Pakistan earns award for progress in cellphone sector




By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Pakistan is receiving a prestigious “Government Leadership Award 2006” in Barcelona (Spain) on February 13 for its exceptional development and progress in the field of mobile telecommunication.

Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari told reporters that India was the most serious contender against Pakistan but the latter was selected through a competitive GSM Board criteria. Pakistan would be the second country in the world after Brazil to receive this honour.

The Global System of Mobile Association (GSMA), a global trade association representing more than 680 mobile operators, has selected Pakistan by recognizing remarkable work in the field of mobile communications policy, he said.

Pakistan was chosen because of its exceptional progress in establishing a thriving mobile communications sector by reducing tariff and expanding cellular subscriber’s base to 20 million during the last three years, he added.

In the next three to four years, the minister said, the government was expecting further increase of 50 million subscribers from existing 20 million with every one out of three persons having a mobile phone.

Likewise, an investment of $3 to $4 billion in the next few years is also expected as the market still has the capacity to expand further, but it does not mean adding up more cellular operators, Mr Leghari said.

The minister said he had been nominated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to receive the award in Barcelona on behalf of the Pakistan government. The award will be presented at the association’s annual dinner to be attended by an exclusive gathering of mobile industry chief executives and ministers from across the world.

The award has proved that Pakistan’s policies have earned on prestigious global fora and would go a long way towards attracting more business activity in the growing telecom sector.

Mr Leghari said the Rs2 billion Universal Service Fund (USF) would also start functioning next month to promote telecom services in the un-served and under-served areas, while Rs2.5 billion research and development fund would be used in awarding scholarships to brilliant students to produce better graduates in the field of information technology.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/11/nat15.htm

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if yes so i will be able to see them here

you will be our ambassador, on behalf of PDF

Pakistan Recognised by GSMA for Exceptional Work in Developing Mobile Communications



14th February 2006 – Barcelona - The GSM Association, a global trade association representing more than 680 mobile operators, today announced that Pakistan has won the GSMA’s prestigious Government Leadership Award.

The award exists to recognise exceptional work by governments globally in the field of mobile communications policy. Pakistan was chosen because it has made huge progress in establishing a thriving mobile communications sector in the past three years.

Rob Conway, CEO and board member of the GSM Association, presented the award to Awais Leghari, Pakistan’s Minister of Communications & IT and Major General Shazada Alam Malik, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecoms Authority, at the GSMA’s annual Leadership Dinner in Barcelona, attended by mobile industry CEOs and government ministers from across the world.

The Pakistani Government has transformed the mobile communications sector in its country in a very short period of time. In the past three years, the Government has privatized the leading Pakistani telecommunications provider, introduced much greater competition into the mobile market, established clear rules distinguishing between mobile and wireless local loop networks, and cut import duties on telecommunication equipment and reduced the import duties on mobile handsets to zero.

Government policies have had a considerable impact on increasing the penetration of mobile phones in Pakistan. The proportion of Pakistanis with a mobile has grown from under 1% in 2000 to over 13% in 2005, representing a tenfold increase from less than 2 million customers to over 20 million customers. This achievement demonstrates Pakistan’s success in establishing a progressive policy and regulatory regime and the right market conditions for the industry to develop.

Rob Conway added: “The GSMA is delighted to recognise Pakistan for its work in mobile communications. In a short period of time, the Government has established a strong and clear policy framework and a stable regulatory environment. Its deregulation policy has been successful in stimulating growth in the mobile sector and, most importantly, bringing mobile phones within the reach of ordinary people of Pakistan”.

Creating a positive environment for mobile growth is dependent on clear regulation rigorously enforced, which sometimes requires governments to make firm and potentially controversial decisions. “This award aims to recognise governments, such as Pakistan, who have taken the sometimes tough policy decisions that move this industry forward to the benefit of millions of people,” said Mr Conway.

Mr. Awais Leghari, Pakistan’s Minister of Communications said: “I am pleased to accept this award on behalf of Pakistan. Mobile telecommunications has been a key part of our communications strategy; the economic and social benefits it offers are having a great impact on Pakistan. As we welcome outside investment, our economy is thriving, having grown by 8.4% in 2005. We now have a mobile industry that is globally competitive and developing at a rapid pace. ”


Notes to Editors
The GSMA’s Government Leadership Award was given to Brazil in 2005.

http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2006/press06_14.shtml

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