Archive for June 30th, 2008

BlackBerry Dominates Smartphone and Push Mail In Pakistan - Warid On Board As Well

Published by Babar Bhatti on June 30, 2008 under Digital Convergence, ICT, Mobile Companies, Mobile Phones, Mobile Trends, Mobile Web, Telecommunications, Wireless

As a regular BlackBerry user myself, I am pleased to see that Pakistani consumers now have much better choices for using BlackBerry. Warid has started offering BlackBerry and that too - unlocked. This year has seen two new entrants for BlackBerry service in Pakistan: Ufone and Warid.

Both Ufone and Warid are hurting with subscriber growth and low ARPUs and could use more business subscribers. The introduction of BlackBerry service should definitely help them. With more competition for BlackBerry the rates and services are going to converge to a stable point.

It is going to be a lot less painful for foreigners and expat Pakistanis to bring in their BlacBerries to Pakistan.Telenor is the only remaining telco without a BalckBerrry offering - as I wrote in my last BlackBerry post and other bloggers are asking too - but its only a matter of time as they are probably busy with handling their fast pace of growth.

This brings me to the big picture view of Smart phone market in Pakistan. So the guys at RIM have done a good job with the otherwise Nokia dominated Pakistani market. I guess this is their global plan: get people hooked on to BlackBerries before Apple starts invading their territory. Good work. Now we need to see some cool apps customized for Pakistani market - how are we doing there?

Related Posts:

  • Blackberry in Pakistan/
  • Ufone joins blackberry club in Pakistan

    • Zong Expands Services To Northern Areas

    Published by Babar Bhatti on June 30, 2008 under China, Consumer Rights, Emerging Markets Telecom, ICT, Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Zong

    The far-flung Northern areas have been a major beneficiary of the changing telecommunication landscape in Pakistan. Ignore for a long time, these areas have been getting attention from the mobile phone companies. After Mobilink and Telenor, Zong has also launched its services in the beautiful cities of Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu, Besharn and Sust. I am sure the residents of the region are enjoying this increase in competition and the choices they have now.

    According to the press release, Zong has about 3000 cell tower sites today and the plan to have 10,000 sites by the end of 2009. I found it interesting that Zong’s COO referred to their experience of working in mountainous regions. Most of the time we tend to think about Zong’s huge size and deep pockets, but there’s more to it!

    “We believe Zong will have a clear edge over the competition in the Northern Areas especially, as China Mobile has huge experience of network operation in similar high mountainous areas in China itself,” stated Zafar Usmani, the COO of CMPak Ltd. The region now being covered by Zong borders with China, with the Karakoram Highway (old Silk Route) playing a vital role in freight transportation. ZONG is also working towards ensuring the Highway’s coverage.