In view of the importance of local contents and applications for future promotion of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) industry and infrastructure, PTA in collaboration with Motorola organized an exclusive conference on “Promoting ICT Sector” here, today. Secretary IT & Telecom, Naguibullah Malik, Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen, Member (Finance) PTA, Syed Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi, Member (Technical) PTA, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, leading representatives from IT & telecommunication sector and renowned academic & research scholars attended the conference.

Through this conference, a unique platform was provided to potential content providers to present their applications and ideas linked with ICT usage and development. Nine (9) local content providers displayed their applications during the conference which were highly appreciated by the ICT industry.  This conference was planned to spot the latest access technologies in the country and understand the challenges faced by telecom industry in terms of high cost of ownership and OPEX.

Addressing the conference Secretary IT & Telecom said that for the promotion of ICT sector in Pakistan, there is an acute need of bringing consensus among the Government, IT Industry, Telcos and academia to map out effective strategies for the best utilization of available opportunities in this sector. In this regard, he appreciated this initiative of PTA for providing an important platform for some constructive dialogue and discussion.

Secretary IT drew attention of the participants to four main focus areas which could give a boost to the development of ICT sector. Those areas include IT & Telecom education, research, entrepreneurship and local industries. He said that to carry out productive work in these areas, support of an efficient policy is also mandatory, for which the Government is working extensively and soon this policy will be introduced to the industry.

Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen said that the telecom sector of Pakistan has shown a rapid growth in the last few years. Especially the voice segment has been leading the other segments of telecommunication. Today, we have around 97.6 million cellular subscribers with total teledensity reaching upto 63.5%. However, the sector is still under-served as far as broadband is concerned.  He said that the key issue in further development of data segment is non-availability of local contents and applications which can contribute towards formulation of ICT-based economy.

He also highlighted the role of academia as a potential contributor of this sector. He said that a few educational institutes in Pakistan are already engaged in conducting useful research work but the contributory role of academia at large is, unfortunately, a ‘missing link’. At present, Pakistan’s telecom sector is in dire need of establishing strong academia linkage with industry and government to accelerate future technical excellence and entrepreneurship. He said that we need to encourage the participation of all stakeholders in this effort so that the issues, problems and barriers faced by the industry in the promotion of ICT sector may be highlighted and addressed properly hence the appropriate way outs to those problems can also be identified.

In reference to its endeavors for the development of ICTs in Pakistan, Dr. Yaseen said that PTA has taken number of initiatives to launch and promote new innovative solutions for the betterment of telecom industry and society and would continue its efforts till the set objectives are achieved completely. He invited all the stake holders to join their hands with PTA in order to bring about spectacular growth in the ICT sector as well as to enhance their own business in the market.

It may be mentioned that development of ICTs has become an important growth factor for countries around the globe. With every passing day, the world is edging into an information-based age. The rapid evolution of ICTs is clearly re-shaping daily lives, enhancing productivity and transforming the economies.

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The Secretary IT stated “The IT industry’s long-term growth can be secured by promoting the entrepreneurial spirit in Pakistan’s future workforce, and by establishing the infrastructure necessary to secure venture capital financing. PSEB has also made good progress in order to establish Pakistan’s first national IT park in Islamabad. Establishing the Shaheen Complex Software Technology Park is a positive step in the right direction.”

“I hope this park will solve the much-needed office space for the growing IT industry. I am delighted to share that with the declaration of this park the total available space managed by PSEB will increase considerably. I would also like to share that PSEB is making best efforts to acquire more buildings to expand the available IT space for the sector.” MD PSEB said on the statement issued here.

PSEB has signed a contract with M/s Shaheen Foundation and converted one of its prominent buildings ‘Shaheen Complex’ located at Egerton Road, Lahore into an IT Park. The state-of-the-art nine-story Shaheen Complex has a total covered area of 360,000 square feet and a rentable office space of 217,000 sq.ft. with two basements and is equipped with high speed fiber connectivity with redundancy and entails the most modern and top of the line civic amenities. The complex offers backup power supply, express lifts, access control and close circuit TV (CCTV) for vigilant security monitoring, centralized heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fully integrated fire detection and voice evacuation system, ample car parking and other civil defense essentials.

The CEOs of IT companies shared the progress, achievements, and challenges faced by their respective entities with the Secretary IT and Managing Director, PSEB, Mr. Talib Baloch. PSEB and MOITT are in the process of identifying viable solutions to address these challenges and to enhance the growth and credibility of Pakistan’s IT industry.

‘Superbrands’, a globally renowned independent organization for selecting exceptional brands throughout the world based on their market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and overall market acceptance held a Tribute Event on 10th June 2009 at Golf Club Karachi. There were 30 top notch brands of Pakistan, belonging to diverse industries, recognized at the event. Inbox’s Vice President Supply Chain, Zaheer Farooqi received the award on behalf of Inbox.

The award is distributed to those brands which have been able to build instant familiarity and trust upon their brand name along with providing sense of comfort to their customers.

Inbox has not only built strong relationship with its customers but has also been consistent with providing best possible solutions. Inbox has come a long way since its startup days to become the best-in-class technology solutions company. Inbox’s strength lies in its people, partnerships, and proficiency of tools, and methodologies, which differentiates it from the other IT service providers of Pakistan.

“We are honored to receive this award, and are pleased to be the only IT company in Pakistan to achieve it. Superbrands award clearly reflects our continuous commitment towards our customers and their confidence in Inbox as a reliable brand”. – Ghias Khan, CEO Inbox

There were in total 1,200 brands from all business sectors selected from Pakistan, out of which 100 were shortlisted for participation; 30 for final nomination from which Inbox was chosen as the best Technology company based on its market strengths, positioning, achievements, history, brand value, and product & organization development.

In addition to Superbrands award, Inbox has also received Brands of the Year award 2008; Most Outstanding Achievement and Highest Growing Partner of IBM; Top Revenue Generating partner of Microsoft Pakistan; Highest Sales award by Intel; Partner of the year 2008 by Acer; Top PC Selling brand by IDC Asia and numerous others.

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi signed an agreement with the Oracle Academy to introduce the Oracle Academy’s Advanced Computer Science program at IBA. This program will help IBA Computer Science students to develop the business and technology skills required for the modern professional world.

Dean & Director IBA, Dr Ishrat Husain and Samina Rizwan, Regional Director, Oracle SAGE West signing the agreement.Associate Dean, Dr Sayeed Ghani, Imran Khan, Project Manager AIAP & Faculty of Computer Science and Aamirah Nyazee, Manager, Oracle Education Initiatives SAGE West are also seen in the picture.

The agreement will enable IBA to integrate Oracle Academy’s software and curriculum into its undergraduate and graduate programs. By combining the Oracle Academy with IBA’s Academia-Industry Alliances Program (AIAP), IBA students get access to world-class technical curriculum and gain hands-on experience with Oracle’s industry-leading database and middleware software.

The Oracle Academy helps students worldwide to develop business and technology skills and provides teachers with world-class training and professional development opportunities by granting software, curriculum, and certification resources to high schools, vocational centers, colleges and universities.

Addressing the audience at the signing ceremony, Dean & Director IBA, Dr Ishrat Husain said, “IBA students will benefit from the Oracle Academy curriculum, gaining hands-on practical knowledge with industry-leading software while developing in-demand skills.”

Samina Rizwan, Regional Director, Oracle SAGE West said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome IBA into the Oracle Academy program. Through the Oracle Academy’s Advanced Computer Science curriculum, IBA will equip its students with the tools and knowledge that will give them an edge in the professional world.  With the Oracle Academy, IBA’s Computer Science students will be able to add more value to their academic profile. ”

The partnership with the Oracle Academy is part of the Director’s IBA Strategic Plan, which envisions IBA to be ranked among the top 100 global business schools and top 10 business schools in the region in five years. The IBA-Oracle partnership proves to be a milestone in this direction and is part of multi-dimensional reforms recently introduced in IBA.

The Oracle Academy

The Oracle Academy and the Oracle Education Foundation’s initiatives reach over 1 million students worldwide. The Oracle Academy supports 655,000+ students in 86 countries. By partnering with schools, districts, and ministries that believe in early career preparation, the Oracle Academy helps students develop the technology and business skills required for 21st century careers. Participating institutions may integrate Oracle’s cutting-edge software and curriculum into their courses and avail their faculty to first-class professional development opportunities.