ISLAMABAD:Chairman Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) Major Gen. (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa highlighted achievements made by Pakistan’s telecom sector & recent initiatives taken by the Government & PTA for realization of “Digital Pakistan” vision and advancement of ICT sector at GSMA Mobile World Congress “MWC Barcelona 2021” held in Spain recently.
During the event, PTA and GSM Association (GSMA) signed a cooperation agreement. This collaboration was agreed at an exclusive “Realizing Digital Pakistan Milestone Roundtable”. The key areas of collaboration under the agreement are knowledge exchange, regulatory modernization, joint projects for digital inclusion, harmonizing data sharing, digital skills program and research on the ICT sector of Pakistan.
GSMA will also project Pakistan’s achievements at various platforms and promote “Digital Pakistan” Vision at regional and global forums. The Chairman also delivered a keynote address at the Roundtable covering the digital landscape of Pakistan, steps taken to address industry challenges and the market potential for further investment by the operators.
Chairman PTA met with Director of International Telecommunication Union’s Development Bureau (ITU-BDT), Doreen Bogdan-Martin. The Chairman briefed the ITU Director about digital profile of Pakistan including market potential, spectrum roadmap, recent achievements and efforts to bridge the digital divide.
The ITU Director expressed deep appreciation of Government of Pakistan and PTA’s efforts for digital transformation and assured her full cooperation to PTA and other ICT stakeholders in Pakistan.
The Chairman also met with Masooma Khawari, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Government of Afghanistan. He assured the Afghan IT Minister of PTA’s full cooperation with regards to proposed international connectivity initiatives involving operators in Pakistan for improvement in overall broadband experience in Afghanistan. The Chairman assured the IT Minister of PTA’s full cooperation and also offered regulatory knowledge and experience, whenever required by the Afghan counterparts.
A meeting was also held with President Huawei Middle East Region, Charles Yang to discuss the role of tech vendors in bringing latest telecom and ICT solutions for Pakistan. Mobile World Congress, held annually, is one of the biggest telecom event in the world. The Pakistan delegation participation in the event was effectively used to display vast opportunities offered by Pakistan telecom sector.