IT sector showing accelerated progress with turnover of $3.1 b

ISLAMABAD, May 25 (APP): The information technology sector is
exhibiting accelerated progress with total turnover of $3.1
billion, inclluding both exports and domestic revenue.
According to the Economic Survey released by Finance Minister
Ishaq Dar here on Thursday, the broadband penetration has jumped
from a mere 3.7 million to 40.7 million subscribers.
Through enabling policies and auction spectrum for next
generation mobile services, the IT and Telecom sectors are expanding
and generating new jobs as businesses utilize modern ICTs, such as e-commerce, e-banking, e-health, e-education and business related
to IT applications.
The dynamically evolving Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) hold crucial importance globally as one of the
key sectors in terms of powering economies, acting as a catalyst of
change and enablement across all other sectors.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication
(MOIT&T) is maximizing its efforts for expanding both IT and Telecom
sectors in tandem.
A policy directive for auction of unsold 2*10 MHz of frequency
spectrum in 1800 MHz band was issued on March 27, 2017 whereby
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been entrusted to
undertaken transparent auction process.
The base price for the said spectrum has been set at $295
million and all existing cellular mobile operators (CMOs) as well as
new players are eligible to participate in the auction.
Telecom sector showed positive growth during the first two
quarters of FY 2016-17. Total teledensity reached 72.36 percent at
the end of Mach, 2017, as compared to 70.81 percent at the end of
last fiscal year. The prime driver of increased teledensity is the
growth in cellular mobile subscribers.
Revenues from telecom sector reached an estimated Rs 234.9
billion during the first two quarters of FY 2016-17. The commercial
launch of 3G and 4G LTE services has opened new opportunities for
revenue generation for the mobile operators.
Availability of 3G and 4G services enabled development of new
applications and data base services and people of Pakistan are
quickly adapting to these new technologies and services.