Islamabad, July 13, 2023 – The Universal Service Fund (USF) has awarded a contract worth approximately Rs6.78 billion to Ufone for providing High-Speed Mobile Broadband services in the Sibbi district of Balochistan province and Motorway M-8.
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Floods affect telecom services: PTA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that the recent flash floods in Balochistan have caused multiple optic fiber breaks impacting voice and data services in Lasbela, Kech, Panjgoor, Gwadar, Awaran, Ziarat, Mastung and adjoining areas.
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About 343 cell sites of three cellular mobile operators (Telenor, Ufone and Zong) and PTCL have been affected due to floods.
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Efforts are being made to resolve this unprecedented situation. PTA is working with the concerned operators for early restorations of affected communication channels.
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Ufone increases rates amid rising inflation
KARACHI: Ufone, Pakistan’s largest phone service provider, has increased tariff for its various packages.
In a message sent by the cellular service provider to its customers said: “… to maintain quality of services during ongoing rise in inflation, there will be changes in some of our offers.”
READ MORE: Ufone 4G ranked top voice and data network
The rates of following packages have been increased:
UPower 100, which was of Rs.100 has been increased to Rs.120 with change in resources of addition 1000 SMS in All in One (Option 1) Variant which will be effective from June 28, 2022.
Super Card Plus, which was of Rs.649 has been increased to Rs.699 which will be effective from June 29, 2022. The resources are same as previous.
READ MORE: Ufone signs Rs21 billion agreement for 4G spectrum
Super Card Gold, which was of Rs.999 has been increased to Rs.1099 with change of resources of addition 100 Off-Net minutes and 2GB Main volume and 2 GB Social Volume (1 GB FB and 1 GB WA) which will be effective from June 29, 2022.
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Meezan Bank provides bill discounting facility for Huawei
KARACHI: Meezan Bank has successfully instituted an Islamic alternate to Inland Bill Discounting Facility for Huawei Technologies Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited – a first-of-its-kind transaction in Islamic banking industry, developed as a Shariah-compliant alternate to local bill discounting facility.
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The first drawdown under the facility was made against a deferred payment inland Letter of Credit (LC) opened by Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone) in favour of Huawei. The transaction has been developed by the Bank under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani – Vice Chairman Shariah Board, Meezan Bank, after a series of deliberations and persistent efforts.
READ MORE: Meezan Bank announces 26% growth in annual profit
On this occasion, Abdullah Ahmed – Group Head, Corporate & Institutional Banking, Meezan Bank stated: “Meezan Bank is pleased to offer yet another milestone solution for the Islamic banking industry i.e., a Shariah-compliant alternative to discounting of long tenor inland bills with provision of variable profit rates. We are hopeful that this solution will serve as a precedent for unique transactions pertaining to trade within telecom industry.”
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Ahmed Ali Siddiqui – Group Head, Shariah Compliance, Meezan Bank, stated, “This endeavour of Meezan Bank displays its capability to develop out-of-the-box, innovative and Shariah-compliant solutions and reinforces its position as the leading Islamic bank of the country. We hope this solution will open a new chapter in facilitating trade among businesses and industries in a Shariah-compliant way and bring more businesses and trade into fold of Islamic banking.”
READ MORE: Meezan Bank starts Islamic financing scheme for SMEs
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Ufone 4G ranked top voice and data network
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has declared Ufone 4G as No. 1 voice and data network in the country.
The PTA declared ranked top Ufone 4G in its ‘Mobile Networks Benchmark Report for 2022’.
PTA used Network Performance Score (NPS) methodology to ascertain service quality across the country. The integrated innovative methodology, standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) allows regulators to assess network performances through automated tests of simulated Voice, Data and SMS usage behaviors of end users.
READ MORE: Ufone signs Rs21 billion agreement for 4G spectrum
The report reaffirms the company’s strong focus on delivering the highest quality connectivity to its customers to enhance their user experience. Ufone 4G topped the nationwide benchmarking campaign, where the company’s Voice and Data services scored the highest aggregate total of 634 out of 800.
The study was held across all federal and provincial capitals including four towns, along with four major motorways & highways to ascertain the quality of mobile networks. PTA survey teams made more than 15 thousand Voice calls and conducted 45 thousand Data tests across an area of approximately 4,522 kilometers in length at these locations.
Ufone 4G achieved highest scores for its Voice and Data services, with a significantly higher margin against the industry benchmarks and other Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) in Pakistan. The Pakistani telecom company demonstrated the best call setup performance and the strongest data network across all cities and towns surveyed by the regulator.
READ MORE: Ufone launches contact center for housing loans
The steady improvement in the Ufone 4G’s network quality and coverage was witnessed following its acquisition of 4G spectrum and investment in enhancing and modernizing its network in line with its long-term commitment to improve the user experience of its customers.
It is the second survey by PTA in a year. The regulator carries out telecom benchmarking campaigns from time to time to assess network quality and performance as well as to spur healthy competition in the industry, thereby encouraging delivery of quality service to telecom users.
PTA’s latest ranking reaffirms Ufone 4G’s long term endeavor to transform the way customers experience telecom services. To that end, the company acquired 4G spectrum and continues to innovate and modernize its network to deliver the best Voice and Data experience to the users because users remain at the heart of everything Ufone 4G ever undertakes, as is evident from its cherished brand slogan, Tum He Tou Ho!
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PTA issues procedure to block telemarketing messages
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Monday issued the procedure to bloc telemarketing communication and unwanted/spam messages.
The PTA said that unwanted calls/messages can be disruptive, but there are measures to minimize them.
For blocking telemarketing communication, a person needs to register his number on the “Do Not Contact Register (DNCR)”. In order to register the person need to send a message by typing ‘reg’ and SMS to 3627.
To allow telemarketing communication again, type ‘unreg’ and SMS to 3627.
The PTA said that concerned service provider may be contacted in case of issue or for details about tariff/subscription charges.
To block spamming/unsolicited communication, the PTA issued procedure under which a person should type spammer’s cell number, give a space, paste the received message and SMS to 9000.
SMS charges of PKR 0.10 (inclusive of taxes) apply for each SMS to prevent abuse of facility.
For blocking obnoxious/unknown calls and SMSs, the PTA suggested to dial *420# (for Jazz, Telenor & Ufone subscribers) or 420 (for ZONG subscribers). Concerned service provider may be contacted to get detail about tariff/subscription.
The regulator further said that in case an issue is not resolved, the complaint may be lodged to PTA through an online complaint management system:
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Ufone signs Rs21 billion agreement for 4G spectrum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone has secured its largest syndicated financing facility jointly led by MCB Bank Limited (MCB) (Agent bank), Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Bank of Punjab (BoP), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), and United Bank Limited (UBL) to fund the acquisition and rollout of its 4G services across Pakistan.
President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, HatemBamatraf signed the agreement for the syndicated financing of PKR 21 billion at a ceremony held in Islamabad, which was also attended by President, MCB Bank, Imran Maqbool; Group Head, Corporate Finance & International Banking, MCB Bank, Mr. ShoaibMumtaz; President Allied Bank, AizidRazzaq Gill; Chief, Corporate & Investment Banking, Allied Bank, OwaisShahid; Head Investment Banking, Bank of Punjab, Umer Khan, AbidKitchlew Divisional Head C&IBG, National Bank, and Farooq Ahmed Khan Group Head Corporate & Investment Banking, United Bank Ltd .
Ufone has recently been awarded 4G Spectrum License as a result of competitive bidding during the spectrum auction held by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The company’s investment in 4G spectrum will go onto enhancing its network capacity and readiness besides delivering superior connectivity and user experience to its customers.
Speaking at the ceremony President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, HatemBamatraf expressed his gratitude to the banking consortium for the timely financial support and said “The Financing Solution will go a long way in bringing high quality mobile broadband services to the people of Pakistan. It will improve quality of network services and usher in a host of socio-economic opportunities for growth and development for our customers” He further added “ It is a mutual goal that both Pakistan’s banking and telecom industries are working to achieve in order to create shared value for the communities we serve.”
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Ufone launches contact center for housing loans
ISLAMABAD: Ufone has launched its new state-of-the-art contact center for Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA). The contact center has been launched to resolve queries and generate leads for the Government of Pakistan’s ‘Mera Pakistan, MeraGhar’ helpline initiative, which brings affordable housing finance facilities for low-income groups.
The Contact Center was inaugurated by Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Reza Baqir, here in Islamabad, in presence of President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf, Chairman, Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority,Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Anwar Ali Hyder, Chairman Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA), Muhammad Aurangzeb, and senior management of the member banks and financial institutions of PBA.
Ufone is providing Contact Center services to PBA from two existing Centers by disseminating information on the loan process, eligibility criteria etc., besides offering 24/7 query and complaint resolution services to prospective customers.
Sharing his thoughts at the ceremony, President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf, said:“We are glad to be a part of this historic initiative for the people of Pakistan. Ufone’s onboarding as the official contact service provider is a testament to the company’s extraordinary track record as a dependable services provider for Pakistan’s business sector. We constantly innovate and modernize our products and services ecosystem to deliver a remarkable user experience to our individual and corporate customers. The latest state-of-the-art Contact Center facility will further enhance our capacity to respond to queries and complaints to bring a hassle-free banking experience to the low-cost housing beneficiaries.”
The Contact Center will provide an additional channel for Ufone to resolve queries and generate leads for the housing finance project and promote its nationwide uptake. The facilities are easily scalable to manage additional facilitation as the need arises.
The facilities feature robust centralized Complaints Management and Leads Management Systems to help the member banks track every step of the customer journey, besides expediting the processing of the loans. Ufone Contact Centers are strategically located for effective management of traffic for calls from across Pakistan.
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Cellular spectrum auction generates $30 million: PTA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday said that an amount of $30 million has been generated as revenue from first-ever cellular spectrum auction for Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) in Azad Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit Baltistan.
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Ufone awarded Next Generation MS spectrum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone has been awarded Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as a result of recently held spectrum auction.
The company won the spectrum in a bid to enhance 4G customer experience across the country.
Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Syed Aminul Haq along with Secretary IT & Telecom, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, Chairman PTA, Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa (Retd.) HI (M), senior officials from the ministry and PTCL Group attended the event. DG Licensing PTA, Brig. Amer Shahzad (Retd.) and President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf signed the contract.
The company plans to use the spectrum to introduce new innovative products and services and enhance its customer experience by providing high-quality internet as well as to expand its existing network to unserved and underserved regions of the country.
Sharing his thoughts on spectrum acquisition, President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf said: “It is a historic day for Ufone, as we have acquired additional 4G Spectrum in order to fully optimize our mobile data services. This will enable us to further enhance our users’ experience, expand the existing network to serve the unserved areas. Improved data experience will enable a digital transformation in education, health care, agriculture, banking and ecommerce ecosystems to name a few.”
“We appreciate Government of Pakistan for executing the spectrum auction process in a seamless and transparent manner”, he further added.
The additional spectrum will enable Ufone to not only connect Pakistanis living in far flung areas without cellular services but will also enable people in urban centers and towns to enjoy new sets of innovative products and unmatched experience.