E-PAKISTAN
Building a knowledge economy
INTRODUCTION
Enhancing Economic Competitiveness Using Information and Communication Technology
The Government of Pakistan identifies that the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) is a vital factor for the mid-to long-term progress of the country, therefore, government is working on a Digital Pakistan vision to enhance digital economy that will spur economic prosperity and citizen empowerment.
The Government of Pakistan strives to improve its citizens’ quality of life and economic well-being by ensuring availability of accessible, affordable, reliable, universal and high quality ICT services. GOP strongly believes in mass adoption of emerging digital technologies and innovative applications to enable cross-sector socio-economic development and transformation of economic activities, governance models, social interaction, and achievement of sustainable development goals.
Economic growth is targeted through ICT eco-system enablement resulting into business growth and job creations, while Citizen Empowerment has been focused through e-governance. To achieve above objectives, a multipronged strategy has been adopted that focuses on building the capacity of public and private sector besides provisioning of requisite infrastructure and platforms.

LATEST GLOBAL TRENDS IN IT SECTOR
Industry 4.0 technologies have a significant global impact, driving productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. They enable automation, digitalization, and connectivity across industries, leading to increased efficiency, optimized supply chains, and enhanced market differentiation. Industry 4.0 fosters economic growth and empowers businesses to adapt and innovate. It promotes global connectivity, collaboration, and the emergence of new business models, contributing to the transformation of the global economy. Industry 4.0 technologies create new job opportunities, i.e., as companies adopt automation, AI, and digital technologies, they often require a skilled workforce to operate and maintain these systems. Moreover, emerging areas like data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI development lead to the creation of new specialized roles. Additionally, the overall growth and expansion of industries driven by Industry 4.0 generates more employment opportunities.
“According to Statista, the global market size of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to exceed US $563 billion by 2030”
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Despite current economic and inflationary pressures, Telecom sector metrics reflect huge potential for stable growth. There are over 194 million biometrically verified cellular connections with mobile coverage of over 90% of the population. Broadband subscribers have also crossed the 127 million mark,reflecting 56% broadband penetration. 3G and 4G mobile signal coverage is available to more than 78% of the population. The annual mobile broadband data usage has seen phenomenal growth reaching more than 8,970 petabytes showing an annual growth of 31%. The under pressure telecom industry still managed to achieve a revenue of PKR 694 billion during FY 2021-22 and contributed more than PKR 325 billion in the national exchequer i.e. the sector returned 45% of its revenues to the national exchequer. The Telecom sector has been a flag-bearer of foreign investments in the country with almost $ 6 billion investment since 2017-18.
Pakistan’s IT industry has been growing at a rapid pace in the last 10 years. Currently, the IT exports are estimated to exceed USD 2.5 billion. However, compared to the regional and emerging IT players it is still significantly very low. The current workforce employed in the IT sector (excluding freelancers) is around 325,000. Another 300,000 are estimated to work as ‘active’ freelancers out of a million associated with free-lancing. These freelancers are mostly associated with e-commerce, software development and creative content services. The universities in the country are producing 25,000 graduates approx. every year. However, a high proportion of them are not ‘industry-ready’ immediately and thus have either to undergo intensive skills training or adopt non-IT professions. This has created a supply-demand gap hindering rapid growth of the IT industry and consequently IT/ ITeS exports.On the IT infrastructure and connectivity side, despite rapid transformation of the telecommunication land-scape in the country over the last two decades, Pakistan still faces a number of problems such as unavailability of alternative internet international routes, last mile high speed broadband and few domestic cloud service providers/data centers and high taxation on telecom services i.e. ~35% current restrictions on import of ICT and Telecom equipment, high USD exchange and interest rate,energy prices.
VISION AND MISSION
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are a key driver of innovation, economic competitive-ness and greater social inclusion.
In this respect, Pakistan Vision 2025 seeks “to lay the foundation of a knowledge economy by promoting efficient, sustainable and effective ICT initiatives through synergic development of industrial and academic resources.”
Consequently, the Digital Pakistan Policy 2018 envisions ICT sector “to become strategic enabler for an accelerated digitization ecosystem to expand the knowledge- based economy and spur socioeconomic growth”.

KEY IT SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS AND INITIATIVES
1. PAKISTAN DIGITAL POLICY
In Pakistan the first ever digital policy was introduced in year 2018 with vision to become a strategic enabler for an accelerated digitization eco system to expand the knowledge-based economy and spur socio economic growth. Under the policy extension of a tax holiday on IT exports till 2025,reduction in sales tax to 5% and long-term financing at 5% interest rate and formation of legislation for new IT parks was announced. Other benefits announced included 100% repatriation of capital and dividends, 3-year tax exemption for IT startups, and a tax holiday for venture capital funds till June 2024. The basic objective of the policy was to consider the increasingly transformed role of Information Technology (IT) across all sectors of socio-economic development, accelerated digitization and a holistic knowledge-based economy. The policy served as a foundation of a holistic digital eco-system with advanced concepts and components for rapid delivery of next-generation digital services, applications and content.
2. THE NATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BOARD’S (NITB)
Primary mandate is to promote the e-Governance by developing and implementing information technology and digital solutions across Government agencies, private and public sectors. As part of its ongoing commitment to ensure IT-related policies and regulations aligned with national strategy and objectives, NITB has delivered over 180 successful projects, including G2B, G2C, and G2G since 2014. Through supportive policies and regulatory environment, it plays a vital role in the success of the IT sector in Pakistan. Some of the NITB’s key e-governance initiatives, under non-development projects, include National Jobs Portal, Covid-19 Portal & App, Water Billing Portal, Resource Management System, Bait-ul-Maal Portal, HRMIS Portal, MoHR Ticketing System and Innovation Hub. Other more recent e-governance initiatives include Automation of Cabinet Procedures, Islamabad City App, National Job Portal and e-Office. As far as developmental programs are concerned these include demand driven industry quality & capacity enhancement program, strengthening of ICT infrastructure and office automation of president secretariat, smart office for all federal government organizations/departments, one patient one ID and cyber efficient parliament initiative.
3. NATIONAL INCUBATION CENTER (NIC) PROGRAM
It was launched in 2017 in Pakistan with aim to provide support and resources to startups and entrepreneurs to help development on innovative ideas and growth of new ventures. Another prime objective of NIC is to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in country by providing a platform to startups for business planning, product development, pitching, networking, and funding.
4. DIGISKILLS.PK
It is one of the key projects of Ignite that was launched nationwide since 2018 via Virtual University.The objective of the project is to equip existing and new freelancers with knowledge, skills, tools & techniques necessary to seize the earning opportunities available internationally through freelancing in online job market places. In total 149 projects have been funded worth Rs. 2.59 Billion since inception of Ignite.
5. THE NATIONAL CENTRE OF ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION
The National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) – Robotics and Automation is emerging as one of the most important fields of the future, which is rapidly advancing with the potential to revolutionize various industries and contribute to societal development. The robotics industry is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. Estimates suggest that the sector could be worth as much as $260 billion by 2030. With the aim of becoming a key player in this industry, the National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) was established in 2018 by the Government of Pakistan as a consortium of eleven cutting edge labs in thirteen universities of Pakistan with its centre headquarter at NUST College of E&ME. The centre, having its presence in all four provinces and AJ&K, has built capacities, through its labs, towards agricultural robotics, precision farming, biomedical robotics, swarm robotics, unmanned systems/vehicles, micro electro mechanical systems (MEMs), Software/Hardware in loop testing, collaborative multi degree of freedom robots, condition monitoring, haptics as well as industrial automation and monitoring systems. NCRA aims to create an economic impact through indigenization, import substitution, job creation, entrepreneurial ventures and formation of export prospects. By synergizing the strengths and capabilities of local experts, this centre aims to position Pakistan at the forefront of robotics and automation research and pave the way for a better future.
6. NATIONAL CENTRE FOR CYBER SECURITY (NCCS)
Cyber Security has been recognized as a global problem, transcending national boundaries.McAfee estimates that cybercrime costs the global economy $400 billion annually. It particularly affects the developed world, but developing countries are at higher risk due to the lack of expertise and shortage of security professionals with adequate skills and experience to effectively combat this rising threat. Federal Minister for Interior inaugurated National Centre for Cyber Security(NCCS) on May 2018 at Air University Islamabad. The NCCS is designed on a consortium model,with 11 labs from 12 Pakistani universities as part of the Centre, with Air University in the leading role. The total budget allocation to this centre is 1.239 billion PKR.
7. CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN AI
The National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) is Pakistan’s leading hub for AI innovation,research, product development and training, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Headquartered at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad,NCAI operates research laboratories in six major universities spread across Pakistan. NCAI has developed 221 AI products and designs, benefiting sectors such as smart cities, precision agriculture, healthcare, media monitoring, manufacturing industry, judiciary and many more. It trains AI professionals, expands digital exports, and raises AI awareness, contributing to Pakistan’s growth.NCAI’s strategic collaborations revolutionize agriculture, optimize industries, and develop AI models for climate and disaster management. Nurturing an innovation ecosystem and with products and professional trainings now serving various sectors nationally and internationally, NCAI aims to establish Pakistan as a global AI leader, promoting sustainable growth.

8. THE NATIONAL CENTER OF BIG DATA & CLOUD COMPUTING (NCBC)
The National Center of Big Data & Cloud Computing (NCBC) – was established in 2018 by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). With its secretariat at LUMS, NCBC labs spans across eleven universities across Pakistan. The objective of NCBC is to employ data science and advanced computing to address the seemingly insurmountable challenges of the country through deep analytics on data and present out-of-box and indigenized solutions. The center specializes in all aspects of data in the fields of energy, agriculture, health, industry 4.0, multimedia, Urdu and regional languages, telecommunications, IoT, genomics, astrophysics and many others. NCBC also hosts the National Open Data Portal at opendata.com.pk for hosting any Pakistan related data that may be shared publicly by any organization. As of 2022, around six start-ups have spun-off from the center with another dozen in the process of achieving commercialization. The center also has expertise in cloud computing services and hosts its own high-performance computing infrastructure designed for research, development, and commercialization.
9. HUNARMAND KAMYAB JAWAN PROGRAM (EHUNAR.ORG)
Mission is to reshape and contribute to Pakistan’s technology, education, and industry sector for skill development, business opportunities, and economic growth by adopting a new era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and emerging technologies. Mission to make Pakistan a global IT hub and to export products and services related to emerging technologies for socio-technical and economic growth is only possible by contributing to this revolution with initiative of developing a modern technology-oriented workforce, developing a job market, and developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem in emerging technologies. This skilled human resource will ultimately participate in making a digital and prosperous Pakistan.
IGNITE’S NATIONAL INCUBATION CENTERS FOR TECH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The establishment of National Incubation Centers (NIC) for Tech Entrepreneurship Program aims to provide support and resources to startups and entrepreneurs in Pakistan to help them develop innovative ideas and grow their businesses. The program was launched in 2017 and is focused on fostering a culture of entrepreneurship in the country by providing a platform to startups for business planning,product development, pitching, networking, and funding.Under NIC program, Ignite-National Technology Fund has established eight (8) incubation centers at Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Faisalabad (Agritech), and Rawalpindi (Aerospace technologies). Each NIC is providing a range of services to startups that include access to coaching, mentorship, curriculum and networking opportunities, funding and investment support,co-working space, opportunities to showcase products & services at local & international events and other facilities & resources.
The NIC Program for tech entrepreneurship has been instrumental in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Pakistan. All of the eight (8) NICs have been supporting wide range of startups from different industries. So far, more than 1,317 startups have been hosted by these NICs and more than 660 have been graduated successfully. These startups have collectively committed an investment of US $ 73.76 million and have generated revenue of PKR 9.14 billion. More than 126,000 jobs have been created by these startups.
These NICs are also making a significant contribution to the female entrepreneurs of Pakistan and about 36% of the startups are women led. More than, 2300 women have been empowered through this program. These NICs have helped to boost economic growth, create new jobs, drive innovation and promote women led entrepreneurship in the country.

IGNITE’S DIGISKILLS.PK FOR CAPACITY BUILDING OF FREELANCERS
DigiSkills.pk is a flagship project of Ignite being executed nationwide since 2018 through Virtual University, which is equipping existing and new freelancers with knowledge, skills, tools & techniques necessary to seize the earning opportunities available internationally through freelancing in online jobs market places and also locally. The first phase of this project was completed in February 2022 in which 10 freelancing trainings were provided, whereas the second phase i.e.DigiSKills.pk 2.0 was launched in Jan 2022 in which 5 new courses were added and with existing 10 courses whose content was also upgraded.
Overall, there are more that 3.3 million enrollments in 16 batches in 15 most in demand freelancing courses, till date. Furthermore, there are around 27% female and 73% male enrollments with a course completion rate of 31%. As per an independent study conducted in June 2022 through a third-party firm, Digiskills.pk trained freelancers have earned more than USD$ 290 million.
- Digiskills.pk had 11 batches, which had 2.3 million+ enrollments in which 579,322 were females.
- Currently Batch-4 of digiskills.pk 2.0, is in progress and there are 1,136,065 enrollments in which 325,656 are females.
- Total female percentage enrollments are 27%
Project highlights are as follows:

IGNITE’S INNOVATION FUND
With the objective of transforming country’s economy to knowledge-based economy, Ignite, has funded over multiple ICT-centric technical innovative SEED projects to facilitate and nurture the Research and innovation ecosystem among academicians, professionals and startups, etc.
These projects were funded to different segments of the society, including academia, IT industry and Start-ups. The primary focus of these projects was to encourage and promote ICT related research,development and innovation. After transformation into Ignite, the company is focusing on projects with commercial orientation, based upon Fourth Industrial Wave technologies – like AI, IoT, Roboticsand AR/VR etc.
In total 149 projects have been funded worth Rs. 2.59 Billion since inception of Ignite. Highlights areas follows:

Going forward, Ignite is planning new programs for empowerment of women and youth of Pakistan.Some of them are as follows:
- Ignite Startup Portal where both NIC and non-NIC startups can register and market their products.
- A Center of excellence in gaming & animation
- An accelerator for seed funding of early stage startups
- Bootcamps in programming languages in demand to train programmers
- A technology transition fund for commercialization of new products
- National Grassroots Initiative for funding of final year projects of ICT graduates
- A women-focused incubator for women entrepreneurs
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
- To create a holistic digital ecosystem with infrastructure and institutional frameworks for rapid delivery of innovative digital services, application and content.
- Promote adoption of Telecom/ICT/digital technology in all spheres of the economic and social activities, including healthcare, education, agriculture, social services, local gov ernment, and public sector services Promote investment friendly telecom policy for increased investment in the sector and introduction of 5G in Pakistan
- Empower youth and women by using ICTs to reduce inequalities amongst the less-privi leged segments of the society and persons with disabilities. Thus, encourage policy of inclusivity.
- Promote innovation and entrepreneurship through provision of digital infrastructure facilities, expanded easy access to funds, up skilling and training workforce competitive with international standards and increasing the quantity of industry-ready workforce and enabling investment environment
STRATEGIC THRUST AREAS FOR SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM
To achieve the target set in the Vision and Mission, following four Strategic Thrust Areas are described along with the underlying Thematic Initiatives:

STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 1: ACCELERATING GROWTH OF HUMAN CAPITAL
For having a robust and sustainable digital-based knowledge economy, Human Capital is the most important strategic asset. In this backdrop, workforce development on modern lines especially in the ICT skillsets is essential. For this purpose, this thrust area comprises of the following thematic initiatives:
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 1: UPSKILLING/ RESKILLING HR FOR DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM.
This initiative comprises of projects to launch Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs),Bootcamps, Soft Skills, Specific high-end emerging technologies trainings, high volume of IT Graduates, and specialized short courses.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 2: INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA-GOVERNMENT LINKAGES.
This initiative would make provisions to make available Champions of Change and Master Trainers, Technology Transfer Experts for the domestic industry and educational and vocational institutions.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 3: EASY SCHOLARSHIPS AND LOANS PROVISIONS FOR IT PROFESSION ALS AND STUDENTS
- Provision of study scholarships for in-country and foreign higher education and research programs will be launched for deserving students on merit.
- Beside scholarships, study loan schemes on easy payment terms would be made availa ble for in-country higher education
- Research Funds would be established and expanded to spur an environment of innova tion, research, development and commercialization.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 4: CAREER COUNSELLING FOR WORK OPPORTUNITIES AND INTERN SHIPS.
- IT Education, International Certifications, High-end Trainings
- Internships for IT graduates in Public Sector organizations would be expanded to encour age IT professionals to later on adopt public sector as a career.
STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 2: PERVASIVE DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AND DIGITAL ECO SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
This thrust area would enable further expansion and availability of broadband internet all over the country and making it affordable to the lower-income tiers of the society so that they could also reap the benefits of the new digital technologies and move towards better quality of life. This would empower the under-privileged segments of the society and also accelerate indigenous solutions to be developed by the IT professionals. The pervasive use of digitalized services would thus require strengthening of the domestic digital ecosystem/ infrastructure. Following are the major thematic initiatives covered under this thrust area.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 1: ADOPTION OF DIGITAL & SMART TECHNOLOGIES.
- Smart technologies like IoT, mobile applications, AI/ ML based digital solutions in the domains of agriculture, healthcare, education, finance and other services would boost the adoption of digital technologies and expand the technical expertise that is competitively placed in the international market.
- A national electronic health/ education record would be progressively deployed to public and private healthcare/ educational institutions across the country to integrate Health Tech/ EdTech and thus expand the related services to remote areas of the country
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 2: NATION-WIDE INTERNET ACCESS WITH FOCUS ON LAST MILE HIGH SPEED BROADBAND
- Breakthrough policy interventions like publication of Spectrum Refarming Framework, Telecom Infrastructure Sharing Guidelines/Regulations, Spectrum Sharing Framework,Balanced Space & Satellite Policy Framework, 5G Readiness Plan.
- Telecom reforms for better telecom sector health, increased investment in the sector and introduction of 5G in Pakistan.
- Improve in connectivity infrastructure is necessary to have high quality data speeds. To achieve this, availability of high-speed broadband up to the last-mile availability is required. For this investment incentives will be worked out in consultation with the stake holders to have an internationally competitive infrastructure. This will further enable attracting international investors and businesses to provide their services in the country.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 3: KNOWLEDGE PARKS/ INNOVATION LABS/ SPECIALIZED IT CLUSTERS.
- IT incubators, innovation labs, knowledge parks and specialized IT clusters will be estab lished in collaboration with the private sector and internationally renowned accelerators. These facilities would be made self-sustainable with all components required to have a thriving innovative ecosystem.
- Specialized IT clusters and parks would be established in second and third tier cities and towns of the country to enable development of local human capital and have new centers of innovation and entrepreneurial activities
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 4: DATA CENTERS, PAYMENT GATEWAYS, INTERNET EXCHANGE PLAT FORMS (IXP)
- An important part of the national digital infrastructure is to have within country data cen tres, payment gateways and internet exchange platforms to have highly responsive servic es designed for the national digital ecosystem
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 5: NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY INITIATIVE.
- A holistic national cybersecurity initiative is mandatory with a pervasive national digital ecosystem. In this respect, cybersecurity policy, rules and regulations will be revisited and improved upon. Additionally, use of encrypted services, awareness about cyber security issues and preventive measures would also be made a priority
STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 3: EASE OF DOING BUSINESS AND ACCESS TO FUNDS
STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 3: EASE OF DOING BUSINESS AND ACCESS TO FUNDS
- Initiate specific ICT for Girls’ programs for imparting quality trainings in computer skills, including software coding, across the country to reduce inequalities, provide decent work and promote economic growth in line with relevant SDGs. Ensuring equal access to ICTs will thus reduce inequalities and support gender equality.
- Facilitating youth in setting up IT and e-commerce businesses and ensuring better access to financing their business ventures.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 2: VENTURE CAPITAL, EQUITY FUNDS/ CAPITAL, FOREIGN/ DOMESTIC INVESTMENTS.
- Provide enabling environment for companies to set up Venture Capital funds, Angel Inves tors Network, Private Equity Funds and other support mechanisms for startup/ entrepreneurial activities and SMEs.
- Provide an enabling environment for international and domestic investors to setup/ estab lish funds for domestic startup/ entrepreneurial initiatives on a large scale.
- Bank loans and financing facilities for SMEs to conduct of business will be encouraged. Facilities such as working capital financing, bridge financing, moveable assets as collater al for credits/ loans would be designed specifically for IT businesses.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 3: FACILITATE FOREIGN/ INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES SETUP IN THE COUNTRY.
- Facilitate foreign/ international IT businesses to setup local offices or presence in the country. Such setups would provide basis to act as ‘business attractor’. For this purpose, processes will be simplified and compliance conditions to conduct of business will be improved.
STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 4: POLICIES & REFORMS FOR IMPLE-MENTATION OF DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
This Strategic Thrust Area will address to develop innovative policies and implement reforms in various domains that will support accelerated business activity in the domestic IT sector. Enabling policies and reforms go hand-in-hand with the development physical infrastructure, financial/ investment resources and human capital.
TELECOM POLICY FRAMEWORKS
INTERNET OF THINGS FRAMEWORK: (Completed)
Regulatory Framework for Short Range Devices (SRD) & Terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) Services is finalized by Ministry and PTA. The framework is created and introduced as a regulatory tool that facilitates IoT service operations. PTA shall start accepting Class Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN)
licensing applications from 31st March 2022.
The framework provides a regulatory mechanism for the industry, to enable the development of IoT eco-system in Pakistan. This framework aims to accelerate the growth of IoT services to facilitate digital transformation creating IoT-enabled systems in different sectors to automate operations and render electronic services to citizens.
IoT is one of the major technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0); it is used to run smart city systems and digital services such as smart homes, smart meters, transportation etc., there by, supporting Government’s vision of Digital Pakistan. The regulatory framework is available at www.pta.gov.pk
With IOT Framework launched almost nine new IOT SME/Enterprise were granted- nationwide license in the last one year only.
DRAFT TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE SHARING FRAMEWORK
Telecom Infrastructure sharing is a broad range term that generally refers to sharing of telecom network components and associated non electronic and physical structure.Infrastructure sharing concept promotes resource optimization by better utilization of assets, avoiding duplication of network infrastructure, saves times & cost and accelerate service rollouts. Telecom network deployment involves heavy CAPEX and OPEX liabilities for operators and is considered as a major deterrent for network expansions. Furthermore, delays to rolling out network infrastructure,which are attributed to procuring Right of Ways, operational cost, maintenance cost & Average Revenue Per User are the challenges to licensed operators that shall be addressed.
Infrastructure sharing enables operators to focus on competition in the service layer regardless of the extent of the sharing. Operators can share whole or strategically passive elements of their network to share infrastructure costs, while providing acceptable performance. Furthermore, these savings can facilitate mobile operators’ migration to next generation technologies.
Ministry of IT & Telecommunication and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has finalized the draft of first ever Infrastructure Sharing framework after multiple consultations with stakeholders and Industry. The draft was also uploaded on Ministry of IT & Telecom’s website for open consultation with stakeholders.
The Telecom Infrastructure framework is expected to attract two billion USD foreign direct in the next two to three years in Pakistan.Now, the final draft is ready to be presented to Economic Coordination Committee for approval followed by Federal Government’s approval
5G READINESS PLAN (In progress)
5th Generation Technology Ecosystem readiness plan that is foundation for emerging technologies AR/VR , Metaverse ,Agri tech , Industrial automation, Autonomous vehicles, Fiber to the Air emerging technologies to name a few is ultra-high-speed low latency broadband services technology roadmap that has been prepared by Ministry of Telecom in consultation with World Bank and Industry after multiple consultation.
The Readiness plan is available on MOITT website. Once commercially launched with digital inclusion may add 3 to 5 billion USD contribution in the national economy in the next 5 years.
SPECTRUM SHARING FRAMEWORK
The continued rise in data traffic means mobile services rely on access to growing amounts of spectrum to meet demand. However, it is increasingly difficult to completely clear new frequency bands for future mobile use. Spectrum sharing may be a way to help, when clearing a band is not possible, by enabling mobile access to additional bands in areas.
While spectrum sharing holds potential, it cannot supplant the need for exclusively licensed mobile spectrum. However, sharing can play a complementary role to traditional spectrum licensing by allowing mobile services to access new bands where there are no other reasonable alternatives.
It is essential to care of frequency bands that suits sharing and select the right sharing framework to ensure innovative and affordable mobile services. Firstly, the proposed band should provide sufficient spectrum in areas where mobile operators are seeing growing demand. Secondly, the sharing framework should be understandable, usable and tailored to the needs of the users (e.g. certainty of access,sufficient block sizes etc.).
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has finalized the draft of first ever Frequency Sharing frame work after multiple consultations with stakeholders and Industry. The draft will be forwarded to Ministryof IT & Telecom’s website once Technical Member/Chairman join.
BALANCED SPACE SATELLITE POLICY FRAMEWORK
The space economy is an emerging dimension during the past few years and is expected to grow rapidly over the next several decades. Morgan Stanley’s Space Team estimates that the global space industry could surge to over $1 trillion by 2040.
Satellite-based technologies are widely employed in developed countries to provide high quality communications services to remote areas, cut costs, boost productivity, and promote efficiency, and they are aiding the development of a global economy.
Developing countries are gravitating to satellite-based solutions because they can connect raw material suppliers with agents, shippers, importers, merchants, and ultimately customers in widely separated geographic areas without being constrained by physical distance. Indeed, the benefits of satellite-based communications are being realized in every sector of activity, both private and public.
The telecom sector of Pakistan is on the verge of entering a new era, especially in the regime of satellite. This will open another avenue of benefiting from the space economy through adaptation of satellite-based communications. Communication satellite systems make it possible for rural areas to have access to voice and internet, as well as to socially useful e/m-services like e/m-learning and e/m-health, as well as to efficiently deliver broadcast services over large geographic areas.
Currently, Pakistan is using 2,200MHz of its total satellite capacity, of which Pakistani satellites account for 21% and foreign satellites for the remainder. The new framework shall open up the space economy and uplift the revenues to domestic satellite operators licensed by PTA. The issue of frequency dumping and broadband connectivity through foreign satellite operators without domestic presence shall be addressed.
Considering all above factors, the new Satellite regime framework shall not only provide opportunities to new market entrant but also shall scale up the domestic space Programme.
FRAMEWORK FOR FREQUENCY SPECTRUM REFARMING
Frequency spectrum is essential for the provision of telecom wireless services. However, spectrum is also a scarce resource and thus policymakers and regulators need to ensure that it is allocated to the optimum value of utilization that shall contribute to the economy and society. The refarming of spectrum resources is a key process through which this can be achieved.
Given the central role of 5G technology in this decade and beyond, it is important for Pakistan to develop a short, medium & long-term, forward-looking spectrum roadmap that addresses the future spectrum needs. In this regard, the establishment of a framework for spectrum refarming is an essential step that will help Government of Pakistan in timely introduction of new technologies and services for the greater benefit of all citizens and stakeholders in Pakistan.
Ministry of IT & Telecommunication in consultation with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, Frequency Allocation Board (FAB), Industry and stakeholders has finalized the draft of first ever framework for frequency spectrum refarming after multiple consultations. Now, the final draft is ready to be presented to Economic Coordination Committee for approval followed by Federal Government’s approval.
STRATEGIC THRUST AREA 4: POLICIES & REFORMS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF DIG ITAL ECOSYSTEM
This Strategic Thrust Area will address to develop innovative policies and implement reforms in various domains that will support accelerated business activity in the domestic IT sector. Enabling policies and reforms go hand-in-hand with the development physical infrastructure, financial/ investment resources and human capital. Following major thematic initiatives will be part of this strategic thrust area:
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 1: EASE OF BANKING FOR IT BUSINESSES AND FREELANCERS
- Enhance inward remittance limit for freelancers as well as for IT business to improve the inflow of foreign exchange.
- Provide incentives for export earnings to be used to make payments abroad. An easy cross-border transaction mechanism through banking channels will help in encouraging IT businesses to grow rapidly and create more work/ job opportunities inside the country.
- Facilitate freelancers in opening bank accounts with easy KYC/ CDD requirements. This will give encourage e-commerce activity in the country as well.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 2: TAXATION REFORMS TO ACCELERATE GROWTH OF IT BUSINESSES.
- IT industry requires special treatment in taxation to enable large scale investments to be made for rapid scaling up of businesses. The taxation reforms specific to IT industry will be made in consultation with the IT industry.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 3: REFORMING AND IMPLEMENTING LEGAL PROVISIONS FOR INTELLEC TUAL PROPERTY, COPYRIGHT PROTECTION, AND CONTRACT AGREEMENTS.
- Laws relating to Intellectual Property Rights, Data Protection and Privacy and Contractual Obligations and Conflict Resolution will be reviewed and improved upon to encourage more trust in the legal system of the country by international businesses.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 4: DIGITAL INCLUSIVITY (GENDER BALANCING, RURAL COMMUNITIES EMPOWERMENT).
- Policies will be improved and new policies introduced to empower women, rural commu nities and special persons specially in the use of digital technologies. This will help in expanding the inclusivity realm.
THEMATIC INITIATIVE 5: PRIVACY AND SECURITY:
A move towards digitalization also represents a significant challenge in terms of ensuring privacy and security due to emerging threats. To protect information and information
systems, it is necessary to have in place robust national level legislation addressing all areas pertaining to privacy and security.
National Cyber Security Policy: Cyber-attacks and cyber breaches pose a serious threat to the cyber space of Pakistan. To prevent these threats, National Cyber Security Policy
2021 was made to secure and govern the cyber space of Pakistan. This policy will ensure that the required framework is in place to not only deter the ongoing attacks but also proactively engage in discouraging future attacks.
Pakistan Cloud First Policy: The policy will result in optimized utilization of resources,reduction in ICT expenditure and increased coordination between public sector entities for
their ICT related initiatives. The policy is successfully approved by the Cabinet during February 2022.
Personal Data Protection Bill: The preparation of this bill is a landmark achievement and will pave way for evolution of digital ecosystem in Pakistan by bringing in investment in the
field of Information and Communication Technologies. The bill has already been approved in principally by the Cabinet during Year 2022 and in process for further consultations.
Cyber Security Act: Subsequent to National Cyber Policy, Ministry of IT is working on Cyber Security Act which is in initial phase of drafting.
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