Reliable connectivity vital to business operational efficiency: PTCL CEO

FAISALABAD: PTCL Chief Executive Officer Nadeem Khan reaffirmed the company’s commitment to reliable connectivity, describing it as essential to business continuity and operational efficiency.

He said PTCL is focused on enhancing service standards and modernizing its infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of industry, particularly in Faisalabad’s key industrial clusters.

Speaking at the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Thursday, he said that PTCL is aligning its network modernisation programme with the operational needs of the export sector, with Faisalabad at the heart of Pakistan’s textile value chain. He outlined a roadmap to replace legacy copper infrastructure with fibre-optic networks in major industrial areas, providing export-oriented businesses with the high-speed, low-latency connectivity needed for enterprise resource planning systems, international video conferencing and cloud-based supply chain management. He said the programme would prioritize areas where industrial growth has outpaced telecommunications infrastructure.

He said, textile exporters are an engine of Pakistan’s economy, and their digital infrastructure must be as resilient as their manufacturing capabilities. PTCL is investing in fibreization and network redundancy to deliver the speed and reliability industrial clusters need to compete globally, he added. He also outlined plans to strengthen network redundancy and backup power systems at local exchanges serving industrial corridors, helping reduce the impact of power outages and technical faults. He said PTCL is working to shorten fault-resolution times and deploy dedicated enterprise support teams for industrial clusters.

Speaking on the occasion, PTEA Chairman Rehan Naseem Bharara presented an overview of the connectivity challenges facing member industries. He emphasized the need for scalable bandwidth solutions as textile manufacturing becomes increasingly digitized, from automated looms and digital printing to e-commerce fulfilment. He said that reliable telecommunications infrastructure is essential for meeting international buyers’ requirements and ensuring the timely shipment of export orders. He offered PTEA’s support in liaising between PTCL and industrial estates to facilitate the implementation of proposed upgrades.

He also proposed establishing a joint working mechanism to monitor infrastructure improvements and service standards in industrial areas, particularly in FIEDMC. In addition, he recommended conducting technical surveys of the identified industrial clusters in the coming weeks to help accelerate fibre deployment and service-quality enhancements.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026