AGL 38.20 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.13%)
AIRLINK 129.30 Increased By ▲ 4.23 (3.38%)
BOP 7.85 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (14.6%)
CNERGY 4.66 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (4.72%)
DCL 8.35 Increased By ▲ 0.44 (5.56%)
DFML 38.86 Increased By ▲ 1.52 (4.07%)
DGKC 82.20 Increased By ▲ 4.43 (5.7%)
FCCL 33.64 Increased By ▲ 3.06 (10.01%)
FFBL 75.75 Increased By ▲ 6.89 (10.01%)
FFL 12.83 Increased By ▲ 0.97 (8.18%)
HUBC 110.72 Increased By ▲ 6.22 (5.95%)
HUMNL 14.03 Increased By ▲ 0.54 (4%)
KEL 5.22 Increased By ▲ 0.57 (12.26%)
KOSM 7.69 Increased By ▲ 0.52 (7.25%)
MLCF 40.08 Increased By ▲ 3.64 (9.99%)
NBP 72.51 Increased By ▲ 6.59 (10%)
OGDC 189.18 Increased By ▲ 9.65 (5.38%)
PAEL 25.74 Increased By ▲ 1.31 (5.36%)
PIBTL 7.38 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (3.22%)
PPL 153.45 Increased By ▲ 9.75 (6.78%)
PRL 25.52 Increased By ▲ 1.20 (4.93%)
PTC 17.92 Increased By ▲ 1.52 (9.27%)
SEARL 82.50 Increased By ▲ 3.93 (5%)
TELE 7.63 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (5.68%)
TOMCL 32.50 Increased By ▲ 0.53 (1.66%)
TPLP 8.48 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (4.31%)
TREET 16.74 Increased By ▲ 0.61 (3.78%)
TRG 56.01 Increased By ▲ 1.35 (2.47%)
UNITY 28.85 Increased By ▲ 1.35 (4.91%)
WTL 1.34 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (3.88%)
BR100 10,684 Increased By 595 (5.9%)
BR30 31,445 Increased By 1935.9 (6.56%)
KSE100 99,269 Increased By 4695.1 (4.96%)
KSE30 31,032 Increased By 1587.6 (5.39%)

"Every minute roughly 11 Pakistanis become a part of the cellular community. More than 430,000 SMS messages and 160,000 voice minutes are being exchanged even now as I speak," said Rashid Khan, President and CEO Mobilink, Pakistan's market leader in cellular services, at the ceremony to mark the completion of 100 million cellular subscribers in Pakistan.
Khan said, "This is not only a moment of joy for us gathered here but also a reaffirmation to the common Pakistani man and woman that access to technology is not a privilege limited to the elite, but a right that is available to them - that is accessible and affordable."
Highlighting the contribution of the telecommunications sector in the country's growth and development, Khan said, the sector contributes 3 percent to the country's GDP whereas the total telecom sector revenue reached at Rs 357.7 billion in the year 2009-10 compared to Rs 333 billion in the previous year. This is despite the fact that the cellular industry in Pakistan is paying the highest taxes in comparison to the entire region. Incomes of 6 out of every 1,000 persons in Pakistan are tied with the telecom sector, he added.
Khaled Bichara, Group CEO of Orascom Telecom Holding, Mobilink's parent company and Egypt's largest foreign investor in Pakistan was also present at the ceremony. Bichara congratulated Dr Muhammad Yaseen, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) and the industry stakeholders on accomplishing this historic milestone.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2011

Comments

Comments are closed.