The latest figures from Pakistan Telecommunications Authority show that March 2007 was the best month for proportionate growth in the mobile market in Pakistan since the sudden change of gear in November 2006.
It is a testament to how fast the market has grown over the last year that the 2.73 million net additions recorded in March 2007 were the second highest ever in the history of the market, and overall customer growth amounted to 104 percent between March 2006 and March 2007, a private TV channel reported.
China Mobile this week promised another $400 million investment for its fledgling overseas mobile business, to add to the $460 million it claims it has already spent.
The amount of $400 million is almost exactly the amount of money which Telenor spent on its Pakistani mobile network last year, adding to the $600 million the Norwegian giant had already injected in the previous two years, bringing its total investment in the market to date to well over $1 billion.
The level of investment at least shows that China Mobile is serious about turning round Paktel's fortunes, and injecting the necessary capital--of which there is clearly no shortage--in order to make the operator competitive.