The strides made to connect the country domestically and internationally have had remarkable implications for the growth of the economy in the past 74 years. From agriculture to finance, and infrastructure, communications service providers (CSPs) have created pathways to support the nation’s growth into an essential economy in Asia.
Not long after the country’s birth the establishment of the Pakistan Posts & Telegraph Department in 1949, laid the foundation for the nation’s focus on connectivity as a means to bridge society and business. Later, in 1962, this became the Pakistan Telephone & Telegraph Department which further helped to blossom the country’s telecom industry.
Ericsson’s long association with Pakistan dates back to the late 1950s. We were involved in the formulation of first telecom policy in the country and introduced digital wireline exchanges and mobile telephony in Pakistan.
Now in 2021, the future of connectivity has boundless potential that would have been unimaginable when the Pakistan Posts & Telegraph Department was established. Connectivity now means Internet of Things (IoT), which will support digital transformation and the development of revolutionary business models and offerings. Every business will have the opportunity to grow new revenues thanks to the ubiquitous nature of IoT and with cellular IoT, 5G.
We believe in partnership and we believe in the long-term prosperity of Pakistan’s social and economic growth. So much as we have a strong presence in the country, investing in people, business, and society. Currently, we have offices in Karachi, Lahore along with our corporate office in Islamabad. We have a strong team of approximately 400 telecom professionals that are engaged in serving our valued partners across the country.
We are an active ecosystem player in the country and are playing our part in enabling mobile service providers to provide better services and user experience in the market. In this pursuit, we continue to work together in designing and building mobile telephony infrastructure along with associated services. Moreover, we have been working on mobile financial services projects that help spread financial inclusion for all Pakistanis. In parallel, we are consistently aligning and working with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Ministry of Information Technology (IT) on relevant interest areas to share insights and learnings from our industry-leading research and development (R&D) and global expertise.
Mobile service providers are our major business partners globally and this is no different in Pakistan, but we also enable mobile financial services provision and the further expansion of financial inclusion.
Much of our work focuses on actively providing mobile backhaul infrastructure, network design and optimization services, business support solutions as well as application development and maintenance, and IT operations services.
Pakistan is a young and vibrant market. Mobile users have proven to be tech-savvy and there is great demand for data services resulting in doubling traffic every year. 4G handset penetration is also increasing every quarter. These are all healthy signs that demand is only going up in future. To address data uptake, mobile service providers will require access to more spectrum and will need to densify 4G networks along with a plan to introduce 5G.
Pakistan has seen a dramatic increase in mobile broadband penetration in recent years and strong growth is predicted, driven by further adoption of 4G and eventually 5G services.
Looking ahead, connectivity will be the bedrock of the Digital Pakistan initiative. At Ericsson, we are focused on playing an important role in fulfilling the goals of country’s transformation ambitions.
We are committed to provide our technology solutions and services to enable the further build out of 4G networks as well as their evolution to 5G and future innovations on which the digital future on the country will depend on.
As further testament to our commitment to Pakistan, we have recently injected substantial additional share capital in our local operations to provide a stable financial foundation for growth. We are also establishing a near-shore centre for IT in Pakistan, leveraging the depth of IT skills and capabilities in Pakistan for Middle East and Africa.
These are important and exciting times for Pakistan, and we will continue to increase our contribution to the country by further engaging the wider industry, start-ups, and academia, as well as increasing employment in the market by opening offshore delivery centers and increasing our presence and support for the nation.
Through partnerships and collaboration, we can see Pakistan achieve more telecommunications milestones that propel the country further in the 21st century.
The 74th Independence Day is momentous but is just the beginning of further growth and evolution that will continue to make the nation a beacon for possibility in Asia.
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