ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated his government’s resolve to meet $25 billion IT exports target in next three years, highlighting the government’s efforts to promote the telecommunications sector.
The prime minister, chairing a meeting to review ongoing IT projects, digitisation efforts, and initiatives to boost IT exports, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the IT Park project in Islamabad.
He instructed officials to consult with Korean experts to explore ways to reduce the project’s completion timeline, said a statement issued by the PM Office’s media wing.
During Friday’s meeting with a five-member delegation of the Holland-based VEON Group, led by Chairman Augie K Fabela, PM Sharif said that the government was taking steps to introduce 5G internet services to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity even in remote areas.
“The 5G services would also help the government realise its vision of Digital Pakistan,” he added.
The telecommunication sector had a significant role in promoting a cashless and digital economy, he said, lauding the services of VEON Group’s subsidiary Jazz in Pakistan’s telecommunications and financial technology sectors.
He said that the government was willing to collaborate with VEON Group in IT, digitisation and artificial intelligence.
The members of the delegation appreciated the government’s efforts towards achieving economic stability and said that Pakistan had become an important investment destination for the IT and telecom sectors.
The VEON Group officials accompanied by Jazz officials, also discussed strategic investments in banking, financial services, data centers, software, and cloud infrastructure as catalysts for Pakistan’s digital transformation.
VEON and Jazz reaffirmed their commitment to Pakistan as a key growth market, with Jazz leading innovation and digital inclusion.
Discussions highlighted Jazz’s evolution from a telecom operator to a tech-driven ServiceCo, dedicated to empowering Pakistan’s digital economy.
They briefed the prime minister on Jazz’s impactful contributions to banking and digital financial services, particularly its work to expand secure, accessible financial solutions to millions of unbanked and underserved Pakistanis.
Jazz’s investments in state-of-the-art data centers, software and cloud services to strengthen Pakistan’s digital infrastructure also came under discussion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024