Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Monday said that the government will unveil licence renewal policy for mobile operators to provide them a level playing field, besides attracting investment in the country.
"A meeting was held with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday where policy for mobile licence renewal was discussed, which would be unveiled in coming days to ensure a level playing field and attract investment in the country," said Siddiqui while talking to the media persons.
The minister further said that a technical committee is working on the launch of 5G in the country.
Replying to a question, the minister said that the National Finance Commission (NFC) formula should be applied district wise while covering population and revenue generation. He said that Karachi is generating around 65 percent of the country revenue with around 30 million population and it should get its due share in the NFC. He further said that there is no harm in changing the name of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
Earlier, addressing at the launch of new connectivity report by Frontier Economics "The Mobile Effect: How Connectivity Enables Growth," commissioned by Telenor Group, the minister said that digitalisation is high on the government's agenda and is the only way forward to keep pace with the global developments. He said that information and communication technology (ICT) is the backbone of digital transformation in the country and telecom is a sector enabling other sectors to digitalise processes and create ease of connectivity.
Siddiqui said that the government aims to build knowledge economy in Pakistan and telecom sector has a role to play in achieving this ambition which is evident from the findings of this report. He said according to Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA), 75% cellular teledensity in Pakistan gives the hope of reaching inclusions milestones sooner than later. The role of telecom sector in bringing millions of undeserved people into the folds of digital and financial inclusion has been remarkable, said the minister, adding that connectivity is the backbone of industries and sectors that empowers individuals with increased access to information and fast response rate.
He said that the telecom sector has contributed immensely towards socioeconomic development of Pakistan, adding, "We hope to see it prosper further."
CEO Telenor Pakistan, Irfan Wahab Khan recommended the government that no discrimination be made in taxation measures among the consumer sectors.
"Mobile connectivity has grown and developed by many folds over the past few years and it has certainly become the cornerstone of digital development and transformation across industries," said Khan, adding that increased access to mobile broadband will be a catalyst towards higher national productivity and uplift the GDP through growth in e-commerce, e-health, e-education, e-citizen services and agriculture.
The study commissioned by Telenor Group quantifies impact of the telecommunications sector on the economies in the five Asian countries where Telenor Group operates - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.
The study revealed that telco-intensive sectors generally contribute a greater proportion to economic growth than others. For Pakistan, these sectors include wholesale and retail trade, maintenance and repair, transport and private households.
Mobile financial services have been on the rise in Asia. This has resulted in a reduction in the urban-rural financial inclusion divide. Eighteen percent of the Pakistani population made or received digital payments in 2017; 15% of which came from rural Pakistan. Ownership of mobile wallet accounts stood at 7% and a huge share of 6% came from rural areas showing how effectively mobile financial services are bringing the previously excluded masses into the fold of financial inclusion.
The report further stated that Telenor Pakistan's social impact remained significant. The company's digital birth registration initiative in close collaboration with UNICEF redefined social inclusion and is a true example of how telecommunication technology can be leveraged to give children their basic right of identity and make them a formal part of the country's socioeconomic activity. The pilot phase resulted in an increase in birth registration from 30% to 90% in just six months, and nearly 50% of the registered children were girls. Till date, digital birth registration has been launched in four districts of Sindh and three districts of Punjab. More than 760,000 children have been registered, and the ambition is to register more than 1.1 million children in total by the end of 2019.
The report stated that in 2017, the telecommunications sector contributed more than USD $15 billion to the economies of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. On average, this was more than 1% of GDP in each country. Telenor's contribution alone stood at $4.3 billion.
The meeting these connectivity demands requires significant investment, especially in networks, from the telecommunications players across Asia. From 2014 to 2017, Telenor invested $6.2 billion in its five Asian markets, making the company one of the top three foreign investors.
"The most productive sectors of society are enabled by mobile technologies. This is especially important in Asia where most countries are mobile-first. As a key partner and long-term investor in the development of the telecommunications sector, Telenor has a deep connection with the countries where we operate.
We view ourselves as an integral part of the socio-economic development in the markets we are in and want to continue supporting economic growth, innovation and social inclusion in Pakistan," said Senior Vice President of Partner and External Relations, Asia, at Telenor Group Håkon Bruaset Kjøl.
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