I leave it up to you to comment on the achievements mentioned above. I think the previous posts and comments on rising price were clear enough that consumers are not satisfied with the recent direction of telecom sector in Pakistan.

The question was: how does google know my location in Pakistan? There are 2 pieces of local information needed: the tower location data and other is the map data. There are companies which sell such kind of data so expect this feature to be available at more and more places. Rest of the algorithm uses the signal information and the application is able to locate you within a certain degree of accuracy, therefore the term blue dot.

So go ahead, use your web-enabled phone and download google maps in case you don’t have it. And if you use this feature often please share where and how or better yet, send us pictures.

• “productive usage” vs “# of connections”
• results vs usage of broadband internet (catch the mobility wave)
• Urdu on the web (in normal Urdu script)

Tee Emm attended the event and shared some great commentary on Dr. Mateeen’s presentation which is worth repeating here:

Some presentations were really good and thought provoking like the one given by Dr Amir Mateen of Cisco Systems Pakistan where he talked about how great the broadband vacuum is in Pakistan and how unprepared the local contents are and that in the absence of structured local contents, people will make up their own contents (read social networks) and in doing so, there is a real danger of a whole new generation getting carried away in the roman Urdu flood and how this threatens the Urdu script and the associated heritage.

I share the same concerns about how we are treating Urdu language in Internet and telecommunication age. This is something which needs to be discussed in more detail.

It is proposed that a do not call register (DNC) may be maintained by telecom operators. The DNC Register will be a database having the list of all telephone numbers of the subscribers who do not want to receive unsolicited calls. After the establishment of DNC register a subscriber who does not wish to receive Unsolicited calls, can register their telephone number with their telecom service provider to be included in the DNC.

Operator shall upload the number to the DNC within 45 days of receipt. The Telemarketer will have to verify their calling mobile numbers list with the DNC register before making a call. An amount of Rs 300/- per call/message should be prescribed to discourage telemarketers who make calls to numbers registered in Do Not Call list. The defaulter telemarketer will face legal action.The impact of imposing a higher charge for calls and messages which have a commercial purpose attached to them will to some extent ensure that only legitimate calls are made i.e calls to recipients who do not have any problem with attending commercial calls.

Awareness is the key to fighting the spam problem. There are a number of channels listed by PTA but surprisingly blogs and other new media is not mentioned.

The Authority puts forward a media campaign check list which shall be followed by the Authority in collaboration with operators to create spam awareness:
  a) Public awareness activities to target users first and foremost, but also large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, direct marketers and online operators.
  b) General awareness activities to be posted on the Web or other media such as television, newspapers and magazines. Brochures may be distributed in schools, made available on all operators’ websites, and also distributed as a leaflet in IT magazines. Educational cartoons about spam, unsolicited and obnoxious calls controlling and reporting and online security broadcast.

Mobile Internet devices include smart phones, electronic readers, connected navigation devices, media players, gaming gadgets etc. Due to a variety of reasons will see more of these devices around. Depending on the market, the combination of online and offline capabilities of mobile connected devices will present new business models. The success of such offerings is mainly based on the utility of services and whether wireless broadband prices are affordable.

Why will these devices rise in popularity? To name a few reasons: improvements in processors and computing capacity, advances in: hardware, storage, flash memory, battery life and the explosive growth of social computing. Abundant and affordable wireless broadband could be another factor but there is still plenty of room there for improvement.

Challenges abound as well. Problems with user interfaces are still a major issue with many portable devices which connect with Internet. One of the main reasons why Apple has emerged a winner is because it provided a slick solution to the common user interface problems. Sony is an example of a large brand which used to be poor performer in user interface and lost market share. Over the years Sony has improved on usability.

Other problems include lack of standards, proprietary OS and incompatible applications which make it hard to share data and force users to duplicate efforts. Of course there are business reasons behind these which can take up many posts but for an end user this is a major headache.

Device convergence and context-relevant advertisement are the potential killer areas. Cell phones claim that they are the one gadget which can absorb everything else but that’s not how it has worked out. Apple’s iPhone has done the best so far by including iPod in the iPhone. Admit it, for a while there will be multiple devices. Cell phone has made its way into third world countries, breaking the first and most important barrier. This presents an interesting opportunity for various adaptations of technology  for commercial and even NGO purposes.  How will the new crop of mobile Internet devices interplay with the two established platforms of web and mobile phones? Will there be a clear distinction of how youth uses these devices?

An excerpt from Forrester Research about the mobile Internet devices:

Mainstream consumers are now using digital photographs and downloading music — and are even starting to download and stream digital video. Unfortunately, they confine much of this activity to a home PC — or at least use a home PC to load up or “side load” mobile devices. Being able to connect mobile devices directly to media and communications services like photo sharing sites and music download services gives consumers, content owners, and service providers far greater freedom.
 

• Rise in local call charges by PTCL
• Calls to Pakistan made more expensive
• PTCL forces Pakistan package on its customers
• Deceptive advertisements by Mobile Companies
• Customer service calls are not free any more
• Telecom consumer protection laws still in draft

Some people hold the view that given the tremendous progress made, complaining about telecom situation in Pakistan is not justified. Yes, there have been great advances made but if we do not fix the structural issues early on, we will lose much of that progress. Left unchecked we may even regress to a point where there’s plenty of competition but consumers end up without the services they deserve at a fair price. Broadband is an appropriate example … Pakistani public has been tormented with poor service and caps on the usage. 

I believe that with the right regulatory measures, consumer protection laws and a code of ethics we can keep the telecom sector on the right track. 

Naturally the presentation is tilted towards networks, transmission efficiencies, 3G and NGN. But most importantly it talks about the energy consumption and ways to address the energy demand by considering Green Sites which utilize alternative energy sources such as solar power and battery backup. There are a few slides on mobile commerce as well. Here is the full presentation in pdf. 

Related Posts:

• Challenges Of High Growth Mobile Telecom-Markets
• Will Average Revenues Per User In Pakistan Rise?

Here’s a summary, taken from Dawn Blog.

A recent World Bank report has declared Pakistan as one of the top favourable economies in the world. The “Doing Business 2008″ report states that Pakistan is in second place compared to other South Asian countries in terms of certain economic indicators, such as: ease of doing business, dealing with licenses, and protecting investors.

Pakistan is quickly emerging as a powerhouse in the region, partly due to its fast paced IT industry. The government’s policies towards foreign investors have also contributed in helping the country stand out. These include 100 per cent foreign equity ownership, 100 per cent repatriation of profits for foreign investors and tax exemption for the sector till 2013.

An increasing number of foreign companies also prefer Pakistan for their outsourcing operations. This is due to the large pool of English-proficient professionals, cheap connectivity rates and competitive operational costs.

‘Doing Business 2008? is an annual report that evaluates the regulations that directly impact economic growth and provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement. The report evaluates business
activities based on regulation affecting the “10 stages” of a business’s life: starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.

Story via Telecom Grid Pakistan.

Here’s a brief intro.

Mobile technology is transforming the way advocacy, development and relief organizations accomplish their institutional missions. The report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use, released by the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation, brings this point home.

Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use was written by Sheila Kinkade (ShareIdea.org) and Katrin Verclas, and commissioned by the United NationsFoundation-Vodafone Group Foundation Technology Partnership. The report examines emerging trends in “mobile activism” by looking at 11 case studies of groups active in the areas of public health, humanitarian assistance and environmental conservation.