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PTCL may cut tariff when private firms become operational
THE Pakistan Telecommunication Company will have to make tariff adjustments, most probably downward revision - when private companies become operational in the telecommunications industry.
This was disclosed by the Islamabad-based member operations of the PTCL, Zahir Mohammad Khan, to Dawn on his recent visit to Karachi.
Mr Khan, a retired captain, said that in the changed telecommunications scenario in Pakistan, the PTCL’s performance would be affected by an oversized workforce — nearly 60,000 strong — and the unwiedly copper equipment.
Established as a public limited company in 1996, the PTCL is 88 per cent owned by the government. At present, the PTCL is the sole dominant player in the country’s telecommunications market with a share of about 98 per cent of telecommunications stock market capitalization. Its overall share in the telecommunications industry in terms of financial size stand at around 79 per cent, with mobile companies following at 13 per cent, Internet service providers at 4 per cent and payphone companies at 3 per cent.
The PTCL member operations said the phone utility was gearing up to meet the challenges thrown up by the deregulation policy okayed by the federal government in June.
Recently, the federal minister for information technology, Awais Ahmed Khan, conceded that the PTCL would lose six per cent of the total revenue after the entry of private telecom players into the market. Nevertheless, he announced that licences would be issued to private operators for a period of 20 years and would be subject to regulation by the PTA.
Mr Khan said the deregulation policy was technology neutral and allowed new telecom players to employ whichever technology suited them economically.
He told Dawn that the PTCL was going into the field of optical fibre access network for which tenders had already been issued and letters of interest accepted from private parties. He added that the optical fibre access network would be available to PTCL subscribers by March or April the next year.
Awards for scientists
Science-based company DuPont, in collaboration with Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), is announcing this year science awards for the advancements and creativity in the fields of chemistry, agricultural sciences and textile technology.
Appreciating the initiative, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr Atta-ur-Rahman said at the event, “Pakistan is not an exception when it comes to talent and ingenuity. I believe that Pakistanis themselves can bring the miracles of science to their lives. I appreciate the efforts made by DuPont in coming forward to launch a program to give reward to the best scientists in different disciplines, annually, encouraging new scientists to participate each year.”
He added, “I would like to see more multinationals coming forward to promote science and technology in Pakistan.”
Announcing the awards, DuPont Chief Executive Asif Akram said, “DuPont Pakistan has stepped forward to provide a platform to the scientists of the country, recognize their work and bring it to the masses.”
The categories are based on their impact on Pakistan’s economy and growth, according to a press release.
All scientists working in public or private sector are eligible for the award, which will be made on the basis of performance in the last five years (1998 to 2002). Entries may be submitted before Sept 6, 2003, to DuPont Science Awards, c/o Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat, G-5/2, Islamabad.
For more info: info@science-awards.com.pk.
Entry forms may be downloaded in pdf as well as doc format from: http://www.science-awards.com.pk/.
DuPont, a 200-year-old US-based company offers innovative products, technologies and services. In Pakistan, the company has been operating for over ten years.
Pakistan Council for Science and Technology has prepared cirteria for each award category, and will select the award-winning entries. It advises the government on S&T policies and plans, and suggest measures for their development. PCST is also the secretariat of the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) which is the apex decisionmaker body for S&T development in Pakistan, and is headed by the prime minister.
Mehran varsity labs
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to upgrade laboratories of the department of mining engineering at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) of the HEC held under the chairmanship of the commission’s executive director Dr M Akram Shaikh.
According to a press release, the project, costing about Rs35 million, aimed at strengthening the existing labs facilities of the university’s mining engineering department as well as launching indigenous PhD and MPhil programmes in various fields of mining and mineral engineering and to conduct problem-oriented and basic research in the field. — Dawn ScienceDotcom Report
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