KARACHI, Aug 9: The telecom sector in Asian has seen the highest growth rate in which China and India lead in terms of numbers but Pakistan excels in terms of growth rate where mobile phone subscribers’ base is increasing at the rate of two million subscribers per month.

This was stated by Ufone president and CEO Babar Khan at the inaugural ceremony of the sixth ITCN Asia 2006 at the Expo Centre here on Wednesday.

He said it took approximately 12 years to reach one billion GSM subscribers worldwide in 2004 but only the last two-and-a-half years witnessed a sudden growth to two billion. At this rate the overall GSM base is expected to cross 3.3 billion by 2010.

In a competitive business environment, he said it was now necessary to introduce differentiating offers by continuously introducing the latest technology, he said. Ufone has around 7.5 million subscribers.

Bilal Munir Shaikh, vice-president marketing, Mobilink, speaking at the ITCN Asia conference said cellular had emerged as the fastest growing sector in Pakistan by posting a growth of 149 per cent since 2002.

He said the telecom industry had stimulated Pakistan’s economic growth by its contribution to foreign direct investment from a meagre 1.3pc in 2001-02 to 45.3pc in 2005-06.Telecom sector’s contribution to the exchequer in the shape of duties and taxes had surged from $167 million in 2001-02 to $845 million in 2005-06, he said, adding that Mobilink had been in forefront with an investment of over $1.2 billion.

Motorola country-manager Nadeem Safdar said the company was investing further in developing new networks and handsets offering to address every segment of the market.

“The company is helping transform mobile phone from a luxury item to one that is affordable and one that will boost overall economic development of Pakistan,” he added.

APP adds: Earlier, former federal minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh formally inaugurated the sixth ITCN Asia 2006 international exhibition and conference at the Karachi Expo Centre on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said a large number of foreign delegates were participating in the event which would highlight Pakistan's potential to the world.

“This will have a positive impact on Pakistan's economy and further improve the image of the country as well as Karachi,” Dr Sheikh noted.