Posted by: Aamir Attaa on October 17, 2008 at 9:23 AM
Now you can win 800 CC cars, Motorbikes, LCD TV, Mobile phones and cash prizes by just registering your SIM. Additionally you can get Rs. 50 free balance as soon as your SIM gets registered - Moreover, if you fail to register your SIM by March 31, 2009 then your SIM will be blocked for ever.
Unfortunately, this is not true… but this is something PTA should advise cellular companies to carry away such country wide campaigns, with some incentive for customers to actually pull them to register their SIMs, and at the same time a threat that they will actually block your SIM by a certain date, if not registered.
We all know very well that there is no solution to illegal SIMs, but to re-register each number, and block the rest. This will save us from lots us troubles and a chance to determine our telecom policy effectively, as the actual stats will become public.
Despite, 10.5 million SIMs got blocked, and more to be added in blocked list (maybe in millions), there will still remain many un-registered SIMs, or those SIMs which are registered but are not with their actual owners.
In fact, PTA should spare some funds to join hands with cellular companies in such offerings, after all they are earning good amount of money, and PTA is equally responsible for the situation along with cellular companies.
You may like reading this post on same topic as well - Is NADRA capable of Verifying 90 Million SIMs?
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Posted by: Reality Bites on October 16, 2008 at 6:50 AM
According to PTA’s very recent public stats, the total numbers of cellular subscriber in Pakistan are soon going to hit 90 million mark. The saturated Telco’s market of Pakistan is now asking for QoS (Quality of Service), Continuous improvement in network infrastructure and customer service & care programs.
If we randomly analyze the Pakistan Telco’s market, we will get the findings that almost all of the major factors have been utilized. Recently, we all have observed new launches of Mobile Telco, though market was expecting huge change in pricing structures and in some DATA services to be free, but results were not as anticipated.
According to an estimation, it has been observed that most of the cellular subscribers utilize these connections as the secondary choice (few people may have different opinion here) and they registers every number as a habitual behavior. Thus investing millions of dollars in the same arena for customer acquisition is no more tactful attitude as it was before.
As pricing competition in Pakistan’s cellular market has almost broken every global record. The cheaper products & Services offer to try and beat off rivals’ offers, it’s a profit killer.
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on October 8, 2008 at 6:39 AM
In the ongoing campaign against unregistered/unverified cellular connections, the government has blocked a total of 10.5 million connections out of 90 million connections in Pakistan.
This was told in a high level meeting chaired by Dr. Mohammad Yaseen Chairman PTA, and involved chief executive officers of all cellular companies to discuss the progress of different deadlines given by the PTA for blocking of unregistered SIMs, blocking of more than 10 connections on single computerised national identity card numbers (CNICs) and on the proposed project for “Activation of SIMs After Verification”.
Below is excerpt from Business Recorder regarding this..
The PTA Chairman informed the CEOs that a considerable improvement had been seen in the verification process, however, the PTA felt that unless sale of Preactive SIMs were not stopped, full implementation on the SOP would not be possible.
The meeting discussed in detail the proposed system under which company would sell non activated SIMs and the mobile companies would activate the SIM after verification of subscriber’s antecedents from the Nadra.
The proposed system will have number of advantages. The control of sale/ verification will shift from franchisee/retailers to mobile companies; it will have added security parameters and being automated will be more reliable.
Since this is new concept, which requires considerable operational and administrative arrangements, therefore, the PTA Chairman formulated a working group of cellular mobile companies, Nadra and the PTA to propose workable solution so that all aspects of verification is catered by October 20 2008.
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on October 6, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Growing rate of Wireless Local Loop (WLL) subscribers in Pakistan is snatching market share from fixed line market. Recent stats from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority show that fixed-line teledensity has seen a fall while WLL subscribers have marginally grown when compared to previous months. This addition in WLL subscribers is shared by all five major WLL companies operating in the country.
The WLL subscribers of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) have increased from 1,126,585 in July 2008 to 1,139,399 in August 2008, followed by Telecracd from 523,773 to 534,809, WorldCall from 500,159 to 509,606, Great Bear from 47,214 to 43,847 and Buraq from 388 to 400.
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on October 6, 2008 at 1:50 PM
We have seen Mobilink’s declining sales in previous months, which maybe didn’t jolt experts’ mind due to their size and weight of customers. It’s very obvious that a company with subscribers’ base of 31 million can not attain growth rate of even 1 percent or so, also given that cellular subscribers’ teledensity has hit 56 percent mark.
But following figures of international outgoing traffic for cellular companies (through PTCL) for the period of April, May and June 2008 may wide open many eyes. A very reliable industry source has given us these stats (however these stats can’t be considered official – but we are likely to see them in coming PTA’s annual report) which reveals that Mobilink is almost disappearing from the graph.
May 2008 can be considered most shocking month for Mobilink, as they were able to generate merely 56,142 minutes for international calls compared 64,371 in June 2008. For all of three months, Mobilink earned total of 1,581,309 international minutes. Even Zong scored more international traffic than Mobilink with 5,356,917 minutes in the same period.
While on other hands, Ufone’s skyscraper is seen very firm standing at 81,340,900 minutes for three months. Warid is heading Telenor with 18,533,756 minutes, where Telenor gained 12,504,509 minutes. Instaphone seems contented with their 5,438 international outgoing minutes in three months.
This traffic information for international outgoing is just a depiction of market situation. However, we can’t actually assume this international traffic (through PTCL) as directly proportional to local or national traffic these companies have; but due to a fact that international traffic contributes major part in revenues (due to very low local call rates), it is considered vital. We are awaiting official comments from Mobilink on this.
We are not sure about how well Mobilink’s international call half rate offer played for them, but we hope that cellular giant is going to do enough in coming months to retain its position.
Note: These stats represent traffic carried away from PTCL Gateway for International outgoing calls only.
Update: In response to a question that If Mobilink uses any other gateway for international outgoing traffic other than PTCL?? If yes then what proportion of international traffic is routed to PTCL’s gateway? and what share goes to other resources?
Mobilink official replied: ” We use our own LDI (Long Distance International) in addition to PTCL”
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on September 27, 2008 at 3:34 AM
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has reported a slack growth of cellular subscribers being added by mobile companies for the month of August 2008. PTA’s latest statistics show that cellular companies were able to add only 0.2 million connections in last month.
On the whole, all companies collectively added net 238,364 subscribers, taking total subscribers in country to reach 89.5 million mark. In the said month, companies showed merely 0.3 percent growth in adding subscribers.
Graph shown below is basically the depiction of telecom industry, which is going through tough time due to number of reasons including hiked inflation, political and economical instability in the country, increased taxes on telecom services and to some extent the policies.
This graph, which is derived from PTA’s statistics show that Zong stood first in August 2008 by attaining 357034 customers. While on the other hands, Mobilink lost 478095 subscribers (I don’t know how it happened, maybe due to millions of unregistered SIMs that got blocked)
It can be said that cellular companies have reached the active chunk of Pakistani market that slightly slowed down their penetration in the big cities. The only idea left unexplored is the rural market, for which I am sure mobile companies have already derived their strategies to expand their services and hit rural community more aggressively.
Overall, as of now, Mobilink is leading with 31.5 million subscribers, followed by Ufone with 18.60 million subscribers after taking back second slot from Telenor, which is now at third position with 18.31 million users.
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on September 25, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Senate’s standing committee on Interior has passed directives to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Ministry of IT and Telecom to finalize policy for taking away pre-active SIMs from the market, with-in two weeks.
A source familiar with the directives issued by Senate’s standing committee told that Government is very serious to tackle illegal SIM’s issue, especially after Marriott’s incident; Government is in no mood to leave any stone un-turned in order to make the country free of illegal SIMs.
Seriousness of Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Talha Mehmood can be judged by his statement that he gave during today’s meeting, he said, “We are in state of War…” He said that PTA must come up with policy with in two weeks, so that all pre-active SIMs could be taken away from market at earliest. Senator Talha, linked various criminal activities with illegal SIMs, and he once again emphasized the need to taking severe actions against those who carry illegal SIMs.
Further reading on Illegal SIMs …
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Posted by: Aamir Attaa on September 24, 2008 at 4:14 AM
Unfortunately, Pakistanis had to bear Marriott’s blast on Saturday evening, which not only left physiological impact on Pakistani, but it affected our economy as well. This mishap also arose various questions pointing towards the flaws that our system has within it. In this post, I may not discuss all of them, but my focal point would encircle only the jolts that IT industry felt very severely.
Evacuee Trust Complex aka STP2 (Software Technology Park), is just adjust to Marriot Hotel, Islamabad. This five floored building is home place for a large number of software houses, banks, Multinational firms and even the head office of Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom.
The burst of 1 ton explosion was less than 1000 meters away from STP2 complex; hence caused serious damages to building.
Until now, media has been neglecting this damage that struck STP2 building, leaving it not a viable place to work for IT professionals (until it gets repaired). Thankfully it was a Saturday eve (normally a holiday), otherwise the dead toll may have gone exponentially high. Even now, around 6-10 deaths and 20+ injured are reported in STP2.
Future of these IT businesses is still uncertain, as professionals are being shifted or they are asked to work from their homes. Defiantly not an ideal situation to have…!
I was thinking what can we do in such circumstances? Are we left with multiple options? If not, then let’s join our hands together and help each other.
It has been reported that at least 100 companies are affected and urgently looking for alternate space. Some companies are:
LMKR
Siemens
MOTOROLA
Mondo, GEO PAQ
OVEX Technologies
Microsoft
BrightSpyre
Ministry of IT
PSEB
Bentley
PRAL
Inbox
CISCO
Pakistan Tobacco company and others
PSEB and P@SHA are on the scene and helping IT businesses to get their (temporary) offices. So, if you have some space available to offer to these IT companies, please contact PSEB or PASHA members.
Please share your views? What steps should be taken NOW? How to fight this evil of terrorism?
Also how these continuous economical attacks can be fought? If you were a victim of this attack, in any way, what steps your company has taken to ensure your safety?
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