Pakistan is capable to attract foreign investment of more than Rs 2.6 billion in the satellite television in the coming years besides generating more than 4,000 jobs in the country.
At present this sector was providing employment to more than 30,000 people and Cable TV was estimated to have already entered some four million houses in the country, said the sources in Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).
They said the authority so far issued 16 licenses for Satellite TV Channels in the country and about 28 applications for setting up satellite TV Channels were in pipeline. They said the Pemra had received 24 applications from newspapers' owners to start Satellite TV Channels.
They said the Pemra, in order to cover smaller towns and far-flung areas of the country, had decided to issue new FM Radio licenses for 47 cities by the end of next year, while 28 applications for setting up satellite TV Channels were under consideration in the Pemra.
New FM Radio licenses would be awarded in smaller towns especially Northern Areas and Azad Jammu Kashmir as these areas remained uncovered so far, sources said adding the Pemra had completed the phase-III of licensing of FM Radios. They said that now after completion of phase-III, the authority had decided to start phase-IV of FM licensing in order to include smaller cities and towns that had remained uncovered.
The areas for which FM licenses would be issued in the phase IV include Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Ghotki, Narowal, Okara, Pakpattan, Rajanpur, Thatta, Sanghar, Badin, Noshero Feroz, Tharparkar, Shikarpur, Bahawalnagar, Bolan, Chaghi, Dera Bugti, Kohistan, Jhalmagsi, Kalat, Khushab, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Peshawar, Loralai, Mastung, Panjgur, Pishin, Quetta, Sibi, Zhob, Ziarat, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Mianwali, Malakant, Batgram, Manshera, Charsada, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Bunner, Shangla and Swabi.