|
|
|
NEWSBITS
WLL to revolutionize telecom sector: PTA
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has completed the process of bidding for 14 telecom regions for the grant of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) licences with the conclusion of the auction of spectrum in Southern Telecom Region- V (STR-V) and Karachi Telecom Region (KTR) here on Thursday.
According to a press release, the bidding for the 14 telecom regions for allocation of spectrum in 1.9 GHz, 450 MHz, 479 MHz and 3.5 GHz was likely to fetch investment to the tune of Rs14 billion and about 180 WLL licences were expected to be issued for operation in various regions.
In his remarks, the PTA chairman Maj-Gen (retired) Shahzada Alam said the launching of WLL service in the country would bring a revolution in the telecom sector and the process would fetch huge investment. He said the completion of spectrum bidding was the culmination of the deregulation of telecom sector.
He said WLL was the modern technology which best suited to the prevailing environment in Pakistan and the service would prove very useful in the rural areas. In the bidding of spectrum in 1.9 GHz in STR-V, one block was taken by the PTCL at the highest bid of Rs79 million while two other blocks were secured by Tele card and World Call.
In the bidding for the spectrum of 450MHz, both the carriers were won by DV Com at the highest bid of Rs32 million each. Only one block in the frequency of 479MHz was available which was offered to World Call at the highest bid of Rs11 million.
Seven blocks in the frequency of 3.5 GHz were available and one each was obtained by Tele card, DV Com, PTCL, World Call, Burraq Telecom, Warid WLL and Sachal Soft Tech at the base price of Rs58,000.
Out of the three blocks in the KTR, the PTCL gave the highest bid of Rs1.204 billion for one block in the spectrum of 1.9 GHz while the other two blocks were allocated to Tele card and DV Com at the matching cost.
In 450MHz band, three carriers were available out of which two were allotted to World Call at the highest bid of Rs88 million for each carrier, while the third carrier was taken by Microtech links on the highest bid of Rs37 million for one block in the spectrum of 3.5GHz, while six other blocks each were awarded to Tele card, DV Com, PTCL, Burraq Telecom, Warid WLL and Cyber Internet. — Sci-tech World Report
IT exports up by 48pc
The information technology export registered a 48 per cent growth last year, which is a good omen and will lead to economic revolution in the country, Federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari revealed.
He was speaking as chief guest at a seminar on “Revolutionising the Desktop” organized by Clear Cube at a local hotel. “This tremendous growth in the IT export reflects the investment-friendly and export-oriented policies of the government,” he said.
He said the unprecedented rise in IT exports had mainly been achieved through a growing confidence by investors in Pakistan’s market, guidance and help provided by the ministry of information technology and the Pakistan Software Export Board that has been restructured to incorporate in its board top professionals from the private and public sector.
Pakistani IT companies had begun to make their presence felt in the international markets and the fact that Clear Cube, an Austin-based company, had been using software developed by Pakistan’s ten software developers was an indication of the potential and expertise of local companies, he added. — Sci-tech World Report
AIOU research complex
Allama Iqbal Open University plans to establish a research complex at a cost of Rs50 million to provide modern research facilities to the scientists. The university also plans to set up a council to widen the scope of distance learning.
This was stated by the AIOU vice-chancellor, Dr Altaf Hussain, while talking to this agency. “The university is playing a pivotal role in achieving the goal of ‘education for all’, human resources and women development,” the vice-chancellor maintained.
Replying to a question, he said the university had started various IT programmes, including setting up of Attaur Rehman Research Complex (ARRC) at a cost of Rs50 million which would be completed by March next.
The ARRC would be made the world’s most trust-worthy research complex like the Dr Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. Modern research facilities in the fields of physics, chemistry and biology will be available in the proposed complex both for students as well as scientists.
The university has already imported research equipments and machinery of worth Rs50 million for the complex.
Replying to another question regarding funding for the complex, he said it was being set up with the endowment fund of the university and no single penny had been demanded from the government.
“The endowment fund was Rs470 million, when I took charge as VC and now it has reached Rs1.002 billion”, he added.
Dr Hussain said the non-formal education system of the university should neither be ignored nor given less importance and more allocation should be made by the HEC to support its various important projects.
There was dire need of provision of land for its regional campuses in various cities, the VC exhorted, pointing out that at present most of the campuses are working in private rented houses and bungalows and the university is spending high amount on rent.
“Being one of the major universities of the world, it is unfortunate that its campuses are not on its own buildings and facing a lot of problems in this regard”, he added.
He further said, we can construct multi-purpose building like the campus recently set up in Peshawar at a cost of Rs25 million.
Dr Hussain also said that the education standard of the university was rising and an increase in the enrolment day by day shows a trust on the education system of the university by the people.
The university has not raised the fee and due to increase in the enrolment, the university is expected to collect Rs1bn this year from the fees. — Sci-tech World Report
|
|
|
|
