The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has officially renewed the operational license of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) for the next 25 years.
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PTCL signs deal to launch Avaya Spaces
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) will launch Avaya Spaces, the all-in-one workstream collaboration app for the digital workplace, for the first time in Pakistan. In this regard the PTCL has signed a partnership agreement with Avaya Holdings Corp (NYSE: AVYA).
The partnership will enable organizations to implement blended and flexible environment for their employees, a statement said on Thursday.
In collaboration with PTCL, Avaya will provide free, full-feature access for a limited time to customers in Pakistan. Avaya Spaces is an all-in-one video meeting and workstream collaboration platform for the digital workplace that changes the way as work gets done in nearly 100 countries.
It helped businesses, schools, governments and other organizations to bring together distributed groups of people instantly with immersive workspaces where they can message, meet, share content, manage tasks and collaborate in the Cloud.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL Zarrar Hasham Khan said, “We are continuously working towards empowering organizations within Pakistan and supporting the vision of a Digital Pakistan.
In the present circumstances, where most of the organizations are offering flexible working environment, our partnership with Avaya is the step in the right direction.
Not only that, such solutions are much needed in the educational sector as it offers a more blended learning and working model.
It will certainly create opportunities to streamline and support schools and universities as it introduces an innovative way to learn and deliver lectures.
Speaking on the collaboration with PTCL, Director, Service Providers, Middle East, Africa & Asia, Avaya, Nour Al Atassi, said, “Globally our customers are leveraging Avaya Spaces to create the future digital workplace and to enable new and innovative education delivery models.
With PTCL introducing solutions such as Avaya Spaces, Pakistan will be well on its way to achieving its digitalization goals.
PTCL has already invested in an innovative and robust telecommunications network that is serving as an enabler of business continuity across the country. Together, we look forward to supporting the blended delivery of essential services with Avaya Spaces.”
Avaya Spaces has seen significant growth since its introduction and has been an especially important solution for organizations addressing the challenges of COVID-19.
At the peak of the pandemic, Avaya Spaces was offered for free to enable companies, schools, governments and organizations of all kinds to adapt to remote work and collaborate, stay connected and be productive while keeping employees safe.
With support being offered by PTCL, one of the country’s leading ICT solution providers, Avaya Spaces will better enable local organizations to choose the right working models for themselves and their customers.
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PTCL awarded optic fiber cable projects worth Rs3 billion
KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has been awarded two optic fiber cable projects worth Rs3 billion for providing connectivity in various districts of Sindh province.
The Universal Service Fund (USF) has awarded two Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) project contracts worth approximately Rs3 billion to PTCL for providing connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur & Khairpur districts at a special ceremony held at Governor House, Karachi, a statement said on Monday.
Imran Ismail, Governor of Sindh was accompanied by Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication on the occasion.
The contracts were signed by Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO, USF and Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL.
Senior officials of the Government of Sindh, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, USF and PTCL were also present at the ceremony.
On the occasion, Imran Ismail, Governor of Sindh said: “Today’s event marks another landmark achieved in the history of Pakistan and will go a long way in taking the developmental work being done by Government of Pakistan to a greater level. I am also hopeful that with the consistent efforts and spirits, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication will continue to undertake more challenging and productive programs in the future, for the promotion of IT and Telecommunication related services.
“I would like to congratulate Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin ul Haque, the dynamic teams of USF & PTCL on award of these projects that have been designed to connect 372 Educational Institutions, 170 Health Facilities, 217 Government Offices and 131 Banks within 5 KM radius of the node.
“I wish them all the very best for implementation of project objectives.”
Imran Ismail said that these projects will not only provide a digital highway for seamless broadband coverage to people residing in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur Districts but also improve the lives of people, create job opportunities for them and empower local communities.
Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication while addressing on the occasion said: “I believe that Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, realizes the importance of information technology for the country as he envisioned Digital Pakistan and proved his commitment to turn this vision into reality.”
Syed Amin ul Haque also lauded the great performance of Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and its affiliated organizations. Moreover, IT parks are being created across the country, along with Data Centers, policy on Cloud, cyber security, manufacturing of Smart phonesand much more.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL said: “Being the national carrier, PTCL is the backbone of country’s communication infrastructure and primary internet service provider. We serve people of Pakistan from large metropolitan cities to remote rural areas. We are glad to collaborate with USF for establishment and operation of optical fiber connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur districts. Aligned with the vision of a Digital Pakistan, we are committed to play our role in supporting the underserved communities and empower them for a better future.”
While sharing his views at the ceremony, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO, USF said: “I take the opportunity to say here that all these achievements have only been possible due to constant efforts of the Government of Pakistan. Federal Minister and Secretary for IT and Telecommunication have been torch bearers of the vision for a “Digital Pakistan” and have enabled USF to transform the lives of people of the country. They have given us tremendous cooperation, help and support, without which all this could not be achieved.
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PTCL license expires
KARACHI: The business operation license of Pakistan Communication Company Limited (PTCL) expired on December 31, 2020 and the company is in discussions with the regulator for the renewal, a statement said on Friday.
According to a communication sent to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the PTCL said that the integrated license was issued for 25 years effective from January 01, 1996 and valid under December 31, 2020.
Therefore subsequent renewal was required effective form January 01, 2021.
As per terms of PTCL license, PTCL initiated the renewal process by formally requesting Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on June 29, 2018 (30 months prior to the expiry / validity of the license).
The PTA responded in affirmative through its letter dated October 01, 2018 that PTCL’s license will be renewed in accordance with the government policy prevalent at the time of renewal.
“Therefore, in the interest of business continuity and operations, PTCL has sought permanent injunction on December 18, 2020 from the Sindh High Court at Karachi by way of filing Suit No. 2081/2020 wherein PTA is restrained from taking any adverse action against the PTCL on expiry of license on December 31, 2020 and not to interfere in the business of PTCL and the provision of services on the basis of license.”
The company said that it was in discussions with the PTA and the federal government to finalize the terms and conditions of the renewed license. “PTCL is confident its license will be renewed at the earliest,” it added.
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Contracts worth Rs5.11 billion awarded for next generation broadband
ISLAMABAD: The Universal Service Fund (USF) on Monday approved award of contracts to Telenor, Zong, Ufone and PTCL worth Rs5.11 billion through the Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development program and the Next Generation Optical Fiber Network and Services program.
Federal Secretary Ministry of IT and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui chaired 74th Board of Directors meeting of Universal Service Fund (USF) on Monday.
PTCL is being awarded the contract of Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur and Khairpur districts in the province of Sindh.
The Next Generation Optical Fiber Network and Services projects worth approximately Rs3 billion is aimed at laying of 1078 km of Optical Fiber Cable to connect 140 villages and union councils thereby providing high speed mobile broadband services to an unserved population of approximately 4.7 million.
Moreover, the Board also approved award of contracts under the Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development Program worth Rs2 billion to Telenor, Zong and Ufone.
Telenor is being awarded the contract of Chitral, Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts in the province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whereby an unserved population of around 0.7 million will benefit from high speed mobile broadband services in 648 unserved villages and an approximate unserved area of 18,212 sq. km.
Likewise, Zong is being awarded the contract of Karachi West and Malir districts in the province of Sindh that will benefit an unserved population of approximately 0.1 million in 36 unserved villages and approximately 690 sq. km of unserved area.
Similarly, Ufone is being awarded the contract of Mastung and Ziarat districts in the province of Balochistan to serve an unserved population of approximately 0.1 million in 226 unserved villages and an approximate unserved area of 6,324 sq. km.
During the meeting, Federal Secretary Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui said that as advised by the Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Syed Amin Ul Haque, the basic purpose of these projects is not only to promote tourism infrastructure of the country but also to connect rural population with the digital world.
He also said that the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication is leaving no stone unturned to provide broadband services to every Pakistani and accomplish Digital Pakistan vision; therefore, people should remain hopeful that such development interventions will reach them soon as well.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of USF, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary briefed the Board members about the projects. He thanked the Federal Minister, Syed Amin Ul Haque, the Federal Secretary and Chairman of USF Board, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui and the Board members for entrusting him. He stated that USF ensures merit, transparency and timely completion of projects.
Furthermore, he added that USF’s contribution to Digital Pakistan vision remains distinguished. Other board members comprising Maj. Gen (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa, Chairman PTA; Shabahat Ali Shah, CEO-NITB; Irfan Wahab, CEO-Telenor Pakistan; 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; Muhamad Omar Malik, Member- Telecom and management of USF Co. also attended the meeting.
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PTCL declares 14.5% decline in annual net profit
KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has declared 14.5 percent decline in net profit for the year 2019.
According to financial results submitted to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company announced net profit of Rs6.347 billion for the calendar year ended December 31, 2019 as compared with Rs7.422 billion profit in the preceding year.
The earnings per share for the year of the company also came at Rs1.24 as compared with the EPS of Rs1.46 declared in the last year.
A final cash dividend for the year ended December 31, 2019 was at Re0.50 per share i.e. 5 percent. This is in addition to the interim dividend already paid at Re0.5 per share i.e. 5 percent.
The gross profit of PTCL was recorded at Rs16.98 billion for the year 2019 as compared with Rs53.53 billion in the previous year.
Administrative and general expenses of the company was at Rs6.76 billion in 2019 as compared with Rs6.257 billion in the preceding year.
PTCL declared operating profit at Rs4.94 billion as compared with Rs6.51 billion.
The profit before tax was recorded at Rs9.33 billion for the year 2019 as compared with Rs10.757 billion in the preceding year.
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Hafeez Shaikh calls for early resolution of pending issues between PTCL, Etisalat
ISLAMABAD: Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue on Thursday directed early resolution of pending issues between PTCL and Etisalat.
Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has called for an early resolution of all outstanding issues regarding the PTCL privatisation with Etisalat and asked the stakeholders to finalise proposals on the subject within the next couple of weeks.
He made this statement while chairing an Inter-Ministerial Committee constituted by the Prime Minister to discuss and resolve the issues related to the PTCL’s Privatisation.
Minister for Privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro, Minister for Information Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Secretary Finance, Secretary Privatisation, Secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication and other senior officials were also present.
During the meeting, the adviser was given a detailed briefing on the issues concerning the transfer of properties to Etisalat and the pending payments still to be made by Etisalat.
The adviser called for greater efforts to resolve the outstanding issues in a smooth and amicable manner and asked the government team to contact the senior management of Etisalat to listen to their viewpoint and decide the unresolved issues at the earliest as any further delay was not in the interest of both the parties.
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PTCL declares 14.33 percent growth in after tax profit
KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL) on Wednesday declared 14.33 percent growth in profit after tax for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019.
The company announced profit after tax of Rs5.46 billion during January – September 2019 as compared with Rs4.78 billion in the same period of the last year.
The company announced Rs1.07 as earnings per share (EPS) for the period under review as compared with Rs0.94 EPS of the same period in last year.
The total revenue of the company was flat at Rs43.774 billion in January – September 2019 as compared with Rs53.55 billion in the corresponding period of the last year.
PTCL posted gross profit of Rs13.179 billion during nine-month period ended September 30, 2019 as compared with Rs13.721 billion in the same period of the last year.
The administrative, general and selling/marketing expenses of the company were at Rs8.73 billion during January – September 2019 as compared with Rs8.478 billion in the same period of the last year.
Other income of the company increased to Rs3.82 billion as compared with Rs2.18 billion.
The profit before tax for the period was at Rs8.03 billion as compared with Rs6.927 billion in the same period of the last year.
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Ufone, SCO sign bilateral roaming service agreement
ISLAMABAD: Special Communications Organization (SCO), the largest Integrated Telecom Service Provider in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Ufone have signed a Bilateral Roaming Services Agreement at PTCL headquarters, Islamabad.
The ceremony was attended by Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa (Retired) HI (M), Chairman PTA; Major General Ali Farhan HI (M), Director General SCO; Rashid Khan, President & CEO, PTCL & Ufone and senior officials from both sides.
With this agreement, Ufone has become the only mobile operator to offer Data service in addition to Voice and SMS services to SCO subscribers in Pakistan and SCO will also offer Roaming Voice & SMS services in AJ&K and GB to Ufone subscribers.
It is pertinent to note that Ufone and SCO are already in an agreement since 2008, under which, SCO subscribers have been enjoying Voice and SMS Roaming services in Pakistan.
This development is also seen as stimulating economic activity, as enhanced communication capability improves efficiency and productivity, resulting in cost savings and spurs growth of business.
“SCO can now proudly claim that it has the most advanced network, providing state-of-the-art mobile services to its valued customers,” said Major General Ali Farhan HI (M), DG SCO.
“Ufone is a highly innovative company in the field of telecommunications in Pakistan and I am sure that the biggest beneficiaries of this alliance will be the citizens living in Pakistan, AJ&K and GB,” he added.
“Our strategic alliance is a win-win situation for both partners and even more importantly, for the customers,” said Mr Rashid Khan, President and CEO PTCL & Ufone.
“This alliance will make sure that resource sharing benefits both organizations and offers superior products and services to the public, improving their quality of life,” he further added.
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PTCL offers 40 percent discount on all new connections
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has offered 40 percent discount on installation charges on all new connections for a limited time period only, a statement said on Wednesday.
All new connections include PTCL unlimited internet, digital quality TV & reliable telephone services that allow subscribers to get best experience.
Customers can now enjoy high speed unlimited internet up to 20Mbps on copper and up to 100Mbps on fiber at affordable prices on different packages and services across Pakistan.
Talking about the offer, Yasir Manzoor, General Manager Content and Multimedia, PTCL, said: “PTCL continues to offer best-in-class services to its valued customers.
“We are constantly working to improve our products and services in line with the customers’ expectations.”
Being a national company, the general manager said that every citizen should be able to experience a digital life style.
“Therefore, PTCL is introducing such offers to cater to the ever increasing demand for unlimited data and high speed internet at affordable rates.”
PTCL endeavors to serve customers across Pakistan with a wide and diverse range of products and services.