The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced the provision of free mobile calling facilities for individuals stranded in Murree and the Galliat region due to extreme weather conditions. This emergency initiative was implemented on Sunday following reports of severe disruptions caused by heavy snowfall and traffic gridlocks in the area.
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Explore IT and Telecom stories with Pakistan Revenue, your go-to source for the latest updates on Pakistan’s technology and telecom sector. Stay ahead with real-time industry insights and economic developments.
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Suprenet gets project for optic fiber supply
Supernet Limited has secured a significant telecommunications infrastructure development project from a prominent Pakistani mobile network operator. Valued at over Rs150 million, the project encompasses the supply of optical fiber and associated equipment, alongside its deployment across various regions in Punjab, as announced by Supernet in a recent statement.
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Mini-budget: FBR to generate Rs4.5bn through tax rate increase on cellular services
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) may generate additional Rs4.5 billion as advance income tax from cellular services as tax rate has been increased through mini-budget.
The government has increased the withholding tax rates on cellular services to 15 per cent from existing 10 per cent in the mini-budget announced on December 30, 2021.
The increase in advance tax rates on cellular services to generate Rs4.5 billion.
The changes in the withholding tax regime on usage of internet and mobile phones services have been brought through the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2021.
The FBR said that through the Finance Act, 2021 federal excise duty (FED) was levied on telecom services. However, telecom companies challenged the duty and got a favourable decision.
“A marginal increase in adjustable advance tax has been proposed from 10 per cent to 15 per cent to make up for revenue loss from telecos,” the FBR added.
The rate of tax has been proposed to increase to 15 per cent from existing 10 per cent for tax year 2022 and eight per cent onwards of the amount of the bill or sales price of internet prepaid card or prepaid telephone card or sale of units through any electronic medium or whatever form from subscriber of internet, mobile telephone and pre-paid internet or telephone card.
The FBR collects the advance tax on telephone and internet users under Section 236 of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.
According to the ordinance:
“Telephone and internet users.- (1) Advance tax at the rates specified in Division V Part IV of the First Schedule shall be collected on the amount of – (a) telephone bill of a subscriber; (b) prepaid cards for telephones; (c) sale of units through any electronic medium or whatever form ; and (d) internet bill of a subscriber; and (e) prepaid cards for internet.
(2) The person preparing the telephone or internet bill shall charge advance tax under sub-section (1) in the manner telephone or internet charges are charged.
(3) The person issuing or selling prepaid cards for telephones or the internet shall collect advance tax under sub-section (1) from the purchasers at the time of issuance or sale of cards.
(3A) The person issuing or selling units through any electronic medium or whatever form shall collect advance tax under sub-section (1) from the purchaser at the time of issuance of sale of units.
(4) Advance tax under this section shall not be collected from the Government, a foreign diplomat, a diplomatic mission in Pakistan, or a person who produces a certificate from the Commissioner that his income during the tax year is exempt from tax.”
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Alibaba holds summit to bring Pakistani sellers onboard
KARACHI: Alibaba.com, leading global B2B e-commerce marketplace, held a seller summit; titled ‘Unlock Business Growth Code’ in Sialkot to bring Pakistani sellers aboard its platform, thereby helping them to access over 200 markets globally, a statement said on Thursday.
The summit featured talks by representatives of Alibaba.com, local trade associations, senior government officials and a number of successful online sellers.
Alibaba is one of largest business-to-business marketplace platforms that drive global e-commerce and continue to register substantial growth by the day.
The company is actively working to tap into Pakistan’s unexplored potential for e-commerce and has launched multiple similar initiatives in the recent past. According to business estimates, Pakistan is expected to witness an annual growth of 28% in e-commerce in the next 3 years, crowning it as one of the biggest exporters of online goods.
The Sialkot Summit will help Alibaba reach out to local micro, small and medium scale businesses, who can grow their businesses by selling through Alibaba’s platform. In order to ensure sustainability of the new businesses, particularly those who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Alibaba.com will extend support services like advertising, logistics, payments and daily operations systems. The platform will help the SMEs connect with new buyers and explore new markets globally.
The summit featured roundtable conference and keynote speeches of important stakeholders for exchange of ideas and consultation in order to chalk out a clear pathway for growth of local businesses and exports.
Speaking at the event, Head of Alibaba.com, APAC, Mr. Stephen Kuo said we are thrilled by the enthusiasm and keenness of local business leaders and entrepreneurs to explore new horizons. There is a lot of untapped potential for growth of e-commerce in Pakistan and Alibaba.com wishes to help unlock it for sustainable economic growth of SMEs and in turn the national economy. He said that the ecommerce giant will fully support local sellers by helping them start their business online, right from setting up their stores, uploading products to logistics and operations. He further said, the collaborative arrangement will create unprecedented shared value and facilitate mutual growth in the long run.
Also speaking, Vice President, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms. Shabina said, we are thankful to Alibaba.com for its efforts to open newer avenues for local businesses to enhance their sales and profitability. The world is changing fast through digitization; therefore traditional businesses should also change for good. E-commerce is the future and is beneficial for the small and medium business holders because it is less effort and operational cost for better revenues. Through, Alibaba’s global platform, our businesses can access markets all over the world and contribute effectively to the national economy.
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Realme appoints Harvey as Pakistan country manager
KARACHI: Realme has appointed Harvey He as the new country manager for Pakistan and joined hands with three leading channel distributors, a statement said on Thursday.
It said that realme is looking to expand its footprint in Pakistan by ushering a new sales-first era in 2022.
These strategic developments underscore a new direction for realme, following the local assembly of its smartphones in Pakistan.
READ MORE: Air Link signs deal for distribution of realme smartphones
The three distributors that realme has taken on-board are Airlink Communications (North Region), United Mobile (Central Region) and Muller & Phipps (South Region).
With New Year just around the corner, Harvey He has taken the helm at realme as Country Manager – Pakistan.
Harvey brings with himself a stellar sales management experience and has been acquainted with Pakistan since realme set up shop in the country.
READ MORE: Amazon Software Technology Park inaugurated
He is the Head of Sales for realme Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka and has now taken the additional charge as Country Manager – Pakistan, thereby bringing his seasoned understanding of the local smartphone industry to the fore.
Being the fastest growing smartphone brand of the country, Pakistan ranks among the top four markets for realme within South Asia.
The brand went on to sell more than two million devices in Pakistan since its entry, which is a testimony of the growing demand for realme smartphones.
READ MORE: State Bank launches easy mobile phone account
A local assembly line has also been setup in the country to absorb the rise in demand for realme products which in-turn will bring a lot of benefit to the end-consumer by making product prices even more attractive.
To further bolster its footprint in Pakistan, realme has also partnered with three leading channel distributors namely Airlink Communications, United Mobile and M&P. The onboarding of these distributors amplifies the sales-first approach that is at the heart of realme’s strategy for Pakistan in 2022.
realme strives to provide the ultimate value-for-money and top notch quality in its products, while also being a flag bearer of affordable 5G technology. As a young brand, realme resonates with the youth’s daring spirit and is focused on delivering trendsetting smartphones for young people around the world.
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Amazon Software Technology Park inaugurated
ISLAMABAD: Amazon Software Technology Park, which is established in collaboration with Pakistan Software Export Board and Amazon Mall, has been inaugurated on Wednesday.
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque inaugurated the technology park.
READ MORE: USAID conducts training session on Amazon readiness
MD Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) Osman Nasir, Chairman Amazon Software Technology Park Shafiq Akbar, officers of Ministry of IT & Telecom and PSEB were also present in the ceremony.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque said that Pakistan’s IT companies were providing services to world institutions in over 120 countries.
READ MORE: FPCCI organizes seminar for using Amazon platform
He said that Pakistan’s IT industry was rapidly progressing and our IT exports are also increasing. He said that technology was changing with every passing day, adding that we have to equip our youth with modern technology.
He said youth are country’s asset, adding that steps are being taken to connect the masses in rural areas with digital world. Connectivity is the topmost priority of the government and it is because of broadband facility we can connect with digital world, he said.
READ MORE: Commerce ministry issues guidelines for joining Amazon
The Federal Minister for IT said that presently 22 Software technology parks were operative in small cities and we have set the target of taking the number of technology parks up to 40 by December 2022.
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Air Link signs deal for distribution of realme smartphones
KARACHI: Air Link Communications on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement for the distribution of realme smartphones, which is world’s number one fastest-growing brand.
In a communication sent to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company said it had entered into a distribution agreement of a full range of realme mobile devices and accessories, IoT products, TVs in Pakistan with Extra Tech (Private Limited).
The company said that realme is the World No. 1 fastest-growing smartphones brand for five consecutive quarters.
“realme is also the world’s fastest smartphone brand to reach 100 million smartphones sales cumulatively worldwide,” the company added.
Air Link Communication Ltd. is one of the largest smartphones distributors, manufacturers and retailers in Pakistan with over a decade-long brilliance in the telecom industry.
“We have a nationwide network linked with over 16+ hubs and Regional offices, 1100 + wholesalers and 4,000+ retailers with after-sales support service centres in all major cities of Pakistan,” according to the company.
The company is the official partner of leading global brands that include Samsung, Huawei, Tecno, TCL, Alcatel, iTel and is Apple Authorised Reseller.
Airlink recognizes the importance of access to technology for a better, more digitally literate Pakistan. Therefore, the company has worked towards the provision of affordable technology to every household of this country.
The vertical and backward Integration of the business supports airlink’s vision of putting Pakistan on the global technological map by synchronizing its business functions for bringing innovation for the betterment of its consumers.
Keeping in line with the company’s vision, we established a state-of-the-art smartphone manufacturing facility which is going to produce top-notch products that will enable us to take technology to every nook and corner of the country.
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Ericsson Pakistan, IT ministry discuss digital Pakistan
KARACHI: Ericsson Pakistan and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications held a meeting held this week to discuss digitalization, skill development, and training for engineers in line with the vision of Digital Pakistan.
READ MORE: Aamir appointed Ericsson Pakistan country manager
Ericsson Pakistan showed keen interest to deploy advanced networks as well as scaling up the Near Shore Centre to create job opportunities for engineers in Pakistan.
Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications, says: “Strong measures are underway for connectivity in urban and rural areas of the country. Pakistan is the mega-market of technology and there is great potential in our youth. We are committed to supporting Ericsson Pakistan in achieving the digital objectives as per the vision of Digital Pakistan.“
READ MORE: Ericsson strengthens network services portfolio
Ekow Nelson, Chairperson of Ericsson Pakistan at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “Ericsson is committed to expansion and diversification to bring investment and the best technology to Pakistan in line with the vision of Digital Pakistan. The successful meeting with the Ministry is promising and we are looking forward to the future of technological advancement in the country.”
READ MORE: Google Cloud, Ericsson to jointly develop 5G, edge cloud solutions
Present at the meeting, Secretary of IT & Telecom discussed the regulatory and financial business models and policies for ease of conducting business. Also present at the meeting was Member Telecom who briefed about the investment areas of technological advancement and the telecoms ecosystem in Pakistan.
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State Bank launches easy mobile phone account
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Sunday said it is launching a new initiative of Asaan (easy) Mobile Account (AMA) on Monday, December 13, 2021.
The central bank in a statement said that the initiative was developed under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy with the objective to bring further ease in remote account opening under branchless banking.
This means that the customers would be able to open and operate their accounts in the comfort of their homes, without having to visit the branches, with any of the participating branchless banking providers.
The solution has been developed through a collaboration of SBP, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), 13 Branchless Banking (BB) Providers, all Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) and Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG). ForAMA, the branchless banking providers and cellular mobile operators are collaborating to deliver an interoperable platform, allowing any Pakistani to open account with a bank.
AMA will play a crucial role in reaching out to the low-income segments that do not have access to internet. Moreover, AMA will be a perfect conduit to onboard women customer segments as well.
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Facebook launches flagship ‘Rise’ in Pakistan
KARACHI: Facebook on Wednesday launched its flagship skill development program ‘Rise’ in Pakistan to help advertising agencies and marketing professionals develop new and contemporary skills for professional success and fulfillment.
Initially launched in Brazil in 2020, Rise has now grown to 18 countries across 4 continents to supplement global efforts for economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic by empowering and up-skilling the advertising communities across these markets.
‘Rise’ was launched in Pakistan in an online ceremony led by Jordi Fornies, Director for Emerging Markets at Meta (formerly Facebook), with representatives from Pakistan’s advertising community, industry leaders, Facebook’s Authorized Sales Partner (ASP), students and faculty of leading universities, bloggers, and influencers in attendance.
Speaking at the launch, Reseller Partner Manager – Meta, Ali Khurshid Ahmed said, “Rise is created to help the advertising community in Pakistan to continue their journey of personal growth and professional development by developing new skills, hone old ones, or even completely pivot their careers.
He said, Rise was designed to suit the needs of all levels of experience and the program is about celebrating the resilience of the members of the advertising community, besides providing them the spark to learn, grow and thrive in their personal as well as professional lives.”
The program will span over 2 months, where the participants will have access to free online content and development sessions, including free Blueprint training and certifications under mentorship of Meta experts. In addition, they will be able to develop necessary soft skills and have the opportunity to interact with successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders to receive inspiration and guidance for success.
A number of leading universities, industry experts, bloggers and digital influencers have endorsed the program as a valuable opportunity for advertising and marketing industry professionals for career development.
The program will especially benefit those who faced difficulties with regards to employment during the pandemic. Once skilled and motivated for success, they can re-enter the market with enhanced prospects for employability and career development. Rise is equally beneficial for new entrants as well as the more experienced professionals who want to refresh their knowledge and skill to stay relevant in the market.