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Tag: next generation

  • Finance minister directs to expedite sales process of available spectrum bands

    Finance minister directs to expedite sales process of available spectrum bands

    ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Thursday directed to expedite the sale process for the available spectrum. He stressed to provide a level playing field so that all operators must have a fair and equal chance in the process.

    He urged all the key stakeholders to ensure maximum participation across the board for successful completion of the sale transaction, he added.

    He said this while presiding over a meeting of the Advisory Committee for the release of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) Spectrum at the Finance Division.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin ul Haque, Adviser to the PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Secretary Finance Division, Secretary IT & Telecommunication, Secretary Law & Justice Division, Chairman PTA, Executive Director Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and other senior officers participated in the meeting.

    The Chairman PTA briefed the Advisory Committee about the arrangements underway for the sale of available Spectrum of Next Generation Mobile Services in the country.

    A detailed presentation was made about the specifications of available spectrum bands and methodology for sale in line with international best practices. The newly hired consultants also gave a detailed input and answered the technical queries by the members of the Committee.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said that international benchmarks must be followed to ensure the whole process of sale is competitive and based on principles of transparency and equity.

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce suggested an in-depth analysis to gauge demand for Spectrum and devise a strategy for its pricing and packaging accordingly. The Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication stated that the sale of NGMS is of key importance for strengthening and expanding communication / IT Services across the country. After due deliberations, the Advisory Committee approved the recommendations for the sale of NGMS during the meeting.  

  • Committee discusses unsold spectrum of next generation mobile services

    Committee discusses unsold spectrum of next generation mobile services

    ISLAMABAD: Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue on Thursday chaired a meeting of the advisory committee for the release of unsold spectrum of next generation mobile services (NGMS).

    Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry also participated in the meeting.

    The committee was briefed by Chairman PTA and Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology about the latest developments on the sale of available spectrum of next generation mobile services.

    The members of Frequency Allocation Board also shared their input on the subject.

    The committee was briefed that the process for hiring of the consultant for the sale of available spectrum would be completed within 60 days and report will be prepared and submitted before the committee accordingly.

    It is expected that the initial report will be ready by December 2020.

    The process for the sale of spectrum will follow after the hiring of the consultant and tentatively would be completed within this financial year.

    Adviser Finance, as Chairman of the Committee, directed to complete the task of the hiring of the consultant at the earliest.

    He also stated that the whole process of auction must be transparent and an officer may be designated to apprise the public about the progress regarding sale of spectrum on regular basis.

    The whole process would contribute towards strengthening and expanding communications / IT Services across the country, would create more job opportunities, and improve the ease of doing business.

    The next meeting of the Advisory Committee is expected to take place in December 2020.

  • Ufone awarded Rs518 million next generation broadband projects

    Ufone awarded Rs518 million next generation broadband projects

    ISLAMABAD: Universal Service Fund on Monday awarded contracts to PMTL (Ufone) for Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development Projects in Balochistan worth Rs518 million.

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  • Telenor, Ufone awarded next generation broadband SDP contracts

    Telenor, Ufone awarded next generation broadband SDP contracts

    ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone operators Telenor and PMTL (Ufone) have been awarded contracts for Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development Projects (SDP) worth Rs729 million in total.

    The 70th Board of Directors meeting of Universal Service Fund (USF) granted the approval on Friday. The meeting was chaired by Federal Secretary Ministry of IT and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui. Chairman Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) Maj. Gen (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa was also present in the meeting.

    Telenor is being awarded the contract of Muzaffargarh Lot and Small Lot I-1 (district: Islamabad) while PTML (Ufone) is being awarded the contract of Small Lot P-4 (Bhakkar, Khushab, Jhang and Mianwali).

    During the meeting, Secretary IT was apprised about the advances in USF projects. The Hi-speed Broadband services in Mazaffargarh lot will benefit an unserved population of around 2 million thereby covering 666 unserved muazas and an approximate unserved area of 14,195 sq. km.

    Muzaffargarh Lot encompasses Muzaffargarh and Ranjanpur districts.

    Similarly, an unserved population of 9,083 will gain advantage from Hi-speed Broadband services in Small Lot I-1 that covers Islamabad district with 12 unserved mauzas.

    Likewise, the Hi-speed Broadband services in Small Lot P-4 will benefit an unserved population of 86,968 thereby covering 11 unserved muazas and an approximate unserved area of 277 sq. km. Small Lot P-4 encompasses Bhakkar, Khushab, Jhang and Mianwali districts.

    The Secretary IT, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui emphasized on the growing need for connectivity amid the spread of coronavirus to support the people of Pakistan. He said that the use of ICT in rural areas during the pandemic will help the remote public to access government facilities that are available.

    He also laid stress on the significant role of ICT in far-flung areas in each step of fighting the COVID-19 as some people are unable to get the information or services required. In addition, he also asserted that these projects will help the communities to start or run a modern business, access telemedicine or take an online class in these difficult times.

    Furthermore, The Federal Secretary stated that the Ministry of IT and Telecom is making every effort to bridge the digital divide under the vision of Digital Pakistan as the economy heavily relies on the internet to minimize the disruption caused by the lockdown.

    Moreover, the members of the Board reiterated their full support to tackle the COVID-19 battle by ensuring to make progress in implementation of current and future projects of USF.

    The Board sincerely thanked the Secretary IT for providing direction and knowledge to achieve USF goals. Other board members including Shabahat Ali Shah, Executive Director, NITB; Irfan Wahab, CEO-Telenor Cluster Head for Emerging Asia and Nominee of Mobile Cellular Operators; Imran Akhtar Shah, VP for Government Sales, Super Net Pvt Ltd and Nominee of Data Licensees; Rashid Khan, CEO PTCL and Nominee of Fixed Line Operators; Kaukab Iqbal, Chairman, Consumer Association of Pakistan and Nominee of Consumer Group and management of USF Co. also attended the meeting.