Mobilink with an investment of over $1.2 billion, is one of the largest single contributors to the foreign direct investment (FDI). These words were expressed by Vice President Marketing Mobilink, Bilal Munir Sheikh while addressing a press briefing at the ITCN Asia 2006.
He said that Mobilink was growing at an astonishing pace continuously, stimulating Pakistan's unprecedented growth in the telecom sector.
"The company is on a constant move to extend the connectivity reach of its services to the farthest corners of the country. Cellular has emerged as the fastest growing sector in Pakistan by setting an unparalleled precedent with 149 percent growth since 2002," he said.
The telecom industry has stimulated Pakistan's economic growth by its contribution to FDI from a meagre 1.3 percent in 2001-02 to a staggering 45.3 percent in 2005-06. Furthermore, the telecom sector's contribution to the national exchequer through duties and taxes has also surged from $167 million in 2001-02 to a colossal $845 million in 2005-06.
With market growth at well over 119 percent per annum and an increasing tele-density potential, Mobilink continues to move ahead with aggressive investment and marketing plans. The company is a shining example of Pakistani-managed human resource excellence, which has now attracted some of the best minds from around the world, thus reversing the brain drain phenomena," he opined.
Commenting on the cellular business and its impact on the people of Pakistan, Bilal emphasised that the social impact of telecommunication development had been tremendous. It was not about business and profits alone, it was about connecting everyone to the world, putting remote areas of Pakistan on the communication map of the world, touching the lives of millions of people, providing livelihood to thousands of Pakistani families, developing human resources and contributing to social causes.