3G SERVICES TO BE LAUNCHED IN PAKISTAN SOON

3G telecom services would soon be launched in Pakistan with a lot of work on its policy directives already completed, IT and Telecom Secretary Nagibullah Malik said on Monday.

Speaking at a seminar organized by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaboration with HUAWEI on ‘Demands for 3G and beyond,’ Malik said the policy on 3G licenses would be issued soon, enabling Pakistan to launch the new technology.
He said three things are important for 3G services: policy stream, regulatory regime and business model. He added that we are better-off than India and other regional countries in telecom services.

PTA Chairman Dr Mohammed Yaseen said the telecom sector of Pakistan has seen unprecedented growth since the deregulation of the industry. Currently our teledensity stands at 63 percent and we are well on our way to cross the 100 million mobile subscribers mark in the near future.

The past two years have also witnessed broadband growth of 150 percent. Due to these results, Pakistan has been placed 6th in terms of quarterly growth and 10th in terms of annual growth in the global broadband market by a leading web source on broadband statistics.

Yaseen said the number of mobile users has reached 99 million. Average Revenue Per User (ARPUs) also indicated upward trends. Owing to these developments it is high time that 3G technologies are introduced in Pakistan.

He said the inception of 3G services would create demand for new applications and content, thus casting a positive impact on different segments of the economy. It may be mentioned that PTA has already done sufficient preparation to be able to launch the service within a few months of issuance of the policy directive by the government. PTA has also organized a number of introductory seminars in this regard.
3G mobile broadband is an important step in the modernization of mobile telephone system. With the launch of 3G, Pakistani cell phone subscribers will be able to transmit and receive high speed data through their mobile phones. High speed data means possibility of video calls, internet browsing and downloading at a much higher speed which also includes usage of data intensive applications.

Later during the seminar, MoUs were also signed for infrastructure sharing between PTA and cellular operators of Pakistan.

However, cellular companies showed reservations in opting for 3G technology. They believe it is not the right time to introduce the service. All cell phone service providers are of the view that 3G technology is going to be expensive, both for the customer as well as the provider.

Source: http://www.paktelecom.net/pakistan-telecom-news/3g-telecom-services-to-be-launched-soon/