A delegation of Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), which recently undertook a weeklong tour of United Kingdom, evoked good response from the UK industry on various aspects of outsourcing.
Led by PSEB Marketing Director Aon Rana Ashraf, the delegation included representatives from 12 leading Information Technology companies operating in Pakistan. The delegation members also visited Manchester and Leeds besides London.
During the course of their visit, the delegation members impressed upon the British Industry the suitability of doing business with Pakistan for several reasons.
These include: An IT workforce of 90,000 with good English language and people skills growing at a phenomenal rate of almost 20,000 a year, a hundred ISO-certified IT companies, with over 20 undergoing CMM certification, a reliable digital telecommunications infrastructure with backup and reliable energy and transport networks, an ambitious program of world-class IT Parks, with a rent rate of under one dollar per day, a prosperous economy that offers lucrative domestic opportunities and is attracting increasing amounts of international investment, a steadily improving risk rating and a tightening environment for intellectual property protection, a streamlined government regulatory process of one of the most attractive incentive programs anywhere, which includes tax exemptions, 100 percent foreign equity and earnings repatriation.
The British business community was also informed that international leaders such as Bearing Point, NCR Teradata, Mentor Graphics and ZTE have chosen to locate their development and consultancy centre in Pakistan.
Information Technology Parks with low rent, fibre optic connectivity, libraries and conference rooms have been established, provision of funds for software companies to get ISO-9000 and CMM-level certifications, foreign investors allowed 100 percent ownership of equity in "IT/ITeS companies", tax exemption for IT companies till 2016, 100 percent repatriation of profits allowed to IT companies, seven years' tax holiday for Venture Capital funds, the rate of depreciation on computer equipment is 30 percent.
The State Bank of Pakistan has allowed the opening of Internet Merchant Accounts by banks through instant, reliable and high-speed connectivity, over 85 percent of telecommunications infrastructure is on fibre optic cables; Internet access is available in over 1,862 cities and towns across Pakistan.
It was further informed that Pakistan was the first country in the region to establish DWDM telecommunications infrastructure while several cellular companies are using digital transmission (GSM and TDMA) and the cost of 2 Mbps connection has been lowered to 1,600 dollars per month. Redundant backup connectivity is available through PTCL for call centres.
Ashraf expressed hope that given these outstanding characteristics, there were excellent chances for the Pakistan IT industry to do business with the British companies.