Dosti Ke Rung campaign is our way of rejoicing with the youth and showing that we are an integral part of their friendship circle. n
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PIA starts specialised IATA training at Lahore

courses at Lahore in collaboration with IATA. IATA Diploma will be awarded by IATA Head Office in Canada after successfully completion of course. Speaking on the occasion of completion of first batch training, Nauman Munir DisThe participants of first IATA course held at Lahore along with District Manager PIA Lahore Noman Munir and In- trict Manager Lahore structor Ghazanfar Bashir. greeted participants on attending this training Lahore: In line with Yousafzai vision and tions in Pakistan, PIA Managing Director PIA policy to promote train- training centre has and highlighted the imNadeem Khan ing at all major sta- started IATA diploma portance of this course for travel and tourism industry world wide. He also congratulated PIA management as PIA has been declared as IATA base authorized Training center. Mr Ghazanfar Bashir Course coordinator and Instructor while speaking on the occasion thanked participants and Managing Director PIA Nadeem Khan Yousafzai, Deputy Managing Director cently expanded coverage of its fastest Nitro Rev B network to 70 cities. Customers can now cruise with matchless speeds of up to 9.3Mbps with EVO Nitros Rev B in more than 70 cities. PTCL is leading the mobile Internet revolution in Pakistan by continuing to expand and enhance our wireless broadband services to provide seamless coverage, said PTCL Senior Executive Vice President, Naveed Saeed. Our sleek and portable EVO products are technologically advanced and coupled with our widest EVO wireless broadband service, which gives customers the most unique mobile Internet experience in the country.n Capt Junaid Younas and Mr Sohail Mahmood PIA coordinator for IATA Training for their efforts for arranging this course at Lahore with a state of art computer Lab with on line training of Reservation of Ticketing. He also told that PIA has established a complete unit of training at Lahore where marketing, IT and cargo based training is being imparted. n
PTCL earns Rs 2.8 billion profit

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) has gained net profit of Rs.2.84 billion in its half-year earnings made in 2011-12 for, showing a growth of 7 percent in revenue. PTCLs profits and revenue growth during first half of FY12 is a strong indicator of our dynamic corporate direction as well as our customers continued satisfaction and trust, said PTCL CEO & President, Walid Irshaid, following a meeting of the companys board of directors, which announced the companys sixmonth financial results for the period ending December 31, 2011. Through optimal use of resource, we want to achieve enhanced revenue, greater levels of customer satisfaction, as well as improve our shareholders value. PTCLs group revenue stood at Rs55 billion during the period under review, showing a growth of 6 percent over FY2010. Of this, PTCLs net revenue was Rs.28.1 billion, showing a growth of 7 percent over the previous financial year. Despite the economic challenges faced by Pakistan, PTCL remained strong throughout 2011 in emerging segments of Broadband in Wire-line as well as Wireless, and other corporate services. n
PTCL broadband covers 90 pc population

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limiteds (PTCL) EVO wireless broadband has become Pakistans widest broadband Internet network covering 90 percent of the nations population in more than 180 cities and towns, said press release. EVO customers can now experience on-the-go wireless broadband Internet wherever they roam by connecting to EVDO Rev A speeds of up to 3.1Mbps with PTCL EVO,EVO Wi-Fi Cloud, EVO Tab and EVO Droidin more than 180 cities across Pakistan. PTCL has also re-
Schneider launches world-class products

Lahore: Schneider Electric launched two new world-class switchgear products Blokset and Prisma iPM for the first time in Pakistan. Developed at their state-of-the-art plant located at Karachi, Schneider Electric becomes the first company in the country to manufacture the IEC 61439 compliant LV Switchgear. The launching of the two new energysaving products is a significant breakthrough after the successful transfer of technology by Schneider Electric to Pakistan to meet the challenges being faced here such
Schneider, MD Mazhar Valjee, along with Manager Business Development Muhammad Salman Khan and Manager Franchised Operations Syed Hassan Zia Naqvi and other representatives at the launch of switchgear products.
as devastating fire accidents inside buildings, commercial markets and industrial locations. Mr. Mazhar Valjee, Managing Director, Schneider Electric Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd., stated, Schneider Electric envisions immense potential in the Pakistan
Mobilink offers Nokia Asha 303 with free GPRS

Islamabad: Mobilink and Nokia have entered into a grand collaboration for the Nokia Asha 303 Qwerty campaign. This offer is available of all Mobilink customers including Jazz, Jazba and Indigo. The stylishly slim Nokia Asha 303 fea-
a complete country is facing a market to grow and offer evolve in areas of en- turnkey solution to re- daunting challenge of ergy and energy con- vamp or build new managing energy reservation. As a global plants and develop quirements, Schneider leader, the company re- electrical architecture Electric Pakistan comto providing mains committed to of- for safe and reliable op- mits fering our customers erations; it assures world-class energy and the most robust and in- peace of mind, en- power products, as well productivity as reliable solutions to novative products to hances streamline and support and also provides pro- its valued customers. tection against electri- Valjee added. n the energy sector. The new products cal hazards. Since the tures an exceptionally responsive The phone comes with a 1 GHz procestouch screen that's great for sor, & features the latest 3.5G and Wi-Fi browsing & apps. Plus, you get to support for fast connectivity. enjoy a full QWERTY keyboard The excitement doesnt end here yet! for fast texting all on the vivid Mobilink customers can get free blue tooth 2.6-inch display. device exclusively through Mobilink CusNokia Asha 303 is a powerful social tomer care centers. Cherry on the top for networking hub and makes it easier than Jazz customers is the 3 months free ever for you to stay connected with whats GPRS. Price of Nokia Asha 303 in Pakimportant. istan (by Mobilink): Rs. 12,950/. n
Islamabad: Teradata Corporation, the data analytic solutions company, has entered into an agreement with Telenor Pakistan to expand its Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse. A Teradata customer since 2005, Telenor Pakistan has used the Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse to its competitive advantage as it was fifth to enter the market and is now the second-largest mobile operator in Pakistan. Telenor Pakistan made the strategic decision to operate with a better view of its business by analyzing data to gain a 360-degree view of customers and to share that information across the enterprise. Since then, the company has grown to over 28 million subscribers, with a 24 percent share of the market. The expanded Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse will help the company better understand the market and unleash new opportunities for competitive advantage and growth, statement added. In particular, it will help the company maximize its return on investment by providing unique views of subscribers and revenues. n
Teradata, Telenor ink accord on EDW
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USF approves universal telecenters for unserved areas

Islamabad: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani directed the telecom authorities to set up IT centers at each union council level, fully equipped with latest technology, ensuring the efficient and effective connectivity both domestic and overseas to the people of the region. This he said while presiding over 27th meeting of the Board of Directors of Universal Service Fund (USF). The meeting was informed that so far 994 IT centers at union Council levels have been set up with the direction that process should be speeded up in providing state of the art ICT services in underserved and unserved areas under the mandate of USF. Futuristic approvals were accorded by the Board which include project to connect unCentres (CBCs). In Optic Fiber Programme, more than 4,100 kms of optic fiber cable has been laid to connect 58 un-served tehsils and towns including Initiatives like establishing telemedicine networks have also been taken to provide better health-care facilities through ICTs. The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Secretary IT, Farooq Ahmed Awan, Chairman PTA, Dr Muhammed Yaseen, Member Telecom, Dr. Ismail Shah, CEO and President PTCL, Walid Irshaid, CEO ISPAK, Azfar Manzoor, Representative of Consumer Association of Pakistan, Kaukab Iqbal and CEO USF, Riaz Asher Siddiqui and other senior officials. n
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani chairs 27th USF board meeting at PM House, Islamabad.
served tehsils with Optic Fiber Cable in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and also launch of enhanced Universal Tele centers project. The meeting was informed that through the Optic Fiber Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 05 un-served tehsils Headquarters and 02 towns in the districts of
Mobilink brings Google Gmail SMS chat service

Islamabad: In collaboration with Google, Mobilink presents Gmail SMS; a free web-to-SMS service which enables Gmail user to send free SMS to any Mobilink subscriber in Pakistan via Gmail chat client. This is best for Overseas Pakistanis. Mobilink subscriber can also reply back to that SMS which will appear on Gmail users Gmail interface. It is noteworthy that in order to initiate chat; first
Wateen selects MARA systems for caching solutions

mechanism that enables caching for content from leading video portals, CDNs and file hosters. It also cuts down unproductive use of the Internet and consumption of network bandwidth. Wateen Chief Technology Officer Faisal Sattar said: The Web has changed and grown significantly as social networking, video streaming, and file hosting sites have become popular, requiring more and more bandwidth. MARA Sys-
Dera Ismail Khan, Batagram, Mansehra and Kohistan will be connected with 146 kms of optic fiber cable serving population of around 1.1 Million. Another approval to establish 11 Universal Telecenters (UTCs) through Satellite Technology in Rural and semi-urban areas was
also given by the Board. These 11 UTCs will be established in the districts of Dera Bugti, Kalat, Chitral, Khoshab, Multan, Chakwal, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Vehari, Shaheed Benazirabad and Bajaur Agency. The meeting was apprised that In Rural Telecom Programme
USF has provided basic telephony and data services in more than 3,600 muzas. Broadband services in 256 2nd and 3rd tier cities and towns along with providing more than 358,000 broadband connections and establishing 994 Educational Broadband Centres (EBCs) and 292 Community Broadband its customers better and improve business performance. MARA Systems provides appliance solutions and services to telecom operators around the globe, such as Telecom of Thailand (ToT), Hadara Technologies Palestine, and within other sectors such as education and government through BTAL Saudi Arabia (MENA region). MARA Systems Sales Manager Cesar Reis explains: Nowadays, video and other media content delivered over the internet from sites such as YouTube often account for a significant amount of user traffic. n
Lahore: Wateen Telecom, ranked Pakistans No. 1 wireless broadband company by the PTA, announced that it has selected MARA Systems for providing a caching solution which will improve customers quality of experience and enable bandwidth savings for the company. Wateen Telecom, Pakistans leading converged communications provider, selected the CacheMARA appliance solution as it offers a unique caching
tems provide an excellent support, real time statistics and outstanding results for caching on multimedia content. By caching sites on local servers, our consumers will benefit from reduced load times. Wateen selected MARA Systems as its vendor after an evaluation process that analysed customer satisfaction, presales and post sales support capabilities, and other critical factors that would help Wateen serve
Ufone offers unlimited mobile internet for 99 paisas
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(1st) message has to be sent by a Gmail user via Gmail client on www.gmail.com. This means that Mobilink subscriber cannot initiate chat himself with his Gmail contacts from mobile phone. Spam Protection Policy & Quota System (as defined by Google) will be applicable to curb abuse of Gmail SMS service. n
Islamabad: Following PTAs recent recognition of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) as Pakistans best Broadband Internet service provider in 2011, the telecom giant has now won the 2012 Consumer Choice Award as the Best Wireless Broadband Internet service provider. Organized recently by the Consumers Association of Pakistans (CAP) in Karachi, the 7th Annual Consumer Choice Awards honored PTCL EVO as the 2012 Best Wireless Broadband brand of Pakistan. PTCL stood tall amongst 85 business awards presented in various commercial categories ranging from financial services to FMCG to telecommunications. The Consumers Choice Award is one of the most recognized and prestigious event of the countrys business calendar, said PTCL SEVP Commercial, Naveed Saeed on the occasion.
PTCL EVO honored as consumers favorite broadband service

PTCL EVO has been winning promise unlike anyone else, this award each time. It is a bold which makes us stand out
testament of our customers firm amongst all players. faith, trust and confidence in PTCL has Pakistans largest our ability to deliver what we and fastest growing 3G EVDO
Islamabad: Ufone has introduced a special unlimited mobile internet package for its postpaid and prepaid customers with which customers can now avail unlimited mobile internet from 1:00 am to 3:00 pm for just 99 paisas or Re 0.99. This special Unlimited Internet Package is a daily subscription based offer i.e, Re. 0.99 will be deducted on daily basis. Package will automatically renew on daily basis and Rs. 0.99 will be deducted on daily basis for re-subscription. n wireless broadband networks, with connectivity and roaming in nearly 200 cities. In 2011, PTCL became the worlds first operator to commercially launch 3G EVDO Rev B service. In the form of EVO NITRO, it gives consumers the markets maximum speed of 9.3MBPs. PTCL is one of the most progressive data connectivity providers of the world and Broadband is now a driver for Pakistans national GDP, said Mr. Saeed. We have a responsibility to develop Pakistans technology and data network for establishing the echo system conducive for our countrys economic growth and social uplift, and PTCL is fully primed to facilitate that. n
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | fl a re. p k
Etisalat wins 3 prestigious awards at MWC

tality in developing countries. Etisalat also won the Best Mobile Money Innovation award for its Etisalat Commerce platform that is helping make financial services accessible to millions of people across the region. Etisalat is committed to harnessing the power of mobile connectivity through innovation to develop products that change peoples lives for the better and help to accelerate social and economic development, said Etisalat Group Chief Commercial Officer, Essa Al Haddad, on the occasion. The 2012 Global Mobile Awards continue to showcase the greatest, most creative and innovative products and services driving the mobile ecosystem today and into the future, said GSMA Chief Marketing Officer, Michael OHara, on the occasion. It is a significant achievement for a company to be honoured with an award, but to win three is an outstanding achievement. The GSMA congratulates Etisalat and commends all those taking part for raising the benchmark of contributions to mobile communications across the entire industry. Etisalats Mobile Baby program delivers affordable primary healthcare solutions to even the most remote, rural regions of Africa. During 2012, the Etisalat Mobile Baby service will be rolled out across its operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Niger, Central African Republic and Gabon. Similarly, the Etisalat Commerce initiative is using new electronic commerce technologies to empower businesses and individuals in emerging markets. n
The GSMA awards Etisalat have been crowned with carried by Essa Al Haddad (right), Chief Commercial Officer at the Etisalat Group, Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar (middle) , Group Chief Executive Office, Etisalat, George Held, Group Products And Services Director Etisalat (left).
Barcelona: Etisalat, the only Middle East telecom operator to be recognized for innovations and with operations in 17 markets across the
Middle East, Africa and Asia, has won three of the sectors most prestigious international awards at the recently held annual 2012 Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Etisalat received two GSMA Global Mobile Awards in the Best Mobile Health Innovation
and mWomen Best Mobile Product categories for its mobile health innovation, Etisalat Mobile Baby that is helping to combat maternal mor-
ShahCar Offer: Ufone puts U in the driving seat

Islamabad: For the month of March, Ufone has launched an outstanding offer which will put 10 of its valued customers behind the steering wheel of their very own cars. Ufones ShahCar offer has paved the opportunity for Ufone customers to take part in a lucky draw and win a smooth and sleek Toyota Corolla car. fer is also applicable to all existing Ufone customers as well. Customers must ensure that their Ufone SIM is in their name. The winners will be contacted by Ufone itself via call from 333 number or via an SMS from Ufone ID. This offer is applicable from 1st March 2012 to 31st March 2012. This offer is for all new, MNP,
PTA vacates 66 illegal frequency spots

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has successfully vacated 66 illegal frequency spots which were causing interference in the authorised spectrum of licensed telecom operators during the year 2011. Director PR (PTA) Muhammad Younis said Frequency Spectrum is a scarce and highly expensive national resource and under Telecom (ReOrganization) Act 1996, has to ensure that the rights of the licenses and telecom users are duly protected. Therefore, PTA carries out extensive field surveys to identify illegal/unauthorized users of frequency spectrum and coordinates for vacation, he said. He said numerous raids with Federal investigation Agency (FIA) were also conducted against illegal frequency users and equipment was confiscated. Apart from illegal users of frequency, PTA has also removed 61 jammers across Pakistan to ensure interference free spectrum for the telecom operators. n
Islamabad: Experts at a seminar have stressed the need for adopting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in development process to bridge the widening development gap on a fast track pace. Pakistan vision2015' was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). Brig (Retd.) Mohammad Yasin, SDPI Senior Advisor, Center for Capacity-building and Study Group on Information Technology and Telecommunication chaired the proceedings. "However, at the moment, teledensity in Pakistan is largely restricted to urban areas, showing a significant digital divide, and the country has to go a long way ahead covering the far flung areas such as Balochistan, GilgitBaltistan, and other remote areas of the
Adopt ICT for development
country" he added. He was of the view that Pakistan has not been able to effectively use ICT for development despite achieving exceptional progress in the areas of teledensity, internet growth, computer and mobile phone usage. He said, Pakistan has a huge potential and can still take advantage of ICT revolution in development process if it makes a road map about the use of ICTs for all in the areas of education, health, agriculture and governance. He presented his road-map of `Pakistan vision 2015' for ICT growth through which the country can catch up with world that can produce skilled and motivated force of young `agents of change' in Pakistan. n customers. "PTCL is investing heavily in innovative product and service offerings as well as quality customer care and convenience," said Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, Naveed Saeed. "From customer relations to service solutions, a positive difference has been noticed and appreciated by the masses. I encourage everyone to avail our customer care services and feel the difference." n
PTCL's customer care enhanced to new levels

Islamabad: In its efforts to provide valued customers quality care and technical support, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has enhanced its customer care services. As part of its ongoing commitment to provide online customer assistance, PTCL is offering dedicated 24hour, seven-days-aweek helpline services, said a press release. "At PTCL, we remain highly conscious of the fact that our success and growth can only come from satisfied customers," said PTCL CEO &, Walid Irshaid. "It remains our challenge to provide friendly, seamless and prompt customer service." PTCL Public Cash Payment Machines (PCPM) have also been established at prominent public places all over the country to facilitate bill payment by
Ufone always strives brings its customers unique and priceless offers. To be a part of the ShahCar offer, the customer needs to go and buy a Ufone SIM today or bring in their existing number to Ufones network and consume a minimum balance of Rs.200 during the month of March. This will automatically qualify them enter a lucky draw where 10 lucky customers will become proud owners of fabulous 1300cc (Toyota Corolla xli) cars. This of-
Prepaid and Postpay customers. Akbar Khan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ufone said it is the customers who are a vital force driving an organization towards success. In Ufones case, we value the loyalty and commitment showed by our customers and we believe that by promoting offers such as ShahCar, we are getting the message across to our customers that we are always thinking of them! After all, it is all about U n
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Consumers select Wateen as best internet service provider

Lahore: Wateen Telecom, recently ranked as Pakistans No. 1 wireless broadband company by the PTA, has also been awarded the Consumer Choice Award for Best Internet Service Provider. The award was presented at the prestigious ceremony for the 7th Annual Consumer Choice Awards, held in Karachi and attended by representatives of the countrys leading national and multinational brands. In total, around 85 awards were presented in various categories, ranging from financial services to FMCG to telecommunications. The award was presented by Mr Raza Haroon, Provincial Minister for Information Technology, along with Mr Nisar Khoro, Speaker of the Sindh Assembly to Mr Jalil Ahmed Farooqi, Wateens head of consumer for the southern region. The Consumer Choice Award is especially rewarding ternational vendors to improve customers browsing experience by installing caching revolutionary solutions on the network. The company has also seen great support from its principals at the Abu Dhabi Group, which has continued to show great confidence in Wateen and its new management and has provided cash support of over US$57 million in the last 12 months. Despite the recent fire that engulfed Wateens headquarters, the company has successfully ensured that customers did not suffer any loss of quality in their services. Commenting on the award, Wateen CEO Mr Naeem Zamindar said: To be selected by Pakistani consumers as their choice of preferred and most reliable internet service providing company is an honour and a testament to the improvements brought in to the network over the last year. n
Mr. Jalil Ahmed, Head of Consumer Sales (South) Wateen Telecom receiving the Consumer Choice Award by Raza Haroon and Nisar Khoro.
as the winners are selected by a wide cross-section of Pakistani consumers, who are comprehensively polled in objective surveys carried out through the Consumer Association of Pakistans websites. Wateen beat other internet service providers after being
selected by Pakistani consumers as the countrys leading ISP for its reliable internet services and committed customer care. Over the past year, Wateen has taken several steps to help improve service levels and optimise the networks
efficiency, including the relocation of over 200 sites. The company also introduced multiple payment methods for customer ease, including online e-banking, EasyPaisa, as well as NADRA e-Sahulat Centers. The company has also worked closely with in-
Intl Scientific Spring starts at NCP

Islamabad: The National Centre for Physics has an excellent potential to collaborate with Italy in the field of scientific development. Italy has a deep-rooted relationship with Pakistan and collaboration between the two countries will strengthen in future. This was stated by Professor Joseph Nimela from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) while inaugurating the Fourth International Scientific Spring at the National Centre for Physics (NCP). NCP Director-General Dr. Hamid Saleem, while addressing the participants, said that the ICTP has contributed over last 46 years to fostering scientific research in developing countries throughout the world. It is increasingly looking outward, planning to expand its role further in the opening of affiliated centres in different parts of the world. In fact, it is the first time that an International Scientific Spring is being jointly organised by the NCP and ICTP and we are thankful to the ICTP for collaboration with NCP. He paid a rich tribute to Professor Abdus Salam for his contributions to the development of science in the third world countries. More than 25 scientists from different universities of China, Greece, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan, Italy, Bangladesh and Bulgaria will participate and present their research papers. The activity will focus on the core areas of Physics and its related fields like Synchrotron Radiations & Ion Beam Applications, Particle Physics, Nanosciences, Plasma Physics and Astrophysics.
PTA improves ranking from ninth to sixth position: survey

Karachi: The multinational companies and foreign investors have improved the ranking of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) from ninth to sixth position in the past two years for its cooperation and supportive role for the businesses. The Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) recently revealed the results of its perception survey based on its member companies feedback saying the telecom authority is supportive to foreign investors in dealing affairs of telephony utility. The views expressed about PTA are related to multinational companies of different sectors however, foreign companies of IT and telecom sectors were less interested to participate in the perception survey. But plans and concerns of IT and telecom companies are almost similar with multinational companies of different sectors, which are positive investment plans in the next two to five years despite issues of security, access to energy and governance. PTA is one of the most active regulators in the country, which has shown tremendous performance in the past one decade keeping the interest of consumers on priority and maximum facilitation to investors. n
PIA sets Rs 142.83b revenue target

Lahore: PIAs 337thBoard of Di- Corporate Budget for the Financial 2012. It also approved the Marketing rectors meeting was held at PIA head Year 2012 wherein revenue of Plan for 2012-2014. Board was preoffice recently. Board approved the Rs142.831 billion has been targeted for sented with safety overview. Other matters of strategic and corporate interest were also considered during the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister for Defence & Chairman, PIA and attended by Nadeem Khan Yousufzai, MD PIA, Javed Akhtar, Syed Omar Sharif Bokhari, Husain Lawai, Abdul Wajid Rana Federal Finance Secretary, Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi and Mrs. Nargis Sethi Federal Defence Secretary. Air Marshal (Retd) Khalid Choudhry, Director General CAA and Maj. Gen. Raja Muhammad Arif Nazir, Additional Secretary-I, Ministry of Defence also attended the Meeting as Minister for Defence and Chairman PIA, Ch Ahmed Mukhtar chairs the PIA's 337th Special Invitees. n Board of Directors meeting.
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Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reiterated its stance to provide a cost effective, automated and transparent system for blocking websites that promote blasphemous and objectionable content. PTA, being the telecom regulator in the country, will implement policies to block websites with blasphemous, un-Islamic, offensive, objectionable, unethical, and immoral material. Talking to media, official sources in PTA said, We will also see the viability of permanently blocking the websites involved in unethical and illegal activities. PTAs mandate is to regulate the telecommunication system in Pakistan, officials said adding that it does not regulate content transmitted directly or indirectly, nor does it control the sources of the content outside Pakistan. n
PTA to block websites with 'objectionable' content
on Wateens Facebook page. Wateen Scouts is a platform for the youth of Pakistan to step forward and present their innovative ideas for making a tangible difference to the countrys social scenario. Through Wateen Scouts, the company aims to empower the youth of Pakistan in enabling the change they wish to see in the country. The campaign, launched through digital and social media Lahore: Wateen present Wateen ary new youth move- platforms, carries a Telecom is proud to Scouts, a revolution- ment which went live message of change from
Wateen Scouts to empower the youth
renowned motivational speaker Nadeem Chawhan, who is spearheading the campaign. Mr Chawhan is a senior facilitator and consultant. The campaign is running simultaneously in major universities and colleges across Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Students may register as Wateen Scouts either on Facebook or through Wateens recently launched Freedom Booths, which are being set up at universities and colleges in the relevant cities. The Registration process will involve an application
form through which prospective candidates will present their ideas. Ideas should focus on improving one of the following: (i) your family, (ii) your community, or (iii) your country. Commenting on this innovative new campaign, Wateen CEO Naeem Zamindar said, Our aim is to demonstrate that as individuals, we are responsible for the state of affairs in our life and our surroundings. We intend to bring this message to our youth and help them make the change that they yearn for in our society - hence Jo Chaho. n
Islamabad: National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) inaugurated its fastest supercomputing facility in a ceremony held recently at its Research Centre for Modeling and Simulation (RCMS). The supercomputer installed in NUST is the fastest GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) based parallel computing system operating in any organization/academic institution in Pakistan till date. The supercomputer can perform parallel computation at a peak speed of 132 Teraflops (132 Trillion Operations per second). It is equipped with multicore processors and graphics co-processors with inter-processor communication speed of 40 Gbps. Imaginational ceremony was presided over by Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Javaid Laghari.
Nust launches Pakistans fastest supercomputer Qatar Telecom announces positive results
Speaking at the ceremony, Principal RCMS Engr Sikandar Hayat highlighted some of the unique features of this state-of-the-art computing facility recently acquired by Nust through financial grant by Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Hayat said that besides the supercomputers extensive utilisation in the computation-intensive research projects in the areas of Fluid Dynamics and Biosciences, this massively parallel facility can also be utilized to handle huge data processing applications of social sciences such as Flood and Weather Forecasting, Oil and Gas Exploration, energy efficient building designs and national transportation management. Addressing the event, Laghari appreciated the efforts of the entire team associated with the project and encouraged all institutions to come forward and benefit from the facility acquired by Nust. He assured HECs full support in this regard. Rector Nust Engr Muhammad Asghar, in his welcome address, sharing his vision, specifically mentioned that the acquisition of the supercomputing facility would be a source of inspiration for PhD scholars, abroad, to return to Pakistan. This will give an impetus for collaborative research between universities and other research organisations within the country and abroad. Dr Imran Akhtar, the key note speaker, gave a highly motivating and thought provoking speech on the occasion, encouraging young researchers to come forward and utilize the facility in solving national challenges in the areas of engineering, bio-informatics, political science, psychology and social sciences. n Karachi: Qatar Telecom (Qtel) Group recently announced their annual performance results for the year 2011, ending 31 December, showing significant growth with revenue up 16 percent and net profit up by 11.6 percent over the corresponding period last year. Serving over 83 million customers worldwide, the Qtel Group owns and operates global operations ranging from mobile telephone services, broadband solutions, digital futures and fibre technologies, serving both consumer and business markets across 17 different countries in the MENA and South Asian regions. Through its core business as Qatars leading GSM/3G service provider, along with its global subsidiary network, Qtel aims to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction in all its operations. Qtel Group also possesses significant business interests in Pakistan through, wi-tribe, the largest fixed wireless broadband operation for the Qtel Group. With just over 2 years of commercial presence in Pakistan, wi-tribe has become the fastest growing internet service with 120 percent subscriber growth in 2011, while holding the number one rating for customer satisfaction, through an independent research conducted by AC Nielson at the end of 2011. Truly expressing Qtels renewed vision to focus on customer experience, broadband and new growth, wi-tribe Pakistan has been at the forefront, delivering innovative internet services and a transformed sense of customer care in its cities of operation. wi-tribe Pakistan has grown to become an important part of the Qtel family, with the first multi-city fixed broadband rollout for the group in a considerably competitive emerging market. While maintaining a strict standard on service offerings, wi-tribe has always put the customer first, ensuring all products and services are built entirely on what the market demands. By continuously applying key learnings from brand health and customer satisfaction surveys, wi-tribe is the second largest internet company in Pakistan. With Qtels continued support and revitalized strategy on customer experience, wi-tribe Pakistan aims to keep achieving the highest ratings for customer orientated services, support and innovation by simply focusing on delivering what the customer wants. n
Nokia 808 PureView, a revolution in smartphone imaging

ture Nokia products. The Nokia 808 PureView features a large, high-resolution 41 megapixel sensor with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology. At standard resolutions (2/3, 5 and 8 megapixels) this means the ability to zoom without loss of clarity and capture seven pixels of information, condensing into one pixel for the sharpest images
Karachi: Nokia ushered in a new era in high-end smartphone imaging with the Nokia 808 PureView. This is the first smartphone to feature Nokia PureView imaging tech-
nologies, bringing together high resolution sensors, exclusive Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia developed algorithms, which will support new highend imaging experiences for fu-
imaginable. The Nokia 808 PureView, also includes full HD 1080p video recording and playback with 4X lossless zoom and the world's first use of Nokia Rich Recording. "Nokia PureView imaging technology sets a new industry standard by whatever measure you use," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. "People will inevitably focus on the 41 megapixel sensor, but the real quantum leap is how the pixels are used to deliver breathtaking image quality at any resolution and the freedom it provides to choose the story you want to tell." n
Mobile subscribers topped 114.61m mark
Number of mobile phone subscribers reached 114.61 million by the end of January 2011, taking mobile phone teledensity to 66.5 percent. According to latest figures released by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Mobilink led the market with 34.70 million subscribers followed by Telenor with 28.47 million customers. Ufones subscriber base grew to 22.02 million subscribers while Warid ended the month with 14.99 million customers. Zong grew its customer base to 14.42 million customers. Ufone added most customers in January 2012, followed by Zong and Mobilink.
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LG opens 2 Lifestyle Galleries in Karachi

Karachi: LG Electronics (LG), a global leader in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, recently opened two new showrooms at Zamzama and Shahra-e-Faisal in Karachi. These showrooms are LGs first Lifestyle Galleries designed to serve the needs of customers by offering them the opportunity to experience the complete range of LG products. Customers have the chance to enhance their lives by having access to the most innovative products in home entertainment, home appliances, IT and mobile communications all under one roof. Speaking at the inauguration of the showroom, Mr. D. Y. Kim, President of LG Electronics, Gulf FZE-Pakistan said, From innovative green health home appliances technology and the latest smart phones to unique Cinema 3D in the center of the metropolitan will be able to cater to people from all parts of the city while the Zamzama outlet will be within reach for all those residing in south Karachi. These new showrooms will not only make LG products readily available to the people of Karachi, they will also open up a vista of opportunities for a good life through quality product and customer satisfaction. These LG Lifestyle Galleries are designed in accordance with the quality of LG products. Thus, the showrooms are visually appealing and offer convenience with customer protection. It was also noted that the quality of products offered and the array of friendly customer service personnel on ground at the showroom would make customers shopping experience a delight thereby encouraging patronage. n
TV technology, we are launching these showrooms to ensure convenience and accessibility for our customers. Now they can find the answer to all their life style needs at one place. The products we are offering through the showroom combine elegance, technolog-
ical advancement and ease of use. He stated that consumers are the top most priority for LG and for this very reason the focus has always been on consumers and their needs while formulating business expansion plans. These
Lifestyle Galleries are a testimony of LGs commitment to it consumers. Both locations selected for these showrooms will help the consumers to easily reach the LG Lifestyle Galleries and buy their desired products. Shahra-e-Faisal being located
MWC 2012 puts Nokia on top

Karachi: Nokia appeared stronger than ever at this years Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 held in Barcelona, Spain. Looks like Nokias new strategy has set the company in right direction and will be doing a lot of good for the brand this year. With a new spectacular range of devices, services and gears to show off, Nokia proved that it has still got what it takes to mesmerize new strategy already has resulted in the adoption of Windows Phone as Nokias primary smartphone platform, major changes to its feature phones, and additional emphasis on location-based services with the launch of its Location & Commerce business. One year ago, we shared that Nokia was embarking on a new journey to build great mobile devices, said the largest mobile technology show of the year. The Nokia C3-00 won Best Feature Phone or Entry Level Phone at the GSMA Awards 2012 and the Nokia Lumia 610 won Toms Hardware Best in show and Best Budget Smartphone from Laptop. A jaw-dropping breakthrough in mobile technology, Nokia 808 PureView won the award for Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at MWC 2012. Commenting on Nokia picking up the award for Nokia 808 PureView, Arif Shafique, GM, Nokia Pakistan & Afghanistan said: Its a fantastic award because it signifies that consumer experience counts. Its about tech, but its about how tech is used to make a consumer have a fantastic experience. The imaging is fantastic; the audio is fantastic; the navigation technology is fantastic. These are first signals that we are executing against our strategy. That were back. That were bringing great products to our consumers and that this is just the beginning. Theres lot more to come. n
Mansehra: The purpose of celebrating women day is to recognize the invaluable contributions women make around the world, the mark the challenges we still have to meet to achieve gender equality. We must also celebrate the gains that have been made. Right to Play programme is continuously working for the empowerment of women as a vital element to attain sustainable development. Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization, lead the Womens Day celebrations in Mansehra, under the theme Connecting Girls, Inspiring futures working in partnership with 55 Govt schools, Right to Play is directly engaged with more than 25,000 children in Mansehra through its trained young coaches and leaders. Right to Play has organized to celebrate the Womens Day in SOS-Dhodial Lahore: Warid Telecom has declared the luck winner of Lover Meter campaign which introduced a number of offered for the Valentines Day including Warid Love. The lucky winner Manzar Khan from Upper Dir has received diamond ring from Warid official that he won in Warid Valentines Day, Love Meter campaign. n
RTP celebrates Womens Day in Mansehra
Mansehra the event was organised in coordination with Agahi and SOS, partner NGOs of Right to Play where
female students from schools, colleges, communities and universities participated in this event. More than 1200 female teachers, mothers, female youth have attended a colorful event which was focused to educate the young female generation about their rights. Speaking on this occasion, Project Coordinator Abdul Jalil Khan said that women should be given value for their strengths and skills and treated with dignity and respect. n
Warid awards diamond ring to Love Meter winner
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the audience and make the world fall in love with the brand all over again. Nokia introduced a range of new products, services and partnerships at MWC 2012, setting the pace for 2012 and demonstrating rapid execution of its new strategic direction. The
Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia. Today, with our fourth Lumia device, smarter mobile phones and an array of new services, we are demonstrating that we can change the clock speed of Nokia. And thats not all; Nokia also bagged 4 prestigious awards at
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Apple unveils new iPad, Apple TV box

Apple unveiled a third-generation iPad enhanced with features aimed at keeping it safely on the throne of the booming tablet computer market. The new iPad boasts a powerful quad-core processor, eye-grabbing resolution on par with that of an iPhone 4S, and the ability to connect to the latest 4G LTE telecom networks that move data faster than their predecessors. "We think that iPad is the poster child of the post-PC world," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said, noting that iPad sales topped those of any personal computer maker during the final three months of last year. "We have redefined once again the category Apple created just two years
Thuraya launches dual-mode satellite & GSM phone

Thuraya has launched today the most advanced dual mode handheld phone that features both GSM and satellite capabilities. The introduction of this unique phone, branded XTDUAL, makes Thuraya the only satellite operator to offer seamless communications as the phone provides consumers the flexibility and freedom to switch between GSM and satellite modes wherever they may be located. With a growing subscriber base of voice consumers, one of the worlds most powerful networks and a robust reputation for high-performance and compact handhelds, Thuraya continues to present an unprecedented consumer experience through the new, state-of-the-art XT-DUAL phone. As the XT-DUAL operates efficiently as a standard GSM phone within the reach of terrestrial networks, and when out of terrestrial network reach operates as a satellite phone supported by Thurayas powerful network, consumers from all sectors and groups can enjoy the reliability and convenience of handheld voice communications from a device that has high call stability and full walkand-talk capabilities. n
ago with the original iPad," Cook said at a press event in San Francisco, the first major product release by Apple since the death of founder Steve Jobs. The new iPad is available this
month for sale in Canada, France, Germany and the United States at the same price as the previous models, which start at $499 for the most basic iPad featuring wireless connectivity only. n
Carlos Slim to invest $4.7 bn in Mexico

The Carso Group of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, who is considered to be the world's richest man, said it plans to invest nearly $4.7 billion in Mexico this year. "During 2012, our investments in Mexico will be $4.66 billion, generating more than 100,000 jobs," according to the conglomerate. The projects include telecoms, construction, entertainment and health companies. Telecoms made up half of the total investments, including the construction of 18,600 miles (29,930 kilometers) of fiber optic cables, adding to an existing 76,000 miles (122,310 kilometers). Among the building projects is the continued construction of a water treatment plant in Atotonilco, in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. The plant is set to treat 60 percent of residual water from the Valley of Mexico, which includes the capital. Investments also include road building and shopping centers. n
Intimate social network Path has kept its stride after a privacy stumble and began running with Nike. Path announced that users could keep family and close friends posted on runs in real-time with data fed to smartphones from Nike+ GPS sensors in some brands of the athletic footwear star's shoes.
Social network Path runs with Nike

"Running is just the start," San Francisco-based Path said in a release. "Nike is pioneering an entirely new way to integrate activity and sport in your everyday life." Nike+ data from each run is turned into a Path "story" complete with the route shown on a map and photos of those who virtu-
ally "cheered you along" with feedback at the social network. Path has grown to more than two million members since it was launched in November 2010 by Morin, Dustin Mierau, and Napster creator Shawn Fanning. About 1.2 million of those members use Path monthly. n
Nokia to shut Indian mobile money service

Nokia will close down Nokia Money, a financial service it runs in India, as it continues to narrow its focus on its mobile phone business and locationbased services. After regional launches, Nokia opened the India-wide service only late last year and was planning to expand it into several other emerging markets. Nokia had a tie-up tions with us for a structured exit from the business and the services will continue to operate while planning continues," a YES spokesman told. Financial services are seen as one of the major business opportunities in the wireless industry but so far have become a big business only in Kenya and the Philippines, as tight regulations and the lack of a business model have restricted take-up elsewhere. Telecom operators, banks, credit card companies and technology firms like Nokia have been fighting to get a piece of the potentially lucrative business. n
Water-powered clocks, eye-controlled arcade games and pole-dancing robots: this year's CeBIT tech fair, the world's biggest, showcased gadgets ranging from the useful to the downright nerdy. Can't be without your tablet computer or smartphone even when nature calls? Dutch company "phoneclip" has pioneered a small but strong device that can attach your beloved iPad to any vertical surface -- including the toilet wall. The CeBIT is always a magnet for the latest in robotic technology and this year was no exception,
Weird and wonderful gadgets wow world's top IT fair
with intelligent humanoids showing off their ability to vacuum clean your bedroom, empty your dishwasher or sketch your portrait. But stopping the show was a pair of sleek-white, life-sized pole-dancing robots gyrating in time to the music "played" by ultracool megaphone-headed DJ robot. The futuristic cobaltblue two-seat pod, as yet only a prototype designed by the German Centre for Artificial Intelligence, will also pick you up at the touch of a button, avoiding other traffic by means of motion sensors. n
AT&T 4G LTE to hit new Texas market

AT&T has announced that customers in the Bryan-College Station will be the next service area in Texas to get lit up with its 4G LTE network. A date has not yet been released, but a spokesperson with AT&T said the roll out will be complete no later than early summer. AT&T has the nations largest 4G network. It covers nearly 250 million people, including the San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas.n
"The mobile financial services business is not core to Nokia so we plan to exit the business," said a spokesman for the company.
with private sector lender YES Bank and state-run Union Bank of India for the mobile financial services business. "They are exploring op-
TED launches learning initiative at YouTube

The non-profit group behind thoughtprovoking TED conferences launched an education channel on YouTube in a bid to make learning irresistible. The alliance with the world's top online video venue marked the start of a TED-Ed initiative to combine exceptional teaching with eye-catching animations to make captivating lessons available to anyone on the Internet. "We want to show that learning can be thrilling," said TED 'curator' Chris Anderson. "By turning great lessons into vivid scholastic tools, these TED-Ed videos are designed to catalyze curiosity," he continued. The TED-Ed channel launched with about a dozen videos and the promise
Yahoo files patent suit against Facebook

social network is infringing on technologies that are the foundation of our business. It had been previously reported that Yahoo had demanded that Facebook pay licensing fees for at least 10 patents, and had threatened the IPO-bound social network with legal action if they could not come to a settlement. According to the court filing, the patents deal with technologies for advertising, privacy, social networking, messaging and allowing users to customize their Web experience. In a statement, Yahoo said that it has invested substantial resources in research and development through the years, which has resulted in numerous patented inventions of technology that other companies have licensed. These technologies are the foundation of our business that engages over 700 million monthly unique visitors and represent the spirit of innovation upon which Yahoo! is built. n
Yahoo has reportedly that more will be added weekly. Educators from anywhere in the world can up- filed a patent suit against load lesson proposals at Facebook, saying that the education.ted.com. "The topics we can cover are endless, and the more teachers and animators who contribute their lessons and talents, the more impactful this resource becomes," said TED-Ed 'catalyst' Logan Smalley. "TED-Ed has the potential to take a lesson that might normally reach just 20 students and extend it to the world," she continued. The channel's offerings joined more than a half-million education-oriented videos on dedicated pages of Googleowned YouTube at youtube.com/edu. n
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NEWS
Gulf Air renews IT Partnership with Microsoft

Manama: The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain Gulf Air announced the renewal of its strategic IT partnership with IT giant Microsoft with the signing of Enterprise Agreement. Under the agreement, signed between Mr. Samer Majali, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air and Mr. Tareq Hijazi, Country Manager for Microsoft in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Sultanate of Oman, Gulf Air will gain access to a wide range of Microsofts cutting edge solutions and innovations. Microsoft will supply a range of software solutions and services to upgrade and standardize Gulf Airs IT infrastructure and help improve its operational efficiencies while benefitting from attractive pricing and flexible, cost-effective licensing. Gulf Air will also gain access to extensive technical and operational support from a team of Microsoft experts. Gulf Air CEO Mr. Samer Majali said, Sound IT infrastructure forms the backbone of our business that plays an important role in improving operational efficiencies, which are crucial to running a successful airline. Microsoft has long been a trusted partner and provider of IT solutions to Gulf Air and our decision to enter into this Enterprise Agreement reinforces our longstanding relationship, Mr. Majali concluded. n
Chinese telecom maker ZTE Corp. overtook Panasonic in last years hierarchy of international patent applications filed, with 2,826 versus the 2,463 of the Japanese firm. ZTE filed 958 more applications last year, compared with previous year. Panasonics filings went up by only 310. The next two spots were occupied by other companies from the two countries. Chinas Huawei Technologies was placed third with 1,831 filings, while Japans Sharp Corp. was fourth, with 1,755. Another company from Japan, Toshiba, was seventh, with 1,417 applications. The largest number of applications continues to come from the U.S., with 48,596 applications, up 8 percent from the previous year. Japan is number two, with 38,888 applications and a much higher growth rate, at 21 percent. n
Social networks Nokia launches ZTE becomes Unitech vs Telenor, fight gets murkier 5 new handsets worlds most Unitech has accused Norway-based The company also said it would bid for getting a bit Telenor of taking advantage of the 2G 2G spectrum through the new compa- less social Barcelona: Nokia inventive tech scam to armtwist it to buy its shares in ny. Users of online social launched five new handfirm Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd Telenor has no legal standing to an- network sites such as sets at its press confer(UWTNL), the joint venture company that runs mobile services under the Uninor brand. Telenor only wants to benefit from the circumstances and is armtwisting the minority partner, a Unitech official told. It is acting with the ulterior motive of buying out the company at cheap valuation and bidding for licences with a new partner, completely ignoring Indian laws and regulations. Telenor had announced that it was forming a new company in India and planned to port the customers and employees of Unitech Wirelesss to the new entity. nul the JV arbitrarily and create a new company to bid for auctions, the official said, adding Telenor could not transfer or sell Uninor's assets without the consent of Unitech. The shareholders agreement cannot be terminated by either party unilaterally, he added. On the other hand, Telenor claimed it had been cheated; Unitech obtained 22 UAS licences in 2008 and secured Telenor Group's investment. It was guaranteed that Unitech had not conducted itself in a manner which could prejudice the licences, said Glenn Mandelid, director of communications, Telenor Group (Asia region). n Facebook are editing their pages and tightening their privacy settings to protect their reputations in the age of digital sharing, according to a new survey. About two-thirds, or 63 percent, of social networking site SNS.L users questioned in the Pew Research Center poll said they had deleted people from their "friends" lists, up from 56 percent in 2009. Another 44 percent said they had deleted comments that others have made on their profiles, up from 36 percent two years before. "Over time, as social networking sites have become a mainstream communications channel in everyday life, profile owners have become more active managers of their profiles and the content that is posted by others in their networks," the report said. 58 percent of those surveyed said their main profile was set to be private so that only friends can see it. Another 19 percent said they had set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can see it. Only 20 percent have made their profile completely public. n
iPad 3 to be called iPad HD: analysts

The iPad 3 may be a misnomer, if pundits are right. Sources said, The iPad 3 will be called the iPad HD instead. The new tablet is said to have a higher resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels with four times as many pixels as the current iPads, which will let it play HD content. United Kingdom newspapers and accessory companies such as Griffin also listed the new tablet as the iPad HD. Griffin makes cases for Apple's iPads. Apple had intended to move from simple "generations" of tablets to a naming system similar to the iPhone's, with the iPhone 4S. n
Facebook has denied it is reading its users' text messages after a report emerged claiming the social network did this as it tested a new service. A report claimed Facebook admitted to reading text messages as it tested its own Facebook-branded messaging service. The report alleged that the users location data, contacts list and browser history are often accessed and at times transmitted to third-party companies, including advertisers. It also claimed other apps, such as Flickr and Yahoo! Messenger, accessed this data. However, Facebook told it wasnt reading text messages. The spokesperson said that on the Android app store, its Facebook app permissions include SMS read/write but this did not mean it reads text messages from users phones. The spokesperson said Facebook's
Facebook denies its reading user text messages
ence at the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. The line-up includes Asha 303, Asha 202, Asha 203, Nokia Lumia 610, and its biggest launch yet, the Nokia 808 PureView. Nokia Lumia 610 is a highly affordable windows phone which runs Windows Mango 7.5 and runs on a lower processor and memory than conventional Windows Phones, made possible by a Microsoft software release. Noki's three Asha phones aim to capitalise on its s40 range of phones by bringing featurepacked phones at an attractive price. The Asha 303 supports Mail for Exchange, features a full QWERTY keybaord and allows users to access chat services such as WhatsApp. It runs a 1Ghz processor and is 3G enabled. n
products required the SMS part of the phone to talk to its Facebook app and that the read and write part of the permissions refers to the line of communication needed to integrate the two things. Lots of communications apps use these permissions. Think of all those apps that act as replacements to the build-in SMS software, said the spokesperson. n
Microsoft launches 'reimagined' Windows

IT giant Microsoft delivered its answer to Google and Apple, through a new-generation Windows operating system designed to run seamlessly on computers and portable tablet devices. "Windows 8 is a generational change in the Windows operating system," said Windows president Steven Sinofsky. "It's Windows reimagined," he added, launching the consumer preview of the operating system at the world's biggest mobile fair in Barcelona. The operating system is Microsoft's riposte to Google's Android platform and Apple, which has dominated the tablet market it ignited with the release of the iPad. Like its two competitors, Microsoft is adopting the "app" style in its reinvented operating system. Unlike previous generations of Windows, which has a taskbar pulling up a list of software, the latest version has a selection of applications or "apps" tiled on the start page. For devices with touchscreens, apps are selected or moved around in the same way as on a smartphone -- by hand, swiping to switch between pages or screens, pinching to enlarge or shrink and tapping to select.n
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A Canadian lawmaker is urging the country's telecom operators to launch a stolen cell phone register to prevent thieves being able to reregister the devices and use them on different networks. At the moment Canadian telecom operators do not share information when cell phones are reported stolen but lawmaker Maria Mourani is urging a shake-up that would require them to do so, though companies say a register is too complex. The thefts are bringing money to telecom operators' coffers, Mourani told, who said police have explained to her that mobile operators have access to technology that would stop stolen equipment being re-used. n
Canadian MP seeks stolen cell phone register
NEWS
Asian telecommunications giants fired the first salvo in the battle for the smartphone market, premiering ultra fast and light phones hours before world's biggest mobile phone show opened. As the Mobile World Congress gathering tens of thousands of industry executives gets set to open its doors in Barcelona, China's Huawei, South Korea's LG and Taiwan's HTC rolled out the world's first quad core phones -with twice as fast processing power as the cur-
Asian mobile giants launch race for smartphone market

rent generation of smartphones. Finnish giant Nokia, the former undisputed mobile phone maker, has meanwhile booked the early morning slot to showcase its new phones, which it is looking to help it reverse last year's dismal result of over a billion Euros in losses. The group has been struggling to secure a foothold in the fiercely competitive smartphone market, with its flagship line Lumia failing to correct falling sales in the smartphone business. In the fourth quarter, Nokia sold just 19.6 million smartphones, far behind market leader Apple, which reported 37 million units sold, and runner-up Samsung, which announced 36.5 million smartphone sales in the three months ending December. But Nokia will find other keen competitors. China's Huawei touted
its new Ascend D as the "world's fastest smartphone," in its major push to shed its image of a lowend manufacturer and rebrand itself in the premium market. Huawei Device's chief marketing officer Shao Yang told AFP while the regular mobile phone's market had been fully exploited, there was a large market opportunity for the smartphone. "With the transformation of the smartphone market, we see an opportunity," he said. n
Saudi Telecom company is keen to take on a partner willing to offer services over its wireless network, an executive at the former state telecoms monopoly said. The local regulator, The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), has already indicated that it is willing to issue three licences in 2012 to mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), which lease excess network capacity from telecoms operators in order to provide their own brand-
Saudi Telecom eyes partnership for domestic market
ed, customised mobile services. When asked whether Saudi Telecom would like to have an MVNO partner, Saad al-Qahtani, group chief executive for strategic operations, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Doha: "We would love to have (one)." MVNO partnerships are common in Europe and the United States. In the Gulf, only Oman has issued MVNO licences, with other governments seemingly keen to protect existing operators. n
Research In Motion released a long-overdue new operating system for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer in the hope of gaining ground in a market led by Apple and Android gadgets. PlayBook OS 2.0 software, available as a free download, comes just shy of a year later than it was originally slated for release
BlackBerry PlayBook gets new engine in tablet race

by the Canada-based company. "The new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support," said RIM senior vice president David Smith. Freshly-installed RIM chief executive Thorsten Heins said last month that
he planned to focus more on the consumer market but that a "drastic change" is not necessary at the struggling BlackBerry maker. RIM in October set out to rev up its BlackBerry and PlayBook lines with a tactic from Apple's winning playbook -- sexy, entertaining software applications. n after the release of the iPhone, and within a year 50,000 apps were available and the store had seen more than one billion downloads. Apple announced 10 billion app downloads in January last year, meaning
Comcast streaming video in Netflix challenge

US entertainment and cable giant Comcast announced plans to launch a streaming video service for movies and television shows in a challenge to market pioneer Netflix. Netflix, meanwhile, said it had signed a multi-year licensing agreement with the Weinstein Company that will give it exclusive rights to the Oscar-nominated "The Artist" and other foreign movies. Comcast said its new subscription video service, Xfinity Streampix, will launch and will be available to subscribers only. "This new service complements the 75,000 TV shows and movies currently available on Xfinity On Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the Xfinity TV app," Comcast said.
Electronic age forces wholesale rethink

Bill Ford, a member of one of the car industrys founding dynasties, delivered a dire warning of global gridlock for vehicle traffic. In a speech in Barcelona, Ford Motors chairman said that with the number of vehicles on the worlds roads set to quadruple to about 4billion by 2050, carmakers needed to work with other industries and governments or risk seeing cars lose their basic function of getting people from A to B. Now is the time for all of us to be looking at vehicles on the road the same way we look at smart phones, laptops, and tablets: as pieces of a much bigger, richer network, Mr Ford said at the Mobile World Congress, an electronics industry gathering. In Germany, an Audi senior executive was sounding a similar warning of automotive dystopia along with the same call for collective action, empowered by new communications and computing technology. n
Hanover: Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt cast a science-fiction vision of the future at the world's top tech fair, with the German IT sector predicting record sales in 2012. "Think back to 'Star Trek', or my favourite the 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. Much of what those writers imagined is now possible," said Schmidt. "Translating voice recognition, electronic books, the people who predict that intelligent robots, virtual reality or self-driving cars will soon be commonplace are right," he added. "Governments will be able to spot the economic makings of a crisis before they happen and doctors will be able to accurately predict the outbreak of disease before anyone feels it," predicted Schmidt. The tech boss was speaking at the opening ceremony of the CeBIT, the world's biggest high-tech fair in the northern German city of Hanover, with 4,200 exhibitors from 70 countries expected to wow punters with their latest gadgets. n
Google boss lays out future vision at world's top tech fair
Apple users have downloaded 25 billion apps from the iTunes App Store, the company announced. To celebrate the landmark Apple gave a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the user who downloaded the app, Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. The app he downloaded was Where's My Water? Free. Apple began the countdown to its 25-billionth app download last week and the milestone was reached over the weekend. Mr Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services, said: "When we
25 bn apps downloaded on Apple App store
launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or
that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users." The iTunes App Store opened in July 2008, a year
that a further 15 billion have been downloaded in a little over a year. There are now more than half a million apps available in the app store. n
Mobile industry eyes savings by recycling

More than a billion mobile phones are made every year but less than one percent is recycled, experts say, noting that billions of dollars could be saved if consumers go green. "Sometimes the size of a phone is deceiving for the perception of the impact it does to the environment," said Sprint Nextel vice president of product, Fared Adib. The value of the materials in each device is also often underestimated. A typical mobile phone weighing less than 150 grams contains valuable material such as gold, silver and rare minerals - highly sought after elements critical in high technology manufacturing. "Given today's low collection and recycling rates, nearly all of this material is lost," said the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a research institute. In Europe alone, 160 million discarded phones result in a loss of about $500 million every year, it said in a report. If the most reusable components such as the camera, display and battery and charger were stripped out, and used in the production of new devices, the costs of remanufacturing low-cost mobile phones could be slashed by 50 percent. With a 95 percent collection rate for reuse and remanufacturing, the industry could save over $2 billion on material and $160 million on energy costs every year in Europe alone. While some phones are indeed at the end of their lifecycle and need to be scrapped completely and recycled, many others can be re-used. n
"In the coming year, our plan is to significantly increase the number of TV shows and movies available through Streampix, as well as, to bring the service to additional devices like the Xbox 360 and Androidpowered devices," said Comcast Video Services general manager Marcien Jenckes. n
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Mobile fair takes aim at high roaming charges

The world's biggest mobile fair urged operators to convert "silent roamers" or travellers who stop using their phones once abroad for fear of a massive bill. If unlocked, the market could be worth a massive 1.5 billion Euros ($2.0 billion) in Europe alone. "I know that 40 percent of mobile customers are nervous about using data services abroad, said European Commissioner of New Technologies Neelie Kroes at the Mobile World Congress. "Because, with EU roaming prices still so high, they know they could be in for a nasty surprise when they open their bill," she added. Telecommunications operators apply a so-called roaming surcharge when a mobile telephone is used abroad. The bill could therefore be enormously high if a user keeps a smartphone constantly connected to the internet while overseas. According to Syniverse, out of 75 million people who travel to another country in a month, close to 70 percent never use the data service and half make no calls at all. Analyst firm Greenwich Consulting estimates that data roaming alone is an untapped 1.5 billion euro business in Europe alone. "A smartphone is a great travelling companion and data services should be kept on rather than turned off, as they are today," said Magnus Rehle, director of the consultancy. n
UK operators to provide Eurotunnel mobile service after Olympics

UK operators are to provide mobile reception for the Eurotunnel after the Olympic Games, after French operators signed a landmark deal this morning to provide an underground service between France and England. Bouygues Telecom, Orange SFR and Free will provide a 2G and 3G service for the south running tunnel between France and the UK in time for the Olympic Games. Eurotunnel described the deal as a 'world's first', which will see a service provided 100m below the Channel to almost 20m customers per year. French mobile customers will be charged the domestic rate while in the tunnel and will only switch to international roaming when they come above ground in England.
Beatles hits become mobile phone ringtones

Hits from The Beatles have finally joined the chorus of ringtones available for mobile phones. Catchy 30second snippets from more than two dozen of the famed 1960s British rock band's top tunes are available exit is hoped as many sign up clusive at Apple's online as possible in order to provide as wide-ranging a service as possible. Alcatel-Lucent is providing mobile infrastructure for both tunnels. n
Eurotunnel is hopeful the French deal will speed up the process of British operators providing a similar service on the north tunnel between England and France. While operators can compete for the service,
Facebook users in the United Kingdom were unable to access the social networking site for two hours, as it suffered a major blackout across Europe. We experienced technical difficulties causing the site to be unavailable for a number of users in Europe. The issue has been resolved and everyone should now have access to Facebook. We apologize for any inconvenience," said a Facebook spokesperson. The firm blamed the blackout affecting users in France, Germany, Russia and South Africa, on "technical problems", but did not divulge details. Third
Facebook suffers two-hour Samsung files patent lawsuit against Apple blackout
parties however, suspect that a temporary problem with Facebook's European DNS servers might have led to the blackout. Servers are responsible for connecting the address "Facebook.com" with the actual content of the website, but attempts to contact them as normal had received no response during the blackout. A Belgian government agency for responding to hacking, CERT.be claimed on Twitter that the Distributed Denial of Service attack had led to the blackout but it could not immediately is confirmed. n Samsung Electronics filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging infringement of three patents used in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. The lawsuit was filed in Seoul Central District Court. Samsung previously filed a separate patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in South Korea last April. "Samsung will continue to assert its intellectual property rights and defend its investment in innovation in order to ensure our continued growth in the mobile industry," Samsung spokesman Adam Yates said in an email. The company, which is based in South Korea, did not provide specifics on the case or patents involved. Samsung and Apple have been filing patent infringement lawsuits against each other in multiple countries. Apple in February filed a patent lawsuit against Samsung in the U.S., asking a federal judge to halt sales of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Apple recently lost a ruling in a German court, which paved the way for Samsung to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet there. n
MTN struggles to get profits out of Iran

South Africa-based mobile operator MTN Group said it is struggling to get its money out of Iran due to tougher Western sanctions. MTN, which owns 49 percent of the mobile operator MTN Irancell, is no longer able to use Dubai-based banks to move money out of Tehran and is looking for ways to swap cash with companies that need to move payments in, CEO Sifiso Dabengwa told reporters following its annual results presentation. Dabengwa said MTN would not consider an exit from the business unless South Africa itself imposed sanctions on Iran, something Pretoria is seen as unlikely to do, Reuters reports. "We will just have to manage what other governments, in terms of their sanctions and their laws, require us to do," he said, adding MTN would make sure it did not violate US sanctions by allowing any US equipment to be used in Iran. Dabengwa said it's a risk to invest but they have not yet reached the stage where they are significantly concerned about the threat of military action against Iran. However, he noted that continuously reviewed and updated contingency and emergency evacuation plans were in place to ensure the safety of its employees in Iran. n
iTunes shop, a message at official website thebeatles.com. "Fans around the world can, for the first time, purchase ringtones for the Beatles' 27 UK and US #1 hits, exclusively on iTunes," the message announced. "You can even assign your favourite tracks to your favourite people," it continued. The ringtones were priced at $1.29 each and could be downloaded for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. The list of Beatles songs included "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Let It Be." The Beatles arrived on iTunes in November of 2010 after what late Apple's Steve Jobs described at the time as "a long and winding road." A decade had been spent getting the music of "Fab Four" -- Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- released in digital form for Apple's wildly popular mobile devices. n Its management team will remain in control and Amobee and will "serve operators, publishers, advertisers and agencies with leading edge mobile advertising technology and services," SingTel said in a statement. Despite Amobee having unaudited net assets worth only $600,000 as of November, Lew told a news conference SingTel was not overpaying for the firm with the all-cash acquisition. "The way we value this company is not based on the net tangible assets. We value this company based on what we think is eventually going to be worth." n
India adds 10 mn subscribers in January

The number of telephone subscribers in India increased to 926.53 million at the end of January, from 936.12 million at the end of December 2011, registering a growth rate of 1.04 percent, according to the Telecom Regularity Authority of India (Trai)'s latest report. With this, the overall teledensity in India reached 77.57, up from 76.86 in the previous month. Subscriptions in urban areas grew from 611.19 million at the end of December to 615.83 million in January and subscriptions in rural areas increased from 315.33 million to 320.29 million. The overall urban teledensity has marginally increased from 167.85 to 168.84 and rural teledensity increased from 37.48 to 38.04 in January. The total mobile subscriber base increased from 893.84 million to 903.73 million, registering growth of 1.11 percent. Private operators held 88.56 percent of the mobile market share while state-owned operators BSNL and MTNL held a 11.44 percent share of the mobile market. The fixedline subscriber base declined from 32.69 million at the end of December to 32.39 million month later. BSNL and MTNL had a 80.91 percent share of the fixed market. Meanwhile, the broadband subscriber base increased from 13.30 million to 13.42 million, showing monthly growth of 0.90 percent. n
SingTel to buy US firm to boost mobile ad business

SINGAPORE: Singapore Telecom said that it will buy a US mobile advertising start-up for $321 million to expand group revenues from phone ads and marketing across Asia. SingTel, Southeast Asia's biggest telecom firm by revenue, said its 100 percent buyout of Amobee would boost mobile ad sales in India, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, where it has large affiliates. "A vast majority of our 400 million (clients) are in emerging markets," said Allen Lew, chief executive of the SingTel Group's newly formed "digital life" unit announced Monday as part of a top-level reorganisation. Citing data from technology research firm Gartner, Lew said the global mobile ad market is likely to exceed $20 billion by 2015 from about $7.0 billion this year, with 35 percent of it generated in Asia-Pacific. Amobee, founded in 2005 and based in Redwood City, California, has offices in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
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Huawei launches new products targeting more marketshare

Huawei has launched multiple enterprise products at CeBIT 2012. The new products will assist the Chinese gear maker to increase revenue from enterprise business. Huawei Enterprise global sales contracts totaled $3.8 billion in 2011, up from $2 billion in 2010. The new products include S9700 series high-end switches (3 models), S5700-LI series midrange switches (8 models), products (7 models of ACs and servers (6 models) that are supAR200/150 series enterprise ac- APs), Open Service Platform ported by Intel Xeon E5 procescess routers (7 models), WLAN (OSP) forum and TecalTM V2 sors. "When it comes to designing hardware solutions, we approach innovation from the viewpoint of our customers, examining what their specific needs are in terms of features and operability. Our new WLAN products, switches, routers and servers embody this focus on the customer and we are confident that our enhanced product portfolio will set new industry standards," said David He, president of Marketing, Huawei Enterprise. A press release from Huawei said that the S9700/S5700-LI series switches supplement Huawei's campus network products. The S9700 provides a 320 Gbps per slot switching capacity and the highest 10GE/40GE port density to cope with the high-definition video services and fast-developing 10G cloud campus. The S5700-LI follows an energy-conservation design principle, adopting an innovative port sleeping, hibernate and awakening technology to reduce the total power consumption by over 40 percent. n
Banks toss $8bn into Facebook's lap ahead of IPO

Facebook has admitted that some of its 845 million accounts might be fake or duplicated user identities, but that doesn't seem to be worrying the banks since they have doubled the social network's loans to $8bn to take care of its market debut. Facebook said in additional filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it now has secured a $5bn credit facility for "working capital and other general corporate purposes" up from a previous promise of $2.5bn. And just in case that doesn't quite cover things, it also secured a bridge loan, which will give it access to an additional $3bn specifically to fund its tax obligations. After some pundit chatter about whether Facebook really had the number of active users it was claiming it had, the firm admitted that it couldn't really know for sure that all of its 845 million users worldwide were individual accounts. "There may be individuals who have multiple Facebook accounts in violation of our terms of service, despite our efforts to detect and suppress such behaviour," the filing conceded. "We estimate that false or duplicate accounts may have represented approximately 5 to 6 per cent of our monthly active users as of December 2011." n
has bought the business, although no financial terms were disclosed. Under the terms of the transaction, CN Tetragen will acquire the complete Expedience portfolio, assets, and the active customer and supplier contracts. The Spanish holding group has set up a company called Nexpedience Networks to operate the Expedience assets. With this acquisition, we are in a good position to ensure continuity for the
NSN sells fixed-wireless broadband business Nokia Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has manufacturing of the Expedience tech- appoints sold its fixed-wireless broadband business nology while developing a solid roadmap as it continues with its restructuring pro- for its future. We are extremely commit- Reddy as new gramme. The vendor announced that ted to achieving this, said Kiriako Ver- GM for Gulf privately held Spanish firm, CN Tetragen, gos, chairman and CEO of CN Tetragen.
Stephan Scholz, head of divestment projects for network systems at NSN added that customers will benefit from the greater focus, scale and concentration on Expedience that CN Tetragen can offer. The divestment is part of Nokia Siemens Networks new strategy where well focus on mobile broadband and services, he said. n
Apple's new 4G iPad packs a punch

Apple Inc's latest iPad sports a crisper display and an array of technology advances that, while less than revolutionary, may prove enough for now to keep rivals like Amazon.com Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd at bay. While stopping short of vaulting ahead of Motorola and Samsung, the device - which comes 4G-ready and boasts a quad-core graphics processor - is capable enough to help safeguard its twothirds market share. Chief Executive Tim Cook, presiding over his second major product launch after debuting with 2011's voice-enabled iPhone 4S, introduced the highly anticipated third iteration of the tablet, which is available for pre-orders and will hit store shelves March 16. But he stumped many in the audience by breaking away from the tradition of calling the third-generation tablet the iPad 3, as some had expected, referring to it simply as the "new iPad." The company said it will continue to sell the iPad 2 but dropped its price by
Nokia announced the appointment of Vithesh Reddy as its new General Manager for the Lower Gulf region. Reddy, who brings to the role more than seven years experience of the Nokia brand, will be responsible for the development of Nokia's business operations in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Prior to his $100. The older tablet now starts at appointment as General Manager, Reddy was Head $399 while the new third-generation wiof Sales for Nokia Lower fi only iPad starts at $499. Gulf. He has also held various sales management roles in Nigeria and South Africa. n
India allocates 700MHz spectrum to 4G

The Indian government will allocate spectrum in the 700 megahertz band to 4G services, according to local reports. The spectrum will be released by the ministry of information and broadcasting so that it can be auctioned. The government hopes that the auction will provide more funds than the 3G spectrum auction in department of telecom officials. Indias has agreed to vacate the 700 megahertz band claimed by it. The highly-efficient 700 megahertz spectrum may generate more revenues for the government than those generated by the 3G spectrum auction in 2011. The ministry is also trying to clear spectrum in the 1700-2000 megahertz range, now used by the defence ministry. Kapil Sibal, Indias telecoms minister said that most of the ministrys issues with the band had been resolved. The defence ministry is planning to surrender 150 megahertz and retain another 150 megahertz, but the telecom ministry is still trying to persuade it to give up 230 megahertz in some districts and retain 70 megahertz, and would like it to give up 300 megahertz in urban areas. Sibal said he was optimistic that the issue will be resolved completely in the near future. n
Android market becomes Google Play

Google opened a new online shop stocked with digital music, films, books and "apps" for Android mobile gadgets, ramping up its challenge to rivals such as Apple and Amazon.com. The California Internet titan combined Android Market, Google Music and Google eBookstore in a Google Play "digital entertainment destination" where people can get content and store it free in the Internet "cloud." "You can find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the Web and on your Android phone or tablet," Google director of digital content Jamie Rosenberg said in a blog post. "Google Play is entirely cloud-based so all your music, movies, books and apps are stored online, always available to you, and you never have to worry about losing them or moving them again." n
The high-end model of Apple's latest iPad starts at $629 and will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G "LTE," or Long-Term Evolution, network. At speeds roughly 10 times faster than current 3G technology, that may help banish the sometimes shaky video quality of older devices. n
Visa to back mobile money network

The Mobile Money Network, a system set up to make electronic purchasing easier for consumers, has won the backing of global payments business and financial services provider Visa. By making it easier for customers to order goods for UK couriers to send out to various destinations, as well as allowing them to engage with a number of new m-commerce initiatives, the network hopes to offer a boost to UK businesses. It already works with a number of leading British retailers, including Thorntons and Carphone Warehouse, and will be buoyed by the news that Visa has opted to take a 15 per cent stake in the business. The two corporations are expected to work together to encourage the take-up of m-commerce initiatives across the UK, with the Simply Tap process whereby customers can use their mobile phones to buy items online more easily seen as a potentially crucial development in driving ecommerce sales. Moving forward the initiative is expected to allow consumers to buy items with their phone in a variety of scenarios, including when seeing them in print, online or in the store.
2011. The investment for rolling out services in the 700 megahertz band spectrum is likely to be half the investment required for the wireless broadband spectrum auctioned in 2010, said the report, citing
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Nikon announces my Picturetown

Nikon's latest image sharing and storage service is known as my Picturetown, where it delivers a host of new functions to boot. This is the most recent version that delivers a greater amount of collaboration with Facebook, enabling users to post links to shared albums directly to Facebook. Not only that, you are able to utilize your list of Facebook friends in order to send links to shared albums, apart from posting to or playing Motion Snapshot files from Facebook itself. Just what is Motion Snapshot? Well, this feature will propose a new form of imaging expression, where it is based on Nikon's latest advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses, which would be the Nikon 1 J1 and V1. Apart from that, you can expect new functions thrown into the mix for those who are part of the Gold Account fraternity (members who fork out a fee for additional storage space), and one of those new functions would be the ability to password protect shared albums.
Shutter Huggers are the bee's knees

You know, coaxing a smile out of a person is a skill that all photographers should have, especially more so if you happen to be a professional photographer. After all, there are times when your subjects are having a tiff (a husband and wife's portrait shots could be held on the day when they were actually going through some difficult moments together), so you might want to reserve some of the wittier comments that you picked up along the years of your trade to introduce a smile into the frame. As for kids, they too, can be very temperamental, although a frowning kid might eventually end up as an Internet meme, but other than that, capturing their emotions is definitely an art. For folks who have already run out of the supply of silly songs, crazy faces, and fantastic prizes so that kids will glance your way as you shoot an image, here is a product which might just save the day (and your reputation) the Shutter Huggers!
The Only Omelet And Waffle Maker

There is nothing quite like a hearty breakfast to start the day off with, and for folks who love eggs (especially in the form of omelets) and waffles, you can kill two birds with one proverbial stone in the form of the $139.95 The Only Omelet And Waffle Maker. The amount of tools required to whip up your favorite breakfast is reduced, and with more free space in the kitchen, it would definitely look far less cluttered. This electric waffle iron will be able to cook a Belgian waffle and an omelet simultaneously, so that hungry stomachs need not wait too long to gobble down either. Boasting two separate forms, where one is for the eggs and the other is for waffle batter, they will heat to different temperatures and rotate 180, resulting in crisp, evenly browned waffles and tender, airy omelets. Your Belgian waffles are more or less cooked the standard way, to 6.5 in diameter and being an inch thick, sporting 1 deep pockets that hold syrup, whipped cream, or fruit compote.
Hidden secret codes of china mobile

The following Mobile Phones that I searched out for you codes works with various China mobile Phones you can say with Alkatel, Sigmatel, Carboonn, GFive, and more such types of China Mobile phones. Default user code : 1122, 3344, 1234, 5678 Engineer mode : *#110*01#, Factory mode : *#987# Enable COM port : *#110*01# -> Device -> Set UART -> PS Config -> UART1/115200, Restore factory settings : *#987*99# LCD contrast : *#369#, Software version : *#800# Software version : *#900# Set default language : *#0000# Send Set English language : *#0044# Send Set English language (new firmware) : *#001# Send
Rinspeed's Dock+Go
Could Rinspeed's Dock+Go actually usher in an age of modular vehicles? I know, this particular smart fortwo car is definitely a great mode for transporting yourself and another person around town, although there isn't any room left for much other than perhaps a briefcase and a clutch handbag. Here is an idea that Rinspeed is mulling over with their Dock+Go concept instead of purchasing a brand new car, how about adding on a boot (or trunk, depending on which continent you are on) feature? This creation from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht is more or less an on-demand third axle. You can even call it a backpack for your smart fortwo, how about it? At least when you go and do your grocery shopping, you can still be comfortable in this cute people mover while having enough space at the back to stash away the month's supply of food and essential items.
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LG Optimus LTE Tag

We took a look at the LG Optimus Vu yesterday, and here we are with yet another smartphone from the South Korean consumer electronics giant the LG Optimus LTE Tag. Just what does the LG Optimus LTE Tag bring to the table? Well, this is the first High Definition LTE smartphone in the world (according to the folk over at LG anyways), and is also in line with LG's vision of delivering the most diverse collection of LTE devices across the board meaning, a phone for every single person, regardless of need and budget. LG claims that the Optimus LTE Tag is not any mere smartphone which is nice to look at, but rather, it also delivers a truly innovative feature that would come in the form of NFC support that might just help it stand out from the rest of the crowd. Granted, not all smartphones come with NFC at the moment, and it also depends on where the NFC service is supported. At least, you can be safe in knowing that your phone is well equipped to face the future,
Fisher Price DVR More TV for your Kids!

It happened again yesterday, what could have been a pleasant dinner at our favorite restaurant ended up being a whine festival, and not the good kind of wine either. It just wasn't my daughters day, and sitting still while grown-ups chatted and lingered over coffee wasn't her idea of a good time. Now I certainly don't advocate TV over good parenting, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, know what I mean? Fisher Price is hoping that you do, because on the off chance that your little darlings aren't spending enough time glued to your television, they have developed a new gadget, aimed squarely at your poor little technology deprived kiddos. Meet the Kid Tough Portable DVR a cool, kid-friendly handheld device. Parents simply attach the Kid Tough portable DVR to its included base unit and then, to the TV and set top box, and you can easily record your kid's favorite shows.
Deep Or Light Pressure Neck Massager

I am quite sure that all of us who work can identify with the feeling of a sprained neck it hurts to kingdom come, and there is nothing quite like a soothing massage that will help ease those aches and pains away, especially after a particularly long and difficult day at the office. Well, instead of getting your equally tired partner to massage your neck and back, and neither do you want to go to a seedy massage joint, here is the $99.95 Deep Or Light Pressure Neck Massager which might just get the job done on your behalf. This particular neck massager will deliver penetrating, deep tissue or soothing, light pressure massage, depending on what you want/need at the moment. It is very different from typical neck massagers that deliver just vibration, as this particular model relies on rollers which will rotate in two directions in order to simulate the kneading of the human hand, delivering focused.
Nokia Lumia 800 Entertainment Bundle

Nokia has been given a new lease of life in their partnership with Microsoft, bringing the Windows Phone operating system to the forefront with their Lumia 710 and Lumia 800smartphones, while relegating Symbian to the back seat. The former will continue to grow in stature, while the latter is set to be more and more obscure. Well, Microsoft and Nokia have come together to announce a spanking new bundle of Nokia devices that will be available on an exclusive basis at Microsoft Store locations around the US. The Nokia Lumia 800 Entertainment Bundle is set to be officially displayed from February 26 onwards, but store representatives of Microsoft are able to offer an early edition to folks whose patience is not their strongest virtue. We shall take a closer look at what Nokia's Entertainment Bundle will deliver right after the jump.
BrailleTouch lets the blind text

Modern smartphones come with touchscreen displays which is not a bad thing at all, really. Just take a look at the kind of apps and games that have been written for the platform to date and tell me that it isn't revolutionary in any way. However, while the hard of hearing can always enjoy the use of a smartphone or featurephone because they can see, how about the visually impaired? Georgia Tech believes otherwise, and has come up with BrailleTouch a Braille-like texting app. This prototype app for touchscreen mobile devices intends to be the complete solution to all our modern day texting problems, without having to even look at the device's display at all which would also bode well for the visually impaired, of course. Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the project's principal investigator says, Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based.
Smartphone Toothbrush? Really?

There are just certain things that I feel need to remain old school my bathroom habits are but a few of them, I mean, I really don't care what new fangled way they come up with to do, well, whatever it is we do in there. I'm not having it. I don't want to try it. I don't want to hear about it, and writing about this next gadget is as close as I'm gonna get. Of course you all know that this is just the beginning, the Smartphone is officially encroaching on our bathrooms, be forewarned. What we have here is the worlds first high tech toothbrush, called The Beam. It is a non-motorized toothbrush that will connect to your android device via Bluetooth. Bluetooth? even that seems a bit off, ya think? Anyhow, this device functions as a timer, making sure you brush your pearly whites for the optimal period of time, it starts timing when you start brushing and provides data when you're done.
Swimmer's Talking Heart Rate Monitor

Heart rate monitors are dime a dozen, but how many of them actually talk to you so you need not waste time by taking a glance at it? Well, things are about to change here, with the $179.95 Swimmer's Talking Heart Rate Monitor. Of course, looking at your heart rate monitor on the wrist while swimming is going to do nothing but slow you down due to missing a stroke cycle, but with the Swimmer's Talking Heart Rate Monitor, all of that changes. You can concentrate on slicing through the pool and racking up those laps, while letting this diminutive device that makes you look like a spawn of the Borg speak to you. You do not even need to wear a telemetry strap or wrist watch, as this 100% waterproof monitor's clip will attach to an ear lobe that enables it to detect pulse using infrared technology. The bone conduction principle is used to transmit audio to the wearer through the cheek bones into one's inner ear.
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Twisted Metal has been delighting action fans in one form or another over the last 16 years, so why would David Jaffe, the original producer, change the status quo? Sure, some folks may complain about how the general formula of drive around and shoot everything that moves doesn't change, but those are the fundamentals that the series is based on in the first place. Why alienate from that? And besides, the new Twisted Metal, which just launched a few days ago, does bring a little change to its formula, though the idea of blasting a car to bits with homing missiles and special modified weapons coming from an ice cream truck never gets old. At least, not in my eyes. The game, once again, has the diabolical Calypso holding the Twisted Metal tournament, where the stakes are high. Players of both good and evil nature enter on the mere promise that the mighty Calypso will grant their wish, whether it's a secret desire or just an opportunity to get rich quick. Many of the familiar characters in the series return, including the deathly Mr. Grimm and the criminally insane Sweet Tooth, flaming frock and all. Twisted Metal is divided mainly into two parts single-player and multiplayer. In single player, you'll have to work your way through three chapters of battles. Each one gets progressively harder, with more aggressive enemies and an end boss like the crazy Doll Face mech ready to stomp you flat. But you have teamwork on your side this time around, as, along with one of the three main captains, you choose secondary cars that you can switch to anytime during battle. This not only keeps you fresh in the fight, but also gives you a different arsenal to play with, provided you can get back to your home garage in one piece. These guys don't screw around. In terms of sound, Jaffe and his team have the right balance going. A great soundtrack supports all the on-screen action, even if it's not quite on the level of, say, Twisted Metal 2: World Tour. Hey, close enough. The dialogue is brutal and well delivered (especially Sweet Tooth's) and the sound effects, from screaming folks to fired weapons, hit the spot. In case you've been missing Jagged Alliance 2 and have been waiting with baited breath for a revamp of the game with better features and graphics, that time is now. Kalypso has brought back the revolutionary squad based, tactical, RPG with modern technology. Jagged Alliance: Back in Action was released February 14th (happy belated Valentine's Day) and it is quite addictive. You are a commander hired to take back a small island nation from your employer's tyrannical wife. He has put a bounty on her head and it's your job to take her out. You play as a 'behind the scenes' sort of protagonist. Your work horses in this game are mercenaries you hire by looking up their dossier and buying their killer resumes via laptop. From the world map you can also check your email, order gear, weapons, and ammo from the store (which is flown into your airport), and hire new mercenaries (also flown into your airport). Micromanaging your mini map is just as important as controlling your mercs on the battlefield. One mistake could lead to an enemy squad taking back much of the territories you fought so hard to take back. It might just be my personality, but once I got used to this game, I had trouble stopping. Well, maybe just one more mission, or I should wait for those reinforcements to come, and even well I got to deal with that enemy squad first. Through playing the game you do feel accomplishment as you take regions over and make more money per day. Once you cross that learning curve, the game is much more fun to play through. The story elements are on the weaker end but it's honestly on the level of what I expected. If you're a fan of Jagged Alliance and you're yearning for that nostalgic trip of playing a new game in the series, this game is definitely for you. We may never know the truth behind the scenes of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, but it probably goes something like this: The mad directorial wizards behind the Crank films, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, receive the script for the film and almost immediately throw up their hands in defeat. The script, written and re-written by the hands of David S. Goyer, Seth Hoffman, and Scott M. Gimple, is actively uninteresting. A boy let's call him MacGuffin is on the run from some bad men. Those bad men are led by Roarke (Ciarn Hinds), a.k.a. The Devil in human form. The church wants to protect MacGuffin, so they send Moreau (Idris Elba) to find the Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage, of course). For some reason, the only one who can save this boy is a man possessed by a demon that generally tries to kill everyone around him. Of all the heroes in the Marvel universe, the Rider is probably not the best for the job, yet the writers forcefully shove this dark anti-hero into the task anyway. They add some nonsense about the Rider once being an angel something that may or may not be part of the comic mythology, but it seems enormously convenient either way. His abilities lead to some impressive and creepy special effects, but as the only character with enough power to actually take on the Ghost Rider, he doesn't actually get much of a workout. Nothing is a match for the Ghost Rider, and he seems to know this, so he doesn't really put a lot of effort into killing all the bad guys. There's no oomph to the action, it's just kind of weird and dull. I really wanted to like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The first film was a bad omen, but the promise of the directorial team combined with Nicolas Cage got me thinking this may have been a second shot for the comic antihero. The result wasn't even close, and it's probably for the best if the Rider stays bottled up for a long time to come.
84

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CONTENTS

MARCH 15 - APRIL 15, 2012

Zaheerul Islam takes 12 charge as DG-ISI

14 Warid provides career counseling at IBA Career Fair

Zong celebrates tremendous success

38 Lack of local market skills hurting Samsung

HTC gives away prizes 22 to dealers, retailers

March 15 - April 15, 2012

Editor Assistant Editor

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Govt pushes people into stone age

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Warid provides career counseling at IBA Career Fair

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Political stunt or to benefit students?

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PTCL to offer branchless banking soon: Naveed

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Telenor charging extra, looting customers

Violates ethics, promotes Indian stars

Zubair Ahmed Kasuri

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Blackberry software irk users RIM struggles to fix problems

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Retail store to become touch-point

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FBS released Samsung imported handsets figures for February 2012

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CEO or farmer No ones safe from mobile addiction

SBP to provide banking services to everyone

PTCL gains 30pc increase in subscriber base

Branchless banking reaches Rs. 79.4 bn mark

Broadband subscribers reach 1.79 million

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Tablet PC revolution in Pakistan

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Rise of online advertising

Advertisers rush to master fresh set of skills

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Indian telecom market

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Tablet PC vs Laptop -Think before you buy

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The future comes at Hanover fair

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Your next gadget, a connected car

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Earth escapes biggest space storm

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Life, future in your hand