Ministry Of Information Technology To Make Telecom Industry Strong

Ministry of Information Technology to make telecom industry strong

Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication had been taking interest in making the IT industry of the country a strong one to face the challenges in a way of digital transformation.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Apr, 2018 ) :Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication had been taking interest in making the IT industry of the country a strong one to face the challenges in a way of digital transformation.

An official of ministry said, there is a strong need to build a powerful infrastructure of IT for that ministry is working for last four years, Pakistan has developed a modern telecom infrastructure which is accessible throughout the country and it is available at an affordable price.

He said, the telecom users in the country will enjoy seamless connectivity with over 30 times more speed than the current 4g technology as the world's fastest and most technologically advanced fifth generation (5G) internet technology is poised to enter the market in the next few years.

In 2020, the 5G technology will offer data speeds of up to 1 gigabyte (GB) per second and during trial as high as 10GB per second, he added. He said, while mobile data consumption across the world may be rising, the advent of 5G will transform the possibilities of what smart phones and other mobile devices are capable of achieving.

The next generation technology will use the 'millimetre wave' radio spectrum. Higher frequencies, like this, are capable of carrying a significant amount of data, although more research is needed before this technology hits the market in 2020.

According to official data country's IT industry has exhibited positive growth trends for the last four years with 100% growth in export earnings. During 2016-17, Pakistan's IT exports were $3.3 billion, which have jumped to $5 billion and are expected to grow to $6 billion next years.

Pakistan's IT industry is growing at a fast pace across different categories.

Enterprise software has grown by 17%, marketing tech 15%, financial services 13%, consumer goods 9%, retail/e-commerce 8%, professional services 8%, internet of things/hardware 7%, health care 4%, media 4% and non-profit 3%.

He said, Telecom Policy 2015 has been Review and Integration of multiple telecom sector policies into one National Telecom Policy and Abolishment of ICH regime - Measures to curb Grey Traffic. Another reason of growth of telecom sector is Incentive Package that has been given by the present government.

The incentives are expected to increase the IT exports of the country to $10 billion by 2020 and accelerate the digitization of key economic sectors locally. The incentive package will overcome the challenges faced by the IT/ITeS industry from competing & regional economies and will tackle issues like high taxation on IT/ITeS companies, lack of quality physical infrastructure and limited domestic opportunities.

The package, as part of the Digital Pakistan Policy, will include fiscal proposals such as, Extension of zero rated income tax regime on IT exports to 2030 (currently set to expire in 2019), Removal of 2-8% minimum tax on services and Removal of custom duty and sales tax for imports on specific items.

He said, Telecom sector has also secured 100 MHz for mobile broadband and 300 MHz for fixed satellite service at the World Radio communication Conference 2015 for the country. Telecenter Program - A community resource center that provides broadband internet and e-services access to citizens in underserved areas.

Contract for establishment of 10 initial Telecenters has been signed with M/s Pakistan Mobile Communication Ltd. (Jazz).