Flare Jan+Feb

January 15 - February 15, 2012
Editor's Note
Editorial 8
Reader's Response
Letters to the Editor 9
Interview
What makes ZONG the fastest Growing Company? Xconnect continues to grow: Tauseef Khan 20 42
Telepedia
PA bans mobiles in schools, colleges PTCL launched 3G EVO smartphone Mobilink CSR! Commitment, responsibility beyond charity BleckBerry maker RIM vows privacy safeguard SMS traffic up by 16 percent M-banking can increase GDP by 3 percent Ufone brings hi-tech BlackBerry Torch 9810, 9860 Mobilink franchise targets to destabilize Pakistan Telecom shares decline in GDP Doctors use smartphones during operation Biggest Mobile threats 2012! The year of smartphones Research reveals GSM phones vulnerable to hack scams 11 12 13 16 17 22 23 30 38 45 49 54
Cover Story
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Cover Story
PTCL- The telecom giant plans to invest Rs.100 billion: Walid Irshaid 26
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PM approves USF projects in Sindh, Balochistn Cyber crimes in Pakistan cases registered in 2011 Why academia needs to get digitalize Gartner predictions for 2012 Entrepreneur's dream comes true China to combat hi-tech crime wave 10 36 44 48 50 53
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PTCL launched 3G EVO smartphone
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Events
HTC joins Brightex, opens two HTC concept stores in Karachi CEO Zong and management team visit C-III region World's first Android store opens in Australia Consumer Electronics Show 2012 34 37 46 56
Exclusive
World youngest IT icon Arfa death creates "iSad" Strike against Qmobile, protesters ask Govt to take stern action Pakistan upholds top slot in sex searching globally 14 18 40
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Tech Tools
Mobile Review Current Mobiles Upcoming Mobiles High Range Mobiles Low Range Mobiles Computers Laptops Accessories Gaming Zone 70 72 76 78 79 80 81 82 84
Xconnect continues to grow: Tauseef Khan
Ufone brings hi-tech BlackBerry Torch 9810, 9860
Synopsis
National News International News 58 67
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CEO Zong and management team visit C-III region
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HTC joins Brightex, opens two HTC concept stores in Karachi
Editor s No t e
Telecom attracts investment
Pakistan telecommunications sector growing day by day with more than 111 million cellular subscribers and 20 million internet users. This market is heading to attract more investors as well as force the playing players to invest more. Pakistani telecom market is rich and having potential to expand as our tele-density is 65.2 percent of the total 180 million populations. The market is doing well for the last decade and continues to do so. Like other investors Etisalat, the parent company of PTCL and Ufone plans to invest Rs. 100 billion in the coming five years. CEO and President, PTCL, Mr. Walid Irshaid said we realised that we needed to diversify our revenue streams, and not become reliant on Voice alone. We wanted to become the Integrated Telecom Company of Pakistan. He termed the liberalization step taken by Pakistani government floodgates of competition, whereby more than 200 telecom licenses were issued between 2004 and 2006 in different telecom segments. Today there are some forty active operators on the ground, all competing for the market. He said we were here to create a profitable, world class telecom company. This was not a requirement or a slogan. This was a mandate from our investors and shareholders. The Etisalat group values this investment; they are very committed; they are not here for the shortterm gain; theyre not here for hit and run; theyre here for the long-term. Pakistani market is of the highest priority for the group. Etisalat committed to this market which we believe is still severely under-provided in terms of ICT. Pakistan is sixth most populous country of the world, with 180 million people and a youth bulge. Every year, at least 5 to 10 million become potential broadband users. He further added when we bought strategic shares in PTCL, we didnt look at today and tomorrow; we looked at what would this market be like in 5 to 10 years. Today, there are more than 15 million Facebook users in Pakistan. Weve seen that average download in broadband in Pakistan is 25GB. Contrast this with the average global unlimited download of only 5GB. So the future for us is the promise. Walid said, we have a clear-cut, concise business plan to provide the highest quality broadband for upto 5 million outlets, households, and businesses. Each one of those 5 million customers will be guaranteed a minimum of 10MB broadband speed. Its a one billion dollar plus investment. We are not contemplating and thinking. Even as we speak, the wheels are already rolling. We have to bring a different value for our customers. Voice is dirtcheap, and a relic of the past! We want to go to the households, be a part of their lifestyles, and make sure that we provide them the services they want and when they want: be it the TV channels or broadband or basic voice. This is how I foresee the market. Well provide a minimum, guaranteed 10MB bandwidth, reliable service and highest quality, so that our customers are satisfied. Itll be a plug and play solution. n
January 15 - February 15, 2012
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri Irfan Khan Usman Yaqoob Director Marketing (Lhr) M. Farooq Malik Manager Marketing (Lhr) Rashid Hussain Mughal Marketing Executive (Khi) Zafar Khan Afridi Senior Graphic Designer M. Naeem Mughal Graphic Designer
Editor Assistant Editor
Azhar Javed General Manager Muhammad Saeed Chief Photographer Mobile: 0321 - 8404389 Legal Penal: Sardar Fakhir Ahmed Advocate Rana Naveed Ahmed Joua Advocate Lahore Office 46J-Gulberg III, Lahore-Pakistan. Ph: +92-42-38350195, 042-35880183 Fax: +92-42-35880183 Islamabad Office Phone: +92-51-5892027 +92-51-2254548 Kasur Office Phone: +92-492-770820-763250 Karachi Office 14 Star Marketing & Production Tel: +92-21-34311781-3 Registration No PCPB/105 (Vol. 8 Issue:5) Price Rs: 300 URL: w ww.fla r e.pk Email: flare.mag@gmail.com Colour Sepration: Fotoscan Process, 25-C Lower Mall, Lahore. Ph: 042-37111906, 37234042.
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri, (Editor-in-Chief) publisher of FLARE leading telecom magazine, printed it from Qasim Naeem Art Press, Near Bank Road, Main Bund Road, Lahore and published from 46J, Gulberg III, Lahore.
InsighT
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PM approves USF projects in Sindh, Balochistn

rime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the Chairman of the Board of Directors Universal Service Fund (USF) presided over the 26th meeting of Board of Directors of Universal Service Fund, which was held at the Prime Ministers House recently. The meeting approved the programmes to provide basic telephony and data services in Mastung Lot (Balochistan), broadband services in Southern Telecom Region-V (Sindh) and decision to initiate more projects in Balochistan. Secretary IT, Saeed Ahmad khan, ChairmanPTA, Dr Muhammed Yaseen, Member-Telecom, Dr. Ismail Shah, CEO-ISPAK, Azfar Manzoor, Representative of Consumer Association of Pakistan, Kaukab Iqbal and CEO-USF, Riaz Asher Siddiqui also attended the meeting as directors of USF Board. The Prime Minister has said that it was heartening that telecom sector was the fastest growing sector of the countrys economy and had been an attractive sector both for domestic and foreign investors. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan should march shoulder to shoulder with the developed world and introduce latest trends and technologies to realize the fruits of advancements in the digital world. The Prime Minister urged the Universal Service Fund to enhance equitable services to all segments of the society and also ensure that funds are
ing for people living in un-served areas so that direct and indirect employment opportunities can be created for them and digital divide can be bridged. The members of the Board apprised the meeting that the Rural Telecom Project in Mastung Lot, basic telephony and data services will be provided to a population of 74,831 people which reside in 102 muzas. Mastung Lot consists of Mastung, Nushki and Ziarat districts. In broadband project of Southern Telecom Region-V, the Board members said that broadband services would be provided in 73 towns and cities in 10 districts namely Ghotki, Jacobabad, Kambar Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Khairpur, Larkana, Naushahro feroze, Shaheed Benazir Abad (Nawabshah), Shikarpur and Sukkur. The project aims at provision of 78,000 broadband connections in these districts. It was also disclosed that in addition to this, 206 Educational Broadband Centers (EBCs) would be established in higher-secondary schools and colleges and 93 Community Broadband Centres (CBCs) for those who cannot afford to have their own PCs. The members of the Board said that USF had made immense progress under the present Government and due to the guidance of Prime Minister of Pakistan. In Rural Telecom Programme USF has provided basic telephony and data services in more than 3,500 muzas. Broadband services have
The meeting approved the programmes to provide basic telephony and data services in Mastung Lot (Balochistan), broadband services in Southern Telecom Region-V (Sindh) and decision to initiate more projects in Balochistan. Gilani said telecom sector was the fastest growing sector of the countrys economy and had been an attractive sector both for domestic and foreign investors
used economically as well as prudently. Apart from this, Prime Minister also laid emphasis on initiation of more projects throughout Pakistan, especially Balochistan using all tech-
Prime Minister also laid emphasis on initiation of more projects throughout Pakistan, especially Balochistan using all technologies such as Optic fiber, Microwave, Satellite and telecom Excellence centers. He also directed to conduct training for people living in unserved areas so that direct and indirect employment opportunities can be created for them and digital divide can be bridged
nologies such as Optic fiber, Microwave, Satellite and telecom Excellence centers. Prime Minister also directed to conduct train-
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been provided in 256 2nd and 3td tier cities and towns along with providing almost 334,000 broadband connections and establishing 943 EBCs and 291 CBCs, the meeting were apprised. In Optic Fiber Programme, around 3,960 kms of optic fiber cable has been laid to connect 58 unserved tehsils and towns. To take broadband internet to the villages, USF has launched another Program. The pilot project of that program is also under implementation aiming to bring the most modern e-Services through broadband, down to the village level. With these achievements, USF has created a success story for the public-private partnership entities nationally and internationally, the meeting was told. Prime Minister Yusuf Gilani, USF, MoITT and PTA all are trying hard to get the government out of the current crisis but all of them failed to even get a suitable minister for MoITT. USF and PTA playing their due roles to provide state of the art technologies and ensuring seamless connectivity across the length and breadth of Pakistan but the poor policies of PPP led coalition government creating continuous obstacles to dealt with the current situation. If the government cant provide MoITT with a minister out of 180 million population than no hope lies in future. The situation might gets worsen and the telecom sector future look bleak as already the most lucrative sectors share in GDP experienced huge decline. n
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Telepedia
Provincial Assembly pressed Punjab government to restrict girls and boys from using mobile phones in their schools and colleges. Raheela Khadim Hussain maintained mobile phone is a necessity but students remain busy in texting their friends during classes and hence dont concentrate on their studies
he Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution banning the use of mobile phones in schools and colleges. The resolution was moved by Raheela Khadim Hussain, a PML-N MPA from Lahore, elected on reserved seats, and was passed without any debate in the House as a majority of members showed no concern for debate. Provincial Assembly pressed Punjab government to restrict girls and boys from using mobile phones in their schools and colleges. Raheela Khadim Hussain maintained mobile phone is a necessity but students remain busy in texting their friends during classes and hence dont concentrate on their studies. Raheela told the house that there is already a law in the country regarding the ban of mobile phones in educational institutes, which is not being implemented. She said that she moved the bill to make sure that already available law is implemented at least in province of Punjab. Students, especially in urban areas, largely use mobile phones and are often found utilizing SMS and hourly call packages. It is unclear so far when this directive will be issued to educational institutes of the province. We are yet to ascertain the penalties, if any, for violation of this ban. This is going to affect the entire lifestyles of students, Punjab Government Bans Mobile Phones in Schools / Colleges should be debated before implementation. Some of students showed their concerns. After becoming such a common device that it looks difficult to implement this decision made by Punjab Government. Last year members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) unanimously had passed a resolution banning late night packages offered by mobile networks at cheap rates in keeping with moral and social values and to maintain the youths health and prevent vice.
The resolution tabled by opposition member Samina Khawar Hayat recommends that the federal government direct mobile companies not to promote cheap rate, late night packages that alter societal tendencies. The document says, Because of such mobile packages ... the young generation, particularly students, remain busy texting and talking over the phone the entire night, without caring for their studies, health and sleep ... these packages ... [are not in line with] social and moral values and customs ... a ban should be imposed on all such packages. The resolution was
Here it is merit mentioning that, such efforts made in the past but no practical implementation has seen in this regard, as night packages declared ban last year by two provincial assemblies but all the cellular companies yet to ban their night packages instead they offering with more affordable rates to quench thirst of talkative people with their loved ones
passed unanimously, with the speaker praising Samina for tabling the document. Assembly, Khyber After Punjab Pakhtoonkhawa provincial assembly has also passed a resolution to put immediate ban on late night calling packages. In fact they went even fur-
ther, and demanded ban on SMS packages too. Some may term the SMS part little harsh, but night packages are not seen well by many eyes. Here it is merit mentioning that, such efforts made in the past but no practical implementation has seen in this regard, as night packages declared ban last year by two provincial assemblies but all the cellular companies yet to ban their night packages instead they offering with more affordable rates to quench thirst of talkative people with their loved ones. If I say both the provincial assemblies failed to implement their verdict, then now they passed another bill to ban mobile phones in schools and colleges. Before passing such resolutions the assembly should have to offer debate, it should call on cellular companys representatives, commerce experts and people from academia as well. Because to ban mobiles in schools or colleges will affect the foreign direct investment (FDI), as telecom is the only sector which is attracting the highest rate of FDI in the country. Without proper debate passing such resolution doesnt make sense to me, because our national economy is already on its way to crash and by doing so we are making its way to do so. In todays turbulence situation, children have to get in touch with their parents and loved ones and mobile phone is the cheapest and easiest way to do so, but banning it we are making our youths security obscure. We should think and organize debates before take-up such decisions. Using cell phones during lectures and making fun of it is a matter of concern but it could be sort out by school or college administration within each organisation instead to ban it everywhere. Failures in taking measures administratively, one cant blame every institution. There are various schools and colleges where teachers and students tied with each other with a knot of trust and respect. n
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Telepedia
Palwasha Qazi
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n the past, business people were easily identifiablethey carried large briefcases, binder planners and perhaps a brick cell phone. The scene has changed and so has the way we conduct life and business. Smartphones stores important data and documents, offers a calendar planner, provides instant access to the internet and email and keep you in touch with clients, coworkers, friends and family anytime and anywhere. As a busy person, you know the importance of staying a step ahead of your clients and your family. You probably know the feeling of being tied to your desk or home so as not to miss that important email or phone call and to maintain convenient access to essential dataproposals, schedules, contact information, business news or the stock market. Millions across the globe have new-found freedom using smartphones designed for business (and fun). However, choosing the right smart phone is a daunting task. Potential buyers need to think through several factors including cost, features, performance and more. The good news is that Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has launched a 3G EVO enabled Android smartphone, IVIO Icon Pro, which offers dual support for both EVDO and GSM/CDMA network. Packed with features of Capacitive Touch Screen Multi Gestures, 262K, 5 mega pixels auto focus camera, and a 0.3 mega pixel secondary camera, the smartphone IVIO Icon Pro supports voice and SMS, Hybrid EVDO/UMTS, 256MB RAM, 512MB Flash ROM, and Micro SD support up to 32GB, with 4GB of micro SD card included. Providing up to four hours of talk time, the Smart phone IVIO Icon Pro accepts GSM SIMs and with handset configured for EVO, Wi-Fi Bluetooth EDR 2.1 AGPS G-sensor, thus giving PTCL customers the freedom to surf, talk, tweet and do a lot more simultaneously on the go in more than 150 cities nationwide. This device allows the user to sync with desktop computer. This means one can
store, view, and work on documents directly on your handheld. One can also receive and respond to emails as they arrive in the inbox on the home computer with real-time push email. This revolutionary PTCL product can also serve as multimedia devices, so entertainment goes hand in hand. It can store and display pictures and videos of friends and family and even entire feature-length movies. Most can take pictures and capture video, but the most common multimedia function is the ability to play MP3ssit back, relax, and enjoy your favorite tunes while traveling or during breaks. Another perk of using IVIO Icon Pro is the fairly recent development of third-party applications (or apps). These apps range from those geared toward hardworking business tasks to entertaining games and everything in between. With thousands of apps
This revolutionary PTCL product can also serve as multimedia devices, so entertainment goes hand in hand. It can store and display pictures and videos of friends and family and even entire feature-length movies
available to download in a range of prices, theres sure to be something that will appeal. What is so exciting and enthralling about Pakistans first 3G enabled Android Smartphone is its blazing fast 3G speeds of EVO wireless broadband. Exhibiting dual support for Wi-Fi and 3G, IVIO Icon pro for browsing 24/7 without any limitations. Android 2.2 Froyo OS is packed with a full web browser & an entire suite of Google Apps & access to over 250 thousand applications from the android market. It extends
the gift of preserving every precious moment with Icons dual cameras. Capture excellent quality photos with the 5Mega Pixels Auto Focus Camera along with a front digital camera for video conferencing. The personal Mobile Hotspot lets the populace share 3G Internet connections with friends wirelessly & with an edge of Icon pros in-built EVO 3G with smooth sharing of connection with friends. It yields on-the-go Social Networking, offering dual support for Wi-Fi & 3G, keeping connected with the world24/7, whether its for work or fun. Whether its on-the-go video conferencing with a client or accessing the internet for staying in touch with loved ones, one touch gives real time access to all be it social networks through the pre-installed Face book & Twitter apps; or a voice call through Skype or Viber. It gives un-interrupted connectivity to the customers without being worried about finding a Wi-Fi signal or being stuck with a slow data connection on their mobile every time they need connectivity on the go. Generally, smartphones are very expensive. However, PTCLs smart phone, IVIO Icon Pro offers is quite competitively priced. The pre-launch offers seem quite exciting with EVO WIND package, which is offering the smart phone along with 15 GB data for a period of 6 months only for Rs 17, 999. EVO WINGS, offering the smart phone with 5GB data for a period of 3 months for Rs 19,999 only. The accounts can be recharged at a cost of Rs999 for Smart 5GB and Rs1, 999 for Smart 15GB. The 3G EVO enabled Android Smart phone IVIO Icon Pro is the first in the evolution of the smart phone in Pakistan. As the vast selection of smartphone apps continues to grow rapidly, it would assuredly expand the phone's capabilities almost daily. So if you are seeking a smartphone for all the good reasons, IVIO Icon Pro is one of the best options to consider!! n
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Telepedia
edicated to giving back to the country, employee volunteerism is a core value of Mobilinks culture of excellence. Our employees donate generously to charitable causes in the areas of education, health and environmental preservation and spend more than 4,800 hours each year on community service initiatives. During the catastrophic floods of 2010, Orascom Telecom and Mobilink employee volunteers known as Torchbearers came together to donate more than Rs. 236 million and thousands of volunteer hours towards flood relief in Pakistans largest private sector relief initiative. Mobilink was recognized by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industries (OICCI) as top donor in flood relief amongst member companies. While providing financial support to people during times of disaster has been a long standing practice at Mobilink, the ethos of Mobilink CSR goes beyond donating money and stepping back. Mobilink is the only telecom company in Pakistan to have established a foundation dedicated to the community service projects in the area of disaster relief, education, health and the environment. All costs of the foundation and its various overheads such as staff salaries are borne by the corporation so that each rupee donated to the foundation translates into action on the ground and is spent with the purpose for which it was donated. The Mobilink Foundation has been at the forefront of activities during the IDP crisis in 2009, the floods in 2010, and helping put in place innovative programs in the education and health sector that use cellular technology to improve education and health outcomes for communities. During the floods of 2010, while Mobilink was one of the top private sector donors, it was also the leading organization in terms of number of volunteer hours donated to flood relief efforts. At Mobilink, we believe that CSR is not just about writing a cheque but actively engaging with and personally helping out families and people in need. Commitment to CSR is one of our core val-
ues and Mobilink employees are encouraged to donate time to disaster relief and other community development activities. We also believe in using our large network and our presence of our team members across the country to give us real time feedback and reports from the ground so that we are able to mobilize resources with speed and efficiency and get to the people who need them the most.
This years flood relief efforts at Mobilink have been no different. Mobilink torchbearers in Sindh have actively been reporting on the condition in the ground and directing us to areas where aid is needed. Based on field reports and out liaison with other relief organizations we quickly realized that the greatest need is for dry food rations. As a result, we mobilized our procurement networks to procure ration items at the best prices avail-
able. Mobilink prepared dry ration packs for 7000 families that had food supplies that could last a family of 7 for 15 days. We also provided families with clean drinking water. While procurement teams worked to get the packs ready our regional sales teams and local franchises conducted extensive visits of flood hit areas. Finance and marketing teams came together to provide operational support to ensure that relief items were able to make it to the field as quickly as possible. With the help of our Human resources department we launched an internal fund raising campaign and the Marketing department help put in an external fundraising process via SMS in place. Mobilink was one of the first cellular companies to launch a short code that could be used to donate money to flood victims. As our field teams reported on the bad conditions of roads and the problems of access, Mobilink decided to partner with the Armed Forces to transport goods to areas with limited access. Mobilink volunteers went to areas in Sanghar and Mirpurkhas to distribute relief. On September 29th a group of 25 Mobilink volunteers went to the village of Haji Muhmmad Ali Brohi, 17 km outside of Mirpurkhas city to distribute relief goods amongst 500 families. No international organizations had reached this area. Mobilink was informed of the extreme hunger in the area by local sales teams and franchisees who were familiar with the population. They helped identify 500 needy families and distributed relief among the most needed. Encouraging employees to go beyond the act of donating money, Mobilink hopes to inculcate in its workforce a strong sense of civic responsibility and responsible citizenship. Mobilink will continue to leverage its business advantages to help inform and help with the uplift of local communities. Mobilink is committed to reshaping lives not just through the use of cellular technology but by putting into motion our strengths, our expertise and our human capital wherever it might be required for a worthy cause. n
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Exclusive
Flare Report
The proud of Pakistan who stunned the world by becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional lost her race to life at CMH, Lahore; she was buried amid woes and cries in her native village of Ram Divali in Faisalabad; Lahore Technology Park renamed as Arfa Karim Park
he funeral prayers of the worlds youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Arfa Karim Randhawa, were offered at Al Khalid Mosque in Cavalry Ground. Arfas body was sent to her native village of Ram Divali in Faisalabad for burial after funeral prayers. Her parents, relatives and many others accompanied the body to attend the burial ritual. "Today is the black day of my life and same for Pakistan because I lost my princess colleague and Pakistan lost her Pakistani." Bill Gates said in a message on the sad demise of young IT professional, Arfa Karim. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif shouldered the coffin of Arfa, which was covered in national flag. The chief minister has renamed the Lahore Technology Park as Arfa Karim Technology Park as a tribute to her achievements and honour she brought for the country. Flare team expressed condolence with the parents of Arfa Karim, the youngest Microsoft Expert, over her sad demise. Editor-in-Chief Flare Zubair Kasuri said the entire nation was saddened over the death of a young star who won laurels for Pakistan and made the country proud through her achievements. Arfa was a source of inspiration for young girls and set a high benchmark of personal achievement through perseverance and dedication. Flare team prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in peace and give patience to the family to bear this irreparable loss with patience and fortitude. The news of Arfa Karim's death, who earned reputation for the country at age of nine by becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals ( MCPs) in the world in 2004, has plunged the nationinto grief and sorrow. Genius Arfa Karim 16, was studding at Lahore Grammar School Pargon Campus in her second year of A levels. She suffered cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure on December 22 and was admitted to Lahore's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition but she losther battle for life on January 14. People from all around the world, prayed for her recovery during her 24 days in hospital and anxiously followed her day-to-day health update through media. At time of death, Arfa Karim was working on an
ambitious project aiming at providing Information Technology (IT) opportunities to students of under developed areas of the country. Her aim was to set up " Digicon valley" in the country like on the pattern of Silicon Valley of India, for providing free of cost software development education and healthcare facilities to less privileged students.
The 16-year-old Arfa, also recipient of many other awards; at the age of 9 years, she became the youngest MCP in the world; she was awarded the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by then Prime Minister; received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award; Arfa was also the recipient of the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance
In one of her interview, she said Mircosoft founder Bill Gates would visit Pakistan to inaugurate Digicon Valley. Citing reason of lagging behind the India in IT world, she said we are giving more stress on higher education in comparison to basic education". She was of view that children learning capability is higher than elders, so they should not waste their mental faculties. "She was blessed with extra-ordinary capabilities and we realized her geniusness when she was only two", her parents Amjid Karim Randhawa and Samina Amjid Randhawa said. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in USA. On returning to Pakistan, Arfa had numerous interviews with television and newspapers. In August 2005, Arfa Karim received the Fa-
timah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology, by then Prime Minister of Pakistan. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 by the President of Pakistan. Arfa Karim is also the recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance. This is a very high level civil award granted to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time. Arfa was the youngest recipient of that award. Arfa Karim has also represented Pakistan on various international forums. She was invited by the IT Professionals of Dubai for a stay of two weeks in Dubai. A dinner reception was hosted for her there, which was attended by the diagnostics of Dubai including the Ambassador of Pakistan. During that trip, Arfa was presented with various medals and awards. She also flown a plane in a flying club in Dubai at the age of 10, and received the first flight certificate.
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Every mother or father thinks her/his child is a star, but what pain, loss and anguish would be cutting the heart of a mother or father whose child was actually a STAR! I am still very sad for Pakistan, for it was a national loss, but let us all spend a few moments in silence and pray for the berieving family and the lost star....... Arfa, we MISS YOU! n
Telepedia
Azhar Javed
much debated and controversial memogate issue jolts the RIM Company as scandal related to Pakistan nuclear assets & armed forces. To watch the scenario, the Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has indicated that it would lawfully defend users privacy as far as legally possible for them. Canada-based RIM, which makes the BlackBerry said: Like others in our industry, from time to time, we may receive requests from legal authorities for lawful access assistance. We are guided by appropriate legal processes and publicly disclosed lawful access principles in this regard as we balance any such requests against our priority of maintaining the privacy rights of our users. Research In Motion vowed to defend the legal privacy rights of BlackBerry users after a judicial commission in Pakistan ordered
that ministry has no record about the memo and Haqqani's appointment was also not departmental. Chief Jutice Iqbal Hameed ur-Rehman questioned about the record of Ambassador's day to day meetings with other officials or any procedure to keep check on ambassadors whether they were working according to the government policy or not. He also directed Secretary Foreign Affairs to look into the matter and inform the commission on the next date of hearing. The commission also directed Ministry of Information Technology, Federal Investigation Agency and ISI to provide them technical assistance in this issue. Secretary Cabinet was also directed to expeditiously ensure compliance of all orders of commission and may also nominate a focal person in this regard. Later talking to media, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul
RIM vowed to defend the legal privacy rights of BlackBerry users after a judicial commission in Pakistan ordered copies of smartphone communications in a scandal probe
copies of smartphone communications in a scandal probe. The Canadian firm reacted to news that a Pakistani commission was seeking records for a probe into an unsigned memo purported to ask for Washingtons help to rein in Pakistans military. The highly controversial memo was allegedly an attempt by a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari to enlist the US militarys help to head off a military coup in May in Pakistan. It was made public in October by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz. Recently, the commission directed government officials to obtain the BlackBerry record of conversation between Ijaz and a former envoy to the US accused of crafting the memo, Husain Haqqani. Haqqani resigned over the affair and the Supreme Court has stopped him from leaving Pakistan. He has denied any involvement in the scandal. A Supreme Court mandated commission on memo issue directed Hussain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz to produce gadgets records over exchanging information. The commission headed by Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court Qazi Faez Issa and includes Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam conducted the proceedings of memo issue in the premises of IHC. Attorney General for Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq apprised the commission about memo issue and said notices have been issued to all respondents but due to weekly holidays it could not reach to Mansoor Ijaz and General James Jones and added that he has no confirmation whether it was received or not. He said "I was informed by Secretary Interior that he has served notice to Hussain Haqqani for appearing before the commission". Regarding Mansoor Ijaz, commission Chairman Faez Issa directed the AG to send notice to him on all addresses even on his email. During course of hearing, Qazi Issa remarked that every body would be given full opportunity for cross examination and it should be more transparent. The commission also summoned Hussain Haqqani to appear at the next date of hearing and directed the government to provide him requisite security, besides an opportunity to engage the counsel. Haq said that the commission would determine the methodology to be adopted to write a letter to a foreign company in order to obtain record of telephonic conversations between Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz. Moreover, the commission's secretary Jawad Abbas, district and Sessions Judge Islamabad, informed the mediamen that an open court inquiry would be carried out into the memo affair. The three member judicial commission tasked with probing memogate has sought the record of Blackberry messages exchanged between Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz from the company which makes the smart phone. Meanwhile commenting on who would represent DG ISI Shuja Pasha, the Attorney General said it was up to Pasha who he selected as his lawyer. The commission was set up by the Supreme Court when it ruled that petitions in the memo case were maintainable.
The highly controversial memo was allegedly an attempt by a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari to enlist the US militarys help to head off a military coup in May in Pakistan
The commission also directed the government to provide security to Mansoor Ijaz when he comes to Pakistan to produce evidence. The commission also sent notices to former US National Security Advisor James Jones, DirectorGeneral Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Ahmed Shuja Pasha and others included in the probe. Neither Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, nor the ISI chief appeared before the commission. The commission also asked Secretary Foreign Affairs that whether any departmental action was taken against Hussain Haqqani, on which, he replied that no action was taken against him. On the question of number of Haqqani's meetings with Mansoor Ijaz, the Foreign Secretary replied
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Chief Justice Balochistan High Court, Justice Qazi Faez Esa, Chief Justice IHC Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman and Chief Justice SHC Justice Mushir Alam are members of the commission. n
Flare Report
Telepedia
akistan is the most lucrative market place for broadband and cellular service providers. Pakistan telecom customers crossed 111million mark while achieved 65.2 tele-density out of 180 million populations. Short Messaging Services (SMS) - an important feature of cellular mobile services has recorded 16 percent increase in SMS traffic during July-Dec 2011. SMS is a vital source of revenue earning for cellular companies as the number of SMS generated by these companies touched a 100 billion mark during Jul-Dec, 2011 as compared to 86 billion during the preceding two quarters. This huge rise in the SMS traffic owes largely to the attractive and wide range of bundle packages being offered by all the operators. Daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly and even unlimited packages are being offered at very low rates by cellular companies to capture potential of this service. But the civil society looks concerned over these packages as youth is increasingly seen caught in amorous advances - thanks mainly to cheap night packages offered by various telecom operators in a bid to expand customer network. The amazing part of this story is that almost all cable operators offer arguably cheapest call charges with almost entirely free text messages offer with charges as low as 25 paisas by paying only nominal charges one can enjoy free talk on any number of
SMS traffic up by 16percent

SMS is a vital source of revenue earning for cellular companies as the number of SMS generated by these companies touched a 100 billion mark during Jul-Dec, 2011 as compared to 86 billion during the preceding two quarters; cellular mobile services has recorded 16 percent increase in SMS traffic during July-Dec 2011
one's own choice. Though there is consensus that communication itself is not a bad thing since it helps people grow confidently and resolves issue besides providing opportunity to be in contact with peers. But, its extensive use among youth is a cause of concern for family elders and parents. "The issue is not about call charges but the negative use of the facility which bothers parents" said Najib Ahmad a government servant in communications department. However, if mobile packages social circles showed their concern over the increased immoral activities on internet, Facebook, cable and the cheap communication facilities mainly responsible in this regard. Naseem Ahmed who is a retired professor said," I cannot understand the usage of mobile night packages. What are they meant for and what these mobile companies want to communicate through these night packages. Zehra, who is a house wife, also looked worried affordability and choice. But, buying new mobiles and frequently changing the existing ones usually deprive students from their pocket money given to buy books or study material. Hiba, a student of third year in COMSATS, said Usually I spend my pocket money on buying mobile sets, as soon as a new handset is introduced".
Contrary to this, the social circles showed their concern over the increased immoral activities on internet, Facebook, cable and the cheap communication facilities mainly responsible in this regard. Naseem Ahmed who is a retired professor said," I cannot understand the usage of mobile night packages. What are they meant for and what these mobile companies want to communicate through these night packages
are free, the youth especially the students can also use it for their study purposes. "By talking free the whole night they can make each other understand the difficult sums of science or physics or formula which they were not able to understand while sitting in the class", he maintained. He was of the view that the cheap communication is for the facilitation of the people and they can use it for positive purposes. Contrary to this, the over the night packages offered by the mobile companies. She said these free offers of mobile companies for late night gossips are beyond understanding. It looks like a conspiracy against our youth to distract them of their studies and engage in unhealthy activities, she claimed. Besides this, variety of mobile with various features is also available in the market with price ranging from Rs 1500 to Rs 75,000 accommodating the customers According to a recent survey, sale of mobile handsets reaches around 1 million per month in Pakistan. This figure clearly mentions how much our nation is crazy behind mobile sets. No doubt, the telecom sector is making progress and mobile subscribers reach around 111 million in the country, but there is dire need of checks on night packages offered by mobile companies. n
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InsighT
Flare Report
Offering the definitive BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard for fast typing combined with a large 3.2, high resolution touch display, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 truly is the best of both worlds. With a faster processor, Liquid Graphics, HD video recording, and 8GB of built in storage, the result is an enhanced multimedia experience in an all-in one BlackBerry design
fone expands its BlackBerry profile with the launch of two extremely stylish smartphones- The new BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone and the AllTouch BlackBerry Torch 9860. The new BlackBerry Torch 9810 is faster and fluid with enhanced hardware features and the new BlackBerry 7 OS. Offering the definitive BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard for fast typing combined with a large 3.2, high resolution touch display, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 truly is the best of both worlds. With a faster processor, Liquid Graphics, HD video recording, and 8GB of built in storage, the result is an enhanced multimedia experience in an all-in one BlackBerry design. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone offers the fast, fluid BlackBerry 7 experience in a stylish new all-touch design. With a spectacular new 3.7 display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphones is optimized for viewing and sharing photos, videos, and powerful gaming experiences without compromising the real-time collaboration and communication loved by BlackBerry users. The next generation BlackBerry browsing experience introduced in the BlackBerry 7 OS renders beautifully on the all-touch BlackBerry Torch display and combined with its optical
Speaking at the launch Akbar Khan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ufone said that the organization always has and shall continue to strive and deliver the best offerings in innovation and technology for its valued customers. At Ufone, it has always been about facilitating the fast paced corporate environment and keeping them connected on the go.
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trackpad, browsing the Web is fast and fluid. Social application experiences enabled by BBM 6 allow users to share powerful gaming and multimedia experiences with friends even when they're apart. Yet again Ufone has proven to be a pioneer in presenting the latest technology to its customers. Ufone has been the first company to introduce various BlackBerry smartphones for the first time in the Pakistani market, such as Bold 9000, 9700, 8780and 9900, Torch 9800, Curve 8520, 9300 and 9360.
Akbar Khan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ufone said that the organization always has and shall continue to strive and deliver the best offerings in innovation and technology for its valued customers. At Ufone, it has always been about facilitating the fast paced corporate environment and keeping them connected on the go
Blackberry torch 9810 is priced at Rs 49,999 and Blackberry Torch 9860 is priced at Rs 45,000. n
Interview
Flare Panel
sman Ishaq has recently been appointed as Director Marketing at Zong - China Mobile Pakistan. Young and enterprising Usman joined China Mobile in 2008 as Regional Director, Sales and Distribution. As a result of his extraordinary performance in sales he was promoted to the position of Director Sales and Distribution with enhanced responsibilities. As Director S&D, Usman worked closely with marketing department to develop, establish and direct channel, distribution strategies and programs.
Telecom. His key specialties include sales, distribution, customer management, business development and project management. FLARE had the opportunity to talk Usman Ishaq, the new Director Marketing Zong, to unravel his future plans for Zong as well as his journey to the current position. Excerpts from his interview: FLARE: Can you share with us your experience of how Zong emerged as a forerunner in the telecom industry and became market leader. What were the factors that helped you in reviving Zong? Usman Ishaq: I joined Zong in April 2008, when the company was confronted with a challenging situation because of tough fight from giant competitors. First, I developed and restructured sales force by setting up new areas in the region. Then I realised the need for expansion of franchise channels, therefore developed 63 Franchisees and 27000 retail outlets. This was a very challenging task. Then I developed Trade Marking Department in the region along with the introduction of innovative Trade Promos to increase the activations and revenue. With all these initiatives I managed to increase the revenue which was a great achievement of my career. The core factor behind the success was that with immense marketing support we were successful in making people realize that China Mobile is the largest mobile phone company of the world. FLARE: Zong has recently achieved the subscribers level of 14 million subscribers. So whats next? Usman: I think it is a very good question because whats next always tells you about the company and what the trend is going to be. Zongs focus now is to
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Usman Ishaq has studied in PAK AIMS, Lahore and has diversified industry experience. Prior to joining Zong, he has worked for companies like Mobilink, ICI Pakistan, and Warid
Usman Ishaq
Interview
maximize its subscribers growth, so we want to be the market leader in near future, we are here to stay and with Chinas commitment to Pakistan, this is not a short-term operation. So our long-term vision is, to become the No 1 mobile phone company of Pakistan! We are giving offers, which others cant even think of matching, because it needs a lot of investment and China is putting in huge investment in Pakistan. FLARE: What would you say about the future growth of the communication industry? Usman: As you know that the industry is changing rapidly and the mobile phone is no more a simple telephone device, it is much more than that. In fact in the western world, a report reveals, that in some countries of Europe, 40 percent of revenue comes from voice and 60 percent from data. Keeping this aspect in mind, I foresee a lot of growth in mobile internet and mobile data usage. I foresee consumers living their lives digitally more than any time in the past and it is going to grow and the time is near when most of your life will be digitally supported. You have your android phones today. So I think now we have an opportunity to jump from fixed internet to mobile internet because mobile internet changes everything. I foresee this trend to be picking off! The commerce platform, information platform and the communication platform all will make consumers to depend more on mobiles and thats where the opportunity exists. FLARE: With social networking becoming more popular should we expect Zong to go in the same direction? Usman: It is no more a secret that every mobile operator in Pakistan or anywhere in the world wants to jump onto the social networking bandwagon -- Facebook, Twitter etc. Pakistan alone has around 5.8 million Facebook users. Facebook is easily accessible on the mobile and once the awareness increases it will obviously change the game and the usage of networking sites like Facebook. FLARE: Zong has only recently achieved 14 million subscribers level. As
a marketing head do you think it is the quality of the voice, quality of services or is it the price factor or sheer size of the parent company that has helped Zong reach its distinctive position today? Usman: Well, no company can achieve success with a single feature or a brand cant rely just on one thing. Its my experience that it has to be a mix of certain things. A brand is a promise to its customers, so the whole idea is, whether the promise is being met or not? It always takes time for customers to realise the fact that the brand has met the promises it made. So if you look at Zong, as a case study,
the customers. And the third thing is the parent company, however small it may appear, but investing more than $1.66 billion in Pakistan at a time when law and order was a at its worst, was a very brave decision. China Mobile stood to its commitment and invested as much as it could to facilitate our ambitions. And another
The core factor behind the success was that with immense marketing support we were successful in making people realize that China Mobile is the largest mobile phone company of the world. Zongs focus now is to maximize its subscribers growth, so we want to be the market leader in near future, we are here to stay and with Chinas commitment to Pakistan, this is not a shortterm operation. So our long-term vision is, to become the No 1 mobile phone company of Pakistan!
we again are a very aggressive player in the market and the company was launched very aggressively and we took the bull by the horn. So the faith of the team was that we can stand up and deliver the product and we can take on our much established competition. One of the major factors of our success, I will say is our way of communication. We are very direct to
factor is our data differentiator, which is the best among the industry. We have the largest percentage of data customers. Because the data products were good, the young people who wanted to use internet thronged to Zong. Our offers were quite attractive and we not only introduced attractive packages in voice, but also in data, which provided great flexibility to the customers. FLARE: Technology wise, how do we compare the services of Zong with other companies, locally, regionally and internationally? Usman: We are at par with international standards. We all know that today almost everything in the world is being produced by China. All the telecom companies of Pakistan are using technology, which have majority of Chinese components. So if we compare ourselves to our competitions in Pakistan, we have the same technology and if we compare ourselves with global companies then we are also at the same level because they are also using similar networks. FLARE: Are Pakistanis going to hear more good news about further cut in telecom rates? Usman: In telecom industry, it is not one price for everyone. When market matures and saturates it creates segmentation and then the company gives one advantage to a segment and another advantage to another segment. So generally speaking that advantage will not be for everyone and everybody will get his desired package at his desired rates. I think in that sense, there will always be good news in finding out new segments and giving the customers the freedom to choose. n
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Telepedia
Usman Yaqoob
MFS has the potential to increase Pakistans GDP by 3 percent in the next decade; 27 million people to have access to savings accounts, 17 million people will be able to pay their utility bills, 10 million people will have access to credit and 4 million people can potentially be insured through initiating branchless banking
ccording to the State Bank of Pakistans financial stability review of the 1st half of 2011, pre-tax profits of the banking industry rose to an impressive 77.3 billion, the highest for the period in well over a decade. The recently released report further noted that during the half year under review, asset base of the banking system witnessed strongest growth since 2007 amid robust increase in investment, predominantly in government papers. Therefore, for the banking industry the incessant government borrowings have proved a blessing in disguise. The report highlighted that the amount of investment in government papers has more than doubled from Rs1.08 trillion in December 2008 to Rs2.62 trillion in June 2011. Dispelling the impression that Pakistani banks enjoy the highest spread in the world, the state bank report mentions that Pakistan ranks 69 out of 122 countries with high spreads. However, what still needs to be understood is that the banking industry has fared relatively well in the last few years. In a recent study by Boston Consulting Group for Telenor titled Shaping our financial future, the percentage of un-banked adults is at a staggering 85 per cent. Keeping in mind the strength of Pakistans banking industry; such figures remain alarming to say the least. This figure implies that 85 per cent of adults in Pakistan are financially excluded. The substantial growth in the telecom sector of Pakistan has resulted in an increase in mobile SIM penetration that according to estimates is approximately 65.2 percent of the total population. Growing density of mobile phone users presents an opportunity to the banking sector to utilise the platform to bridge the financial divide in the country. Adoption of branchless banking therefore is an initiative that promises great dividends for the country. The fact that 85 percent of Pakistanis are financially excluded implies that they have to rely on often illegal means to manage their money. The potential for the banking industry to further grow exponen-
tially is great. The same research by the Boston Consulting Group reveals that access to mobile financial services has the potential to increase Pakistans GDP by three per cent in the next decade. MFS can potentially allow 27 million people to have access to savings accounts through mobile phones, 17 million people will be able to pay their utility bills through MFS, 10 million people will have access to credit and four million people can potentially be insured through initiating branchless banking. State Bank of Pakistan has taken some very good initiatives to promote branchless banking in Pakistan and other corporate entities have followed suite with the foremost example being Telenor through their
Branchless banking has the potential to cut down on logistics, in the present age of globalisation of information. It has the power to develop unprecedented electronic linkages, allowing transactions to be made with great ease; SBP has taken some very good initiatives to promote branchless banking in Pakistan
easy paisa scheme and United Bank Limited with their Omni initiative. What Easy Paisa has done very successfully is that they have leveraged their mobile phone subscriptions and their distribution networks along with collaborating with Tameer banks microfinance initiatives to develop a system that allows the un-banked lower and middle classes to have access to branchless banking. The thing that stands out with Easy Paisa is that it is not only limited to Telenor subscribers but is a facility that can be availed by all mo-
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bile phone users, a move that expands the domain of the services being offered. Branchless banking has the potential to cut down on logistics, in the present age of globalisation of information. It has the power to develop unprecedented electronic linkages, allowing transactions to be made with great ease, said a senior banker in SME bank. State Bank data further consolidates the argument presented by the official at SME bank, noting that branchless banking transactions have increased phenomenally by 27 per cent in July-September, while the volume of transactions increased by 43.2 per cent during the period under deliberation. A research and policy centre at the World Bank, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), has said Pakistan is a laboratory of innovation for branchless banking. With over 180 million people and a GDP per capita of $2400, according to the CIA world Factbook, the banking industry of Pakistan after having enjoyed a year of success needs to diversify into branchless banking to tap this important resource. The findings were astonishing, since they noted that almost 5 per cent of Easy Paisa customers lived below $1.25 a day, while almost 40 per cent lived on less than $2.5 per day. The estimated further revealed that over 90 per cent of all customers rated the service as highly effective, with a significant proportion stating that it had a huge impact on their lives. It is encouraging to note that other banks have also decided to jump in and tap into this promising opportunity, with Habib Bank Limited initiating branchless banking services in 2012. Like UBL, Habib Bank Limited has also decided to take this journey solo. With banking assets growing by an impressive 8 per cent in the period under review according to the State Bank Financial Stability report, and the market still evolving financial inclusion through branchless banking is an area that promises to pay great dividends to the banking industry in the year 2012. n
Cover Story
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri
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r. Walid Irshaid has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Pakistan Telecommunication Co. Ltd., since March 8, 2007. Mr. Irshaid served as the President of Middle East and Africa at Reliance Globalcom Ltd. since February 11, 2004. Mr. Irshaid has more than 30 years in the telecommunications and IT industries based in Dubai. He served as Director General of the Palestine Telecom Corporation (PALTEL) and worked as a Managing Director for the Investcom Group in Beirut developing data & business communication services in Lebanon. He spent 17 years with Emirates Telecom where he was responsible for the development of a number of major projects and key services. He has been Vice Chairman and Director of SAMENA Telecommunications Council since November 23, 2011. He served as a Director of Paltel Corporation. Mr. Irshaid holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Electronics) from NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi. Hereunder excerpts from his conversation: PTCL has been transformed from a government-owned entity to a professional private company. How has this experience been thus far? Walid Irshaid: One has to understand that before PTCLs privatisation, it was a state-run company; it had a monopoly in key telecom segments; and it was perceived as the telephone company of Pakistan. This was the case for nearly sixty years until the year 2005-06 when PTCL was privatised and Emirates Telecom bought the strategic share. When Etisalat took over the management, we started a transformation within PTCL to make it THE telecom company of Pakistan, not the remaining telephone company of Pakistan. The transformation process was very comprehensive, touching our people, our networks, our services and our revenues. There were serious challenges for us from the beginning. One, PTCL was hugely over-staffed when it was privatised. Two, most of its services originated from the Voice business on fixed lines. We somehow solved the problem of overstaffing in an amicable, respectable and professional way. We were able to reduce our headcount from 64,000 people to just above 30,000. We imparted huge training into our employees and worked on changing the bureaucratic culture to become customer-centric. We said, look, we cannot just sit in offices and customer cannot line up for us. Now we have to go to their doors. On the revenue side, we realised that we needed to diversify our revenue streams, and not become reliant on Voice alone. We wanted to become the Integrated Telecom Company of Pakistan. Towards that end, we have made efforts to make our customers aware that they we can offer them much more on the same fixed lines. Were offering double play (voice and broadband), and we have started offering triple play, too (voice, broadband and TV). Besides this, are becoming more focused towards enterprise solutions for our corporate customers. If I call last five years as transformational, the coming five years are going to be the years of consolidation. How did the market behave in last five years, and how did it impact PTCL? Walid: Interestingly, just before privatisation, two things happened around 2004-05. One, the government of Pakistan decided to liberalise the telecommunication sector. This opened what I call the floodgates of competition, whereby more than 200 telecom licenses were issued between 2004 and 2006 in different telecom segments. Today there are some forty active operators on the ground, all competing for the market. Two, amid wire-line substitution to the wireless and declining voice tariffs; we were in a crit-
Cover Story
ical position as our revenues were predominantly voice-based. Overseas call terminating in Pakistan used to constitute roughly a quarter of our revenues. We used to charge ten cents, and today the tariff has reduced to one cent. Foreign operators are now expecting us to terminate their calls for free here: a result of having 14 LDI operators making a mess of this business. So, it was a completely changed scenario for us. What is the revenue mix at PTCL today? Walid: Today, voice is just one of the eight revenue streams for PTCL, and contributes roughly over 40 percent to our revenues. This is in sharp contrast to five years ago when it used to be over 90 percent of total revenues. The secondlargest revenue contributor is broadband, which provided for 20 percent of our revenues. The corscriptions have declined, the volume of minutes handled by PTCL today is much higher than it was five years ago. Without too many mobile network operators, our growth in volumes would perhaps have been ten times more. The text messaging service on mobiles also took a lot of our business. If Pakistanis are generating one billion minutes in a day, PTCL is not taking 90 percent of it like it once used to. How is the Ufone, PTCLs mobile telephony subsidiary, been doing lately? Walid: Ufone has been in a relatively good shape. It has been around for many years. I always feel that they have done an excellent job. First, by not being in the rut, they are still being a profitable company. Two, they have really managed to secure good position in what I call a sui-
porate enterprise solution unit is contributing roughly eight to ten percent to the revenues, and it is the fastest growing revenue stream today. It is targeting businesses, e.g. the banking sector, where most of the banks in Pakistan are relying on us for online banking, ATMs, connectivity, etc.
Just before privatisation of PTCL, two things happened: One, the government of Pakistan decided to liberalise the telecommunication sector in around 2004-05. This opened what I call the floodgates of competition, whereby more than 200 telecom licenses were issued between 2004 and 2006 in different telecom segments. Today there are some 40 active operators on the ground, all competing for the market
We soon realised we needed home-grown revenues, and could no more rely on international incoming calls. Diversifying our revenue streams was essential, and we are making great progress in this regard. Your major revenue source is still voice. Within that, how has the completion from mobile network operators affected your share? Walid: Competition has affected us in two ways. First, the rates are not like before, even for domestic calls. The voice tariffs in Pakistan are one of the lowest in the world. Although sub-
cidal market. Providing service is something, maintaining the quality of service is something else. How does the Etisalat group value the Pakistani market? Walid: As group CEO in Pakistan, I want to tell you that we are here to create a profitable, world class telecom company. This is not a requirement or a slogan. This is a mandate from our investors and shareholders. The Etisalat group values this investment; they are very committed; they are not here for the short-term gain; theyre not here for hit and run; theyre here for the long-term. Pakistani market is of the highest priority for the group. But Etisalat paid a price twice as much as other bidders for buying the management stake in PTCL. What did Etisalat see in the company (or in the market) which others did not in 2006? Walid: The Etisalat group does not regret its decision. The beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, they say. Were very committed to this market which we believe is still severely underprovided in terms of ICT. Pakistan is sixth most populous country of the world, with 180 million people and a youth bulge. Every year, at least 5 to 10 million become potential broadband users. When we bought this strategic share in PTCL, we didnt look at today and tomorrow. We looked at what would this market be like in 5 to 10 years. Today, there are more than 15 million Facebook users in Pakistan. Weve seen that average download in broadband in Pakistan is 25GB. Contrast this with the average global unlimited download of only 5GB. So the future for us is the promise. There are issues with the $800 million in outstanding payments for the over three years now.
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Cover Story
Walid: This has to do with fulfilling the commitment in the original contract between the Government of Pakistan and Etisalat group. The issue is that of the transfer of real estate belonging to the PTCL Company. Once the transfer of the properties is concluded, this issue will be resolved. The bilateral, brotherly, cordial relations between Pakistan and UAE are there, and nobody can undermine that. Yet Etisalat works on a commercial basis, and wants results. So things have to be viewed in the right perspective. It has been reported that more than 90 percent of the properties have been transferred in PTCLs name, so why not deduct the value of remaining of remaining properties and settle the outstanding payments? Walid: This issue is not being contested by the PTCL Company. Its being discussed between GOP and Etisalat themselves. The issue, I personally believe, is not impossible to resolve. Its a contractual commitment, in which there are milestones, and the last one has to be fulfilled. Were very close to it. Around 95 percent of the transfer has been made. There are still some properties that need to be transferred, and this transfer is not to Etisalat or anybody else, it is to the PTCL Company. The value of the remaining properties is being discussed between the Ministry of Privatisation and Etisalat. There are actively engaged on this. Do you have plans to divest some of the properties and invest the funds in core business? Walid: Not really, no! But all options are open for us, and I dont rule out selling some of the real estate. But first and foremost, the two parties have to settle the issue. The broadband penetration is still abysmally low in Pakistan. Any plans for the broadband segment? Walid: Going forward, in the coming five years (including the running year, uptil June 30, 2016), the PTCL group has made a commitment to invest a hundred billion rupees in this market. This is not a figure on the table; this represents a commitment for concise, clear-cut and focussed investment. Where would the investment go? Walid: We have a clear-cut, concise business plan to provide the highest quality broadband for upto 5 million outlets, households, and businesses. Each one of those 5 million customers will be guaranteed a minimum of 10MB broadband speed. Its a one billion dollar plus investment. We are not contemplating and thinking. Even as we speak, the wheels are already rolling. Today, the 1MB users want more speed and download. Youll be shocked to know that folks in rural areas, who have bare access to basic facilities, are savvy internet users. And that is why I do not underestimate the potential of broadband. Otherwise, I will be underestimating my companys potential. We have to bring a different value for our customers. Voice is dirt-cheap, and a relic of the past! We want to go to the households, be a part of their lifestyles, and make sure that we provide them the services they want and when they want: be it the TV channels or broadband or basic voice. This is how I foresee the market. Well provide a minimum, guaranteed 10MB bandwidth, reliable service and highest quality, so that our customers are satisfied. Itll be a plug and play solution. What will be the financing arrangement for the Rs100 billion which PTCL is planning to invest up till June 2016? Walid: There is no worry about how to secure that investment. It is not something that we cannot arrange. It could be a debt to equity combination. How do you see your company margins in 2016? Walid: Promising! Our bargain chips are placed on better revenue figures in the future. By FY16, I am optimistic that our revenues would be double the FY11 figures. Going forward, I foresee PTCL in a much better and sound financial position. Of course, we have to ensure that we deliver, as the investment will not come for free. We have to improve our revenues and bring them to a higher level. It is only by trying to diversifying more and ensuring that when we go to the customer, we deliver a reliable and high quality experience, consisting of all the triple play services: video, internet and voice.

There is no need for further bleeding. Since the auction is also open for existing MNOs, there is a chance that one of the existing operators acquires this cellular license and gets more frequency spectrum. The five operators can also go and collectively buy this spectrum to prevent the sixth operator from entering the market. I do not expect to see five telecom operators in the medium to long term. If the five can consolidate into three, it would be better for everyone. Do you think Pakistani market is ready for the third-generation (3G) network technology? What are your plans regarding the 3G technology? Walid: The deployment of infrastructure for 3G operations is much more expensive as it is more about transporting data than voice. A lot of investment would be required from the sponsors of the 3G operators. It is going to be really difficult for the 2G leftover operators in the post3G environment, because high revenue-generating subscribers would switch over to 3G networks. Voice services would have even lower ARPUs later on, so it will be difficult for 2G operators to survive for long in a market like Pakistan. There will be a clear case for consolidation. So, as the group CEO, I am reasonably confident that Ufone would be one of the three 3G licensees. Ufone is going to be a strong contender for the 3G spectrum in Pakistan and will fight to win! There is a clear case for mergers and acquisitions in the local telecom sector. Would you be willing to shop for one? Walid: I have told you that the five coming years would be the years of consolidation, following the prior five years of transformation. Now we are going ahead with our plans, and re-
I want to tell you that the Etisalat group is here to create a profitable, world class telecom company. This is not a requirement or a slogan. This is a mandate from our investors and shareholders. The Etisalat group values this investment and they are very committed to this market. They are here for the long term, as the Pakistani market is of the highest priority for the group
There are already five active players in the mobile telephony market, and there is a talk of a potentially sixth active participant. As group CEO, how long do you think such a competitive structure can sustain itself? Walid: This is not conducive to the operators and the country to have another active MNO.
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liance would be on indigenous, home-grown revenues. So far, we have been focusing on the organic growth. However, I dont rule out any inorganic growth if need be at any point in time. The branchless banking market in Pakistan has revealed its potential in the last two years. While other major MNOs are seriously looking at the market, why is there reluctance from Ufone? Walid: I think that Ufone is not going to be left out. This area is being discussed at the group level at Etisalat, for bringing in more synergies between various group entities vis--vis mobile money transfer, mobile banking, and payment systems. The remittance flow from UAE to Pakistan is the second-largest after KSA, so that is just one huge opportunity. Who would be in a better position than Etisalat and Ufone to tap into this market? We must admit that we are late, but we are not out! The market is there. Were looking at both money transfers and payments. Telecommunication is among the mostheavily taxed sectors in Pakistan. How does such an exorbitant taxation regime impact your business model? Are you taking up this issue with relevant authorities? Walid: One has to keep the whole economic situation of Pakistan in mind: the country is going through a tough period of fiscal crunch. It is really up to the government to decide what ecosystem they want to provide to the investors and businesses. I dont want to exaggerate the taxation issue. What bothers me the most is not taxation! Its the power outages that present the real challenge to PTCL more than anything else. Running the operations for eighteen hours a day on fuel is a logistical and security nightmare. And its on a continuous basis. Not just that, the equipment wares out, batteries have to be replaced every six months, and fire incidents happen in the diesel generators. It is really difficult to maintain the quality of service 99.9 out of 100 instances in such an environment. So, if the government keeps this taxation regime but provides a constant, certain supply of electricity, the business would be in far better position.
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Why not share the infrastructure to alleviate some of these costs? Walid: The idea of a Tower Holding Co. is still relevant. On the facility sharing, PTA does not stop. I foresee there will be more sharing among MNOs in the future. It is just not feasible to have 5 towers within a small distance of 10 to 20 kilometers. On a side note, as a telecom professional I find this really strange that MNOs have not allowed national roaming among themselves. Under these distressful conditions, they should do that. That can greatly reduce the running costs and environmental issues. The regulator should force national roaming as a regime. Whats your take on USF-funded projects, keeping in view their contributions to the funds? Walid: USF has done a good job in Pakistan. It has slowed down a little bit over last one year. I am hoping that USF will be back on its feet as a new management has now taken charge. PTCL has been an active participant in USF projects in various ICT areas. (Courtesy BR) n
Ufone gives away tractor to the winner of Kissan Package lucky draw
Wateen to revolutionise communication through the launch of Freedom Booths

Experiential marketing to help bring in digital revolution in the country
Lahore: Wateen Telecom, Pakistans leading converged communications company is proud to announce the launch of its new Freedom Booths, a revolutionary communications medium. The Freedom Booths the first of their kind to be launched anywhere in the world reflect Wateens capabilities as a leader in converged communication services and exemplify the companys data, voice and content creation services. The applications for the Freedom Booths are limitless. This cutting-edge medium of communications aims to maximise the application potential of the internet, while helping connect people across the country. The Freedom Booths, which looks like old telephone booths from the 60s, include a laptop fitted with a web camera and a telephone system through which consumers can make voice calls to their loved ones and record the ideas and messages they would like to share with others. With approximately 1.5 million connections serving a population of over 175 million people, Wateen believes it is necessary to promote the benefits of telecommunications technologies and the internet to the people of Pakistan. Currently, Wateen has launched the Freedom Booths in select areas with extremely low internet penetration in order to generate interest in telecoms and internet technology. Wateen is carrying out this experiential marketing activity in Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sahiwal and Sargodha, where the Booths are being taken to select public venues on the back of quad bikes. Members of the public will then be asked to record messages and ideas on how they feel they can help improve Pakistan. Syed Jibran Ali, Wateens Chief Commercial Officer, said, Currently, we are asking people to share their ideas on how they intend to make a change in society and help progress Pakistan. In the future, we also intend on utilising this content and sharing it through Wateens various media channels and cable network. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Naeem Zamindar, CEO Wateen Telecom, said, We are excited with the opportunity the Freedom Booths present how these can revolutionise the use of communications on a global level and change the way we experience the internet. The Booths are also a great medium for people to experience the promise of the Wateen brand and the services we offer. I believe these will help people who have never used the internet before to experience its power and to bring about a digital revolution in Pakistan.
Islamabad: Keeping the competitive spirit alive, Ufone recently gave away a tractor to a Kissan package customer. At the initiation of the package a lucky draw scheme had been designed specifically to support the business and daily life of the farmers, by virtue of this scheme Mr. Mazhar Hussain from Vehari became the proud owner of a tractor. In the recent past Ufone has shown a keen focus on the various segments in the society and the Kissan package targets one of the largest sectors in the country. Agriculture is the most important sector of the Pakistani economy and society and has a number of needs and requirements which have been catered to with this perfectly designed package. The package gives agriculturalists the most affordable calls rates to all networks during their busy work hours to ensure they get the best value for their money. To subscribe customers can simply dial *50# to convert to the Kissan Package. Mr. Akbar Khan Chief Marketing Officer, Ufone said Kissan Package strengthens our relationship and commitment to our valued customers. At Ufone we believe in rewarding our loyal customers as they have been an integral part of our success. In future we will have more lucky draws to make sure that we as an organization contribute towards the growth of the agricultural sector The tractor was handed over by representatives from Ufone & Millat Tractor.
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Telepedia
Flare Report
An awful incident occurred in which at least five persons were injured in an attack on a Mobilink franchise in the Hyderi area in Karachi. The attackers hurled hand grenade at an outlet of Mobilink during peak hours; two security guards, Zafar and Younus, were wounded
espite the enormous potential and attractive business opportunities exist in Pakistan, the potential investors did not come out with money at the desired level due to law and order situation, corruption, nepotism, robberies and terrorism. No doubt, Pakistan is a developing country and would not survive without foreign direct investment (FDI). Some outlaws do not want to see Pakistan growing and progressing in the region. What were motives behind the attacks on the cellular franchises? Million employees are working in the cellular companies and earned their livelihood for their children. The circle of telcos widely condemned the attack on the Mobilink outlet. The telecom companies have persistently investing and increasing their networks in Pakistan. Out of a total investment that goes beyond $ 11 billion, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of more than $ 6.4 billion has been made by the telecom division; the telecom segment is the major addressee of FDI in Pakistan. Recently, an awful incident occurred in which at least five persons were injured in an attack on a Mobilink franchise in the Hyderi area in Karachi. The attackers hurled hand grenade at an outlet of Mobilink during peak hours. Earlier in a similar incident, a mobile franchise was attacked in North Nazimabad when two gunmen entered the outlet, opened fire and As per information the outlet is located on Sher Shah Suri Road in the Hyderi area of North Nazimabad. It is just a few kilometers away from the Telenor outlet which was attacked last month. At around 1:05pm, two young men drove up to the outlet on a motorcycle and threw the device at it. Two security guards, Zafar and Younus, were wounded. They were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed
hospital for treatment. The guards were critically injured as the device exploded very near to them. Two passersby were also injured in the attack. They were given first aid treatment at a private hospital and then discharged. I dont know what they threw at the outlet, but the blast was of a very high intensity, said a witness, Imran Ahmed. One of the attackers was clad in shalwar kameez and the other was wearing a shirt and trousers. Nobody knows where they fled after the attack. A heavy contingent of law enforcement personnel, including officers from the police and Rangers, were deployed at the site. The area around the outlet was cordoned off and traffic had to be diverted to other routes.
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The explosion partially damaged the Mobilink outlet. Law enforcement agencies had their hands full as a crowd of people gathered in front of the outlet. District Central SSP Asim Qaimkhani said that the object used in the attack could either be a grenade or an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The police have also obtained footage from the CCTV camera installed at the outlet. The footage clearly reveals that two men drove up to the outlet on a motorcycle and lobbed something at it, he said. But we will require the help of experts to discern the facial features of the suspects and determine what the object actually was. Mobilink opened the targeted outlet four years ago. Representatives of the organisation said that the employees there did not have any personal enmity towards anyone. No extortionists had ever approached the outlet, nor had anyone received threats. I cant really comment on the attack, said the manager of the outlet, Asfar Siddiqui. Ive already told the police whatever I knew. Now it is their job to track down and apprehend the suspects. The bomb disposal squad also inspected the site and said that it seemed like a hand grenade had been used. An official from the squad told that a Russian-made RGD-5, weighing 65 grams, was used in the attack. This is the second attack on an outlet of a telecommunication company within the span of two weeks. On December 23, two men entered a Telenor outlet and opened fire on the people who worked there. As a result, two people died and two others were wounded. No progress has been made in the case despite the fact that the law enforcers have been analysing the CCTV footage. The owners of both telecommunication franchises said that they had no personal enemies, had never been harassed by extortionists or received any threats. SP Chaudhry Asad said that the attacks could be linked, but nothing can be said with certainty until the investigation is completed. The law enforcers investigating the case even warned that more franchises in the city could be targeted. n
Fr e e d ow nl oa d | f la re .p k
Flare Report
InsighT
Obama doesn't let his children use Facebook

t is good sign to the parents who allow the children to use Facebook before maturity. Recently President of superpower United States of America President Obama doesn't let his children use Facebook. Facebook a good place for kids? US First Lady Michelle Obama doesnt seem to think so. She says shes happy her daughters arent using the popular social networking service. Obamas daughters, Sasha, 10, and Malia, 12, arent allowed to use Facebook for security purposes. However, the first lady isnt too concerned about her daughters missing out. Facebook is not something they need, she said. Im not a big fan of young kids having Facebook, Obama said. President Obama is also aware of the perils of social networking. Speaking to stu-
dents in a Virginia high school, Obama also warned the kids about Facebook, telling them to be careful about what (they) post on Facebook as it will be pulled up again later somewhere in (their) life. Facebook restricts user sign up to 13 years of age or older, but at what age should parents start allowing their children to use online social networking services? As we all know that President Obama doesnt like kids to use Facebook and other social media sites even though he made full use of Facebook to get vote from young generation in the presidential election and had raised hell of money for his election campaign with the help of his 24million followers on his Facebook page. And now its been reported that President Obama has banned his daughters from using Facebook. UK newspapers reported that
President Obama, also called First Social Media President, said: It does not make much sense to put the most private details of his family life on public view and he doesnt want strangers knowing their family business. US President Obama said that he will not allow his daughters to join Facebook until they are both 4-years older. In an interview Mr. President said: Why would we want to have a whole bunch of people who we dont know knowing our business? That doesnt make much sense. Well see how they feel in four years. Without thinking of president obamas other views and political decision we should totally support him on this matter that Facebook is not for kids and we totally respect his private life. Current restrictions from Facebook declares no one younger than 13 is allowed to set up a Facebook account. Is that a fair age limit? What is to stop a young child from creating an account with false information? What tools does Facebook offer to prevent this? Any child can create false identification to get a Facebook profile and with no hesitation. Facebook is the largest social network on the Internet today. Individuals set up profile pages with photos and information including their likes or dislikes. How much time is the child spending on their computer? Should parents allow their young children on the Internet? As a parent, certain restrictions should be shaped into our young children. The propaganda that is displayed on Facebook can harm young children. Younger children are curious and impressionable. How is Facebook responsible when a child can still create an account? Ultimately the parents are responsible for their young children. Setting up social media accounts for younger children is quite scary. Parents must be held accountable. During the account setup, Facebooks Terms of Service clearly states: You will not use Facebook if you are under 13. Maybe Facebook's terms and conditions should require an older age restriction? Some may suggest high school age and up, but is that really the problem? Still some parents believe there is nothing wrong with their young children on Facebook as long as they set up certain restrictions. n
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Event
Farooq Malik
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TC with the collaboration of Brightex Distributions (Pvt) Ltd has launched two HTC Concept Stores in Karachi. These will be the first store in Karachi to offer HTC products exclusively and have the ability to showcase HTCs latest innovation. In addition, the stores will also provide user trainings, after-sales support and services. The HTC Concept Store is divided into three main areas namely the retail corner, product showroom, and service corner. There will be staff on-site at each area to provide personal consultation, demonstrations or advise to interested customers based on their needs. With the latest HTC devices displayed in the showroom, demonstrations can be performed on the spot, to help customers in gaining better understanding of the products and technology, before the purchase. A training room has been specially built within the HTC Concept Store to provide additional instruction for HTC users, from basic usages, to the intricacies and advanced features of HTCs products. This is part of HTCs ongoing commitment to seek and promote excellence in technology education through these unique instruction programs. On the occasion, Naeem Tabish, Country Head for Pakistan has said that in the global PDA phone market, HTC has the strongest product line, and is the leader in PDA phone innovation. We believe that the HTC Concept Store will be an excellent experience for all our customers and will be beneficial to all 3 businesses involved. These are exciting times ahead for us.
With the dedicated service corner, customers who wish to optimize and enhance the performance of their HTC devices can bring them to HTC Concept Store where they will receive on-site diagnostic testing to determine the duration required for repairs. Uncomplicated repairs can be
rectified within two working days while more complex cases may need a longer time. A speedy turn-around time is guaranteed for all service repairs conducted at HTC care and customers will be provided with a loaned phone during the repair period. n
InsighT
Flare Report
Committing cybercrime these days become a hobby of todays youth. Many crimes involving computers are no different from crimes without computers; the computer is only a tool that a criminal uses to commit a crime
he Internet users commit cyber crimes everyday and have not record on the government-level. Although some cases of cyber crimes have approached the courts. Committing cybercrime these days become a hobby of todays youth. Many crimes involving computers are no different from crimes without computers; the computer is only a tool that a criminal uses to commit a crime. Flare recalls the 2011 most important cyber crimes happened in Pakistan, which were appeared in the court of law, the accused persons were arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and trialed, some got released while others sent behind the bars. Officer threatens boss: A Sessions Court has granted bail to the chief engineer of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) in a cyber crime case. The cyber crime wing of the FIA arrested Hasan Ijaz Kazmi for allegedly sending threatening emails to the managing director of the KWSB. The additional district and sessions judge Chaudhry Waseem Iqbal granted bail against a surety bond of Rs.20, 000 after hearing both sides. Women stalking: Senior Civil Judge Mahmood Haroon acquited an accused of women stalking case and disposed of the case against him registered for alleged involvement in using 28 unregistered Subscriber Identity Module (SIMs) to threaten women by making obnoxious and vulgar SMS and calls. According to FIA, the complainant stated in her application that an unknown person sent him vulgar, obnoxious and threatening messages and calls through different mobile phone numbers. She stated that her email accounts were also hacked. Before this complaint, the FIA crime circle had received many complains from the twin cities residences regarding such issues of cyber malice. During investigation it was learnt that Pir Khawar Aziz, a resident of Sector G-10/1, Islamabad, was allegedly involved in this matter. When Azizs record was checked it was found that he used cell phone for
this purpose. According to FIA, he illegally accessed and hacked the email accounts of females and misused them to uploaded vulgar videos and fabricated pictures. Aziz threatened, intimidated, harassed and coerced the females and also communicated obscene and lascivious e-mails. Harassing girls on Internet: Senior Civil Judge Mahmood Haroon rejected bail plea of a man arrested in a cyber crime case for harassing girls through Internet. The court also directed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit the challan about the matter till November and investigate the case in befitting manner. According to FIA, the accused was involved in hacking email accounts of female stu-
According to FIA, Aziz illegally accessed and hacked the email accounts of females and misused them to uploaded vulgar videos and fabricated pictures. He threatened, intimidated, harassed and coerced the females and also communicated obscene and lascivious e-mails
dents of a school and then harassed them through unsolicited, obnoxious and vulgar emails. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered against unknown person under section 36, 37 ETO on the complaint of a female student of a school in capital. SC website hacked: The official website of Supreme Court was defaced by a hacker who inserted highly derogatory material against the judiciary in general and the chief justice in particular demanding immediate ban on the pornographic sites
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in the country. Earlier the Supreme Court website was hacked by two boys also in the month of September 2010 to whom the court had granted bail on April 2011 as they were less than 18 years of age. Maligning president on Internet: Additional Sessions Judge Kamran Bashrat Mufti released a man accused of uploading malicious material against the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and ordered FIA Cyber Crime Unit (CCU) to release the accused. According to FIA ADIL/Th3-penetrator (username) by using IPs 119.153.51.218 and 203.99.173.71 defaced the website (www.president-ofpakistan.com) and uploaded material defaming the President and the country. Fake credit card: Additional Sessions Judge, Rawalpindi, Amjad Nazeer Chaudhry sentenced a man to five years in jail and fined him Rs950,000 for using a fake credit card. The conviction of a cyber criminal is the first success of National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes of the FIA. The accused was arrested red-handed trying to use a forged credit card at a chemist shop in Rawalpindi for purchasing precious injections. The slip generated by the credit card machine did not print the name of the cardholder, which made the transaction suspicious. The accused was arrested after the shopkeeper conveyed this situation to Bank Alfalah, which confirmed that the used credit card number was fake and belonged to an American Bank. Hackers release on bail: The Supreme Court granted bail to two boys who were accused of hacking its official website and placing highly derogatory material about judiciary and the chief justice. The bench, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and Justice Amir Hani Muslim, appeared to be in a relaxed mood when it took up the case. The judges praised the accused for having done a `brilliant job`. n
Flare Report
Event
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Telepedia
Flare Report
o doubt, telecom sector has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy ever since the sector was opened to private concerns. In 2007, the sector grew by 80 percent while average growth rate in last four years has been more than 100 percent. Telecom sector continued to be one of the main contributors to national exchequer in terms of taxes. Telecom sector is one of the most heavily taxed in comparison to regional and comparable economies, second only to Bangladesh. Telecom sector has attracted substantial amount of Foreign Direct Investment in the country. It has produced a very healthy and strong impact on the economy and society. I say to sorry, only telecom sector is suffering from its share of problems and issues such as the problem of double tax domain where both the federation and provinces are
adding that the large fiscal deficit directly impacted Pakistans debt burden, as the stock of public debt and liabilities (accumulated deficits) posted an increase of Rs 1,763 billion in FY11, to Rs 11.0 trillion (60.9 percent of GDP). Interest payments alone accounted for 32.8 percent of government revenues last fiscal year, which means a further squeeze on the governments ability to use fiscal policy to promote economic growth, it added. However, Pakistans external debt remains comfortable, especially within the context of the acute problems facing the Eurozone, the Report said and added that during FY11, and most of the increase was on account of currency revaluation, as the dollar lost value against other hard currencies. The funding that Pakistan actually received during FY11 was largely utilized for the servicing of external debt, it added. The SBP report stressed that the financing
Telecom sector continued to be one of the main contributors to national exchequer in terms of taxes. Telecom sector is one of the most heavily taxed incomparison to regional and comparable economies, second only to Bangladesh
bent upon taxing the sector. The government should realise the enormous growth of telecom sector has shown in the country. This is the time for the decision makers to lead this sector to further expansion and progress. As per SBP report, telecom sector's contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined in the financial year 2010-11 on account of rising marketing expenditure in response to aggressive competition. The report said that overall telecom sector revenues recorded 6.7 percent growth during FY11 as compared to the marginal 1.5 percent increase recorded in FY10. The increase in operating costs has also tended to offset overall revenue growth witnessed in this sector consequently, both operating profits and margins of telecom companies registered declines in FY11. Within the telecom sector, the growth in revenues of cellular mobile companies showed some stability in FY11 after recording successive declines for the past three years. Part of this improvement is attributable to growth in Average Revenue per User (ARPUs) as well as the total cellular subscribers' base. However, the revenues of Local Loop providers continued the falling trend observed since the past few years. The cellular density in Pakistan has been increasing consistently, reaching 64.8 percent in April 2011 as compared to a level of 60.4 percent in June 2010. However, this level of mobile phone penetration is lower than most other regional countries, suggesting that growth potential in this sector is still strong but it will require additional investments in infrastructure to increase the subscriber base further and tapping market's potential, SBP report said. Apparently telecom companies are more focused on expanding the range of services for improving revenues but his strategy has resulted in tough competition, leading to very high marketing costs and declining operating margins of the service providers. The continuation of competitive trend is likely to increase market saturation and further weakening of profitability. Therefore, in the absence of increase in network coverage the growth in telecom sector is likely to decelerate further, SBP report further said. of the fiscal deficit was, and still remains, challenging. With a decline in external funding following the suspension of the IMF Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), the government had little choice but to rely increasingly on domestic sources. During FY11, the government borrowed Rs 1.1 trillion from domestic resources, which accounted for 91.0 percent of the fiscal deficit, it said, adding that within domestic sources, the heavy reliance on commercial banks not only crowded-out the private sector, but also complicated monetary management, as banks focused increasingly on short-term T-bills to place their surplus liquidity. Acknowledging the importance of energy as a key factor of production, the Report devoted a full chapter to assess Pakistans energy shortage. It pointed out that the governments response to energy shortfall was threefold: (1) commissioning of rental power projects (RPPs); (2) resolving circular debt issue by injecting Rs 120 billion; and (3) increasing electricity tariffs to pass on the higher cost of production. In spite of these measures, the overall situation remained largely unchanged. The Report said that commissioning Rental Power Projects (RPPs) to increase generation capacity was misplaced, as Pakistan is operating well below its installed capacity due to the circular debt problem. It also noted that the Rs 120 billion injected by the government (to restart the funding of furnace oil) only happened in May 2011. In effect, for most of FY11, the acute problems in the power sector went unaddressed, the Report added. n
As per SBP report, telecom sector's contribution to GDP declined in the financial year 2010-11 on account of rising marketing expenditure in response to aggressive competition. Telecom sector revenues recorded 6.7 percent growth during FY11 as compared to the marginal 1.5 percent increase recorded in FY10
On a positive note, the government was able to contain its spending compared to FY10. Budgetary expenditure in FY11 was 18.9 percent of GDP, against 20.5 percent in the preceding year, the Report said,
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Exclusive
Irfan Khan
Our genius brains do wonders in various fields, which also needs world-media attention
With over 20 million internet users and growing fast, Pakistan has managed to secure the number one slot for searching the term sex globally for all years. Google, the worlds most popular Internet search engine, has found in a survey that mostly Muslim states seek access to sex-related websites and Pakistan tops the list
akistan once again came in news for wrong reasons, like 2010 again Pakistan maintained top slot in Google search for sex. With over 20 million internet users and growing fast, Pakistan has managed to secure the number one slot for searching the term sex globally for all years. Google, the worlds most popular Internet search engine, has found in a survey that mostly Muslim states seek access to sex-related websites and Pakistan tops the list. Google found that of the top 10 countries - searching for sex-related sites - six were Muslim, with Pakistan on the top. The other Muslim countries are Egypt at number 2, Iran at 4, Morocco at 5, Saudi Arabia at 7 and Turkey at 8. Non-Muslim states are Vietnam at 3, India at 6, Philippines at 9 and Poland at 10. It was the nature of the pornography then being hunted within Muslim countries that was disturbing. Those searches showed that Pakistan came top of the list of searches for a range of perverse interests. Its a matter of concern for everyone, Pakistan has 180 million population but the people are still sex-frustrated. I cant believe this, but anyway, the survey provided the results which may be or may not be trusted. We have medical students; this may be possible that medical students use internet and
searching for the key words to sort-out different diseases relating to child-sex or something else. Just in case anyone argues that the data could refer to innocent searches made by developmental
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Its a matter of concern for everyone, Pakistan has 180 million population but the people are still sex-frustrated. I cant believe this, but anyway, the survey provided the results which may be or may not be trusted. We have medical students; this may be possible that medical students use internet and searching for the key words to sort-out different diseases relating to child-sex or something else
psychology students, Google Trends shows that when the term child f***ing is examined, across all years from 2004 until now, the highest amount of searches for this term came from Pakistan. Similarly, of all global Google searches for naked child from 2004 till now, Pakistan still tops the list. Google Trends reveals that of all global Google searches, from 2006 to 2011, for the term child sex video Pakistan was second in the world, only being outdone by Bangladesh (a country that was once officially part of Pakistan). Why should this be? Is this cultural, relating to Pakistans regional customs? Traditionally Pakistan has allowed appalling abuse of children. Village councils (called jirga or panchayat, depending on the region) in remote areas have ordered that girl children be given away in marriage as compensation for social crimes carried out by their male relatives. This practice is usually called vani marriage while in Pashtun regions it is called swara. Swara was made illegal in Northwest Frontier Province in 2000, yet it continued. In 2004, after a three-year old girl was given away in marriage to a sixty-year old man, vani marriage was officially made illegal throughout the nation, but it carries on. In January 2004, before vani and swara were officially proscribed by national law, an Islamic judicial panel ruled that these customs were pre-Is-
Flare Report
Exclusive
lamic. But is this so? In some parts of Pakistan child marriages, often of a young child to an adult male, continue without being viewed as wrong, even though they are officially illegal. While many parents in Pakistan force their children into marriage, while declaring such unions to be arranged, refusal by the daughter to comply with promises made as a child can lead to honor killings by families. Both males and females are frequently subjected to arranged marriages. For young males, brought up to be treated as more important than women but knowing that they will ultimately have little choice over their future sexual lives, it seems that in internet cafes many seek out pornography. I can understand people in a repressive society feeling sex starved, but the things that they seek to view are sick. Pakistan not only having sex-frustrated public but we have millions of intellectuals and God-gifted genius minds, who made wonders in the world, but western media didnt highlight them, every now and then our brilliant brains brought proud for their parents and Pakistan. We have the world youngest Microsoft Certified, world youngest record holders in A-O levels, doctors, engineers, sports celebrities, human rights champions etc. We are a proud nation, such non-sense allegations cant deviate our young blood to do wonders and bring fame for Pakistan and their parents. But the western lobby only spot-lighting only wrongdoers, but failed to highlight our glorious and thought provoking achievements. The nature of the pornography that is sought in Pakistan is bizarre. The most disturbing aspect is that child sex is sought on the internet more frequently in Pakistan than anywhere else in the world. Pakistan leads the world in Google searches for baby sex, for Heavens sake. It also leads the world in searches from 2004 to 2010 for rape sex, rape video and rape pictures.
tional society. Pakistan is fast growing country in the field of internet with over 20 million internet users as with this fast speed Pakistan has surpassed the other countries and managed to secure the number one slot for searching the term sex globally for all years. According to a 2010 Fox News report, Pakistan had outranked all countries in Google searches for pornographic terms last year. Pakistan preserved the number one position, followed by India and Vietnam.
Pakistan not only having sexfrustrated public but we have millions of intellectuals and God-gifted genius minds, who made wonders in the world, but western media didnt highlight them, every now and then our brilliant brains brought proud for their parents and Pakistan. We have the world youngest Microsoft Certified, world youngest record holders in A-O levels, doctors, engineers, sports celebrities, human rights champions etc. We are a proud nation, such non-sense allegations cant deviate our young blood to do wonders and bring fame for Pakistan and their parents
Islamabad featured in the top 10 cities worldwide to search the word sex in September and December 2011. Provincial capital Lahore also featured
searches to determine the areas or languages from which they received the most searches for the first term. Then, for those top cities, Google Trends calculates the ratio of searches for the term coming from each city divided by total Google searches coming from the same city. The city ranking and the bar charts alongside each city name both represent this ratio. Google Trends uses IP address information from server logs to make a best supposition about where inquiries instigated. Over 1,000 pornographic websites are in the process of being blocked by internet service providers (ISP), following directives issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). While by no means a blanket ban given the vast amount of sites containing explicit content online, an official in a local ISP has confirmed that the PTA has provided a list of 1,000 most frequented porn sites in Pakistan that are to be blocked. FLARE has received a list of over 170,000 websites the PTA purportedly may ban in Pakistan; however, an official from a local ISP provider states that such a blanket ban is unlikely. Blocking 170,000 sites is not feasible for any operator. The screening time on a per request basis will essentially slow the internet down to make it unusable. Websites currently blocked by ISPs redirect users to a page with a message that reads: This page is blocked due to restrictions enforced by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). Earlier this year, a hacker had managed to bypass security on the Supreme Courts website, posting a message that called on the PTA to ban pornographic websites or face further online attacks. A similar attack was carried out on the PTAs own website. PTA had issued directives to all broadband operators in Pakistan to block about 1,000 porn websites in Pakistan with immediate effect. Many broadband/DSL operators took immediate action and provided compliance reports to PTA within a
The morbid interest in child sex may possibly be connected to Islam or perhaps it could be influenced by rural traditions. I personally think that these bizarre interests arise from a culture that is in crisis, unsure if its identity should be looking forward or backwards, towards modernism or archaic traditionalism. Pakistan as a nation publicly reveres its prophet in a manner that is indistinguishable from idolatry. Such exaggerated public piety, when set against the perverse nature of the nations internet searches on Google and the poor treatment of its children, suggests that Pakistan is a deeply dysfunc-
in the top 10 cities for the months of January, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November and December 2011. The months of February and August (Ramazan) were the only two months in 2011 that did not feature any cities from Pakistan in the global ranking. Google Trends examines a portion of Google web searches to compute how many searches have been done for the terms entered, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time. To rank the top regions, cities, or languages, Google Trends first looks at a sample of all Google
day. Over 1,000 websites were blocked at the URL level immediately. However, those service providers who did actually block the websites started receiving customer complaints. When they were informed that this is a PTA directive, the customers hit-back by saying: It is also believed that some WiMAX operators are also in non-compliance. This asks for stricter controls on service providers from the regulator to ensure their directives are met in letter and spirit or if not possible directives that are not possible to implement should not be issued at all. n
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Interview
Flare Panel
Flare: Please tell us about yourself? Tauseef: I am Tauseef Khan, Country Manager (Sales & Marketing) at Xconnect. I joined Xconnect in 2009; I began my career in IT/Electronics in 1997. Flare: Brief your greatest achievements in the Xconnect? Tauseef: I joined Xconnect when it was in its initial stage and within a very short span of time we made some landmark achievements that proved extremely helpful for the betterment and growth of the company. Some of these achievements are: Xconnect delivered Gigabyte Products to USF (Universal Service Fund), one of the biggest IT & Telecom projects. In this project one of Gigabyte reseller (ICL International Pvt Ltd) shake hand with WorldCall Telecom for the deployment of IT Labs in Pakistan called EBC (Educational Broadband Center) & CBC (Community Broadband Centers). This project covered almost all the remote area of Pakistan so that the deserving students in these areas could experience technology on cost free basis. Xconnect established its reseller/dealer channel network in all over the Pakistan for their products within a very short time. Xconnect also singed some big projects with mobile operators for the Huawei products. The advertising campaign will soon begin and soon Huawei products will be also available in Pakistani market. Flare: Few words about major fields? Tauseef: We at Xconnect are dealing as an authorized distributor of Gigabyte, Huawei, Top View & Seasonic products in Pakistan. We have many products under our brands banner like: Smart phones, Feature Phones, Laptops, Desktops, Gaming Machines and various kinds of accessories.
Flare panel talks to Tauseef Khan, Country Manager (Sales and Marketing at Xconnect, who says Xconnect aims to provide all sections of the society with best technology that fits into their economic arrangement; we are planning to open own operated IT Stores in the major cities around 50 outlets, call centres for Direct Sales and Service support to approach consumers directly
over the past few years. The customer purchase power had increased and foreign investment has brought several chains of power stores along with different brands in Pakistan. Now the customer is well aware and well informed about the technology & market situation. cause they do not know what may happen in the future, however, we have complete hope that the conditions will alter towards betterment very soon. Flare: As New Year has started so, do you have any new plans for 2012? Tauseef: Yes, we have good hopes from the year 2012. Our company/group is one of the fastest growing companies / groups in Pakistan within the current situation, where many existing partners are busy in downsizing, but we are moving on to extend our network and Inshallah we will continue to grow and explore greater perspectives. Xconnect is very much focusing on educational sectors and that is why we are in the planning for establishing a state of the art computer learning centers as an entrance point to the world of technology for students and communities in Pakistan. Moreover, We are planning to reach consumer though area coverage Distribution in A & B class cities like Electronics Resellers, IT resellers, hyper markets & Super Stores. We are also planning to open own operated IT Stores in the major cities of Pakistan around 50 outlets along with a Call Centre for Direct Sales and Service support to consumer and approaching them directly with Leasing and Installment plans in Laptops / PC business. We have planned a variety of activities for the promotion of our company, its brands and products in the year 2012 through ATL & BTL. n
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Flare: Which class is your product buyer? Tauseef: Xconnect aims to provide all sections of the society with best technology that fits into their economic arrangement. Therefore, the target customers are people from all walks of life and social setups. Flare: How do you foresee Pakistani market and its potential? Tauseef: The Pakistani market is very promising. The technological sector in Pakistan is growing speedily and there is a lot of potential here. We are on the road to compete with the rest of the world; therefore, technology is the need of the day. However I can understand that the current economic situation is not supportive but this situation will not continue for a longer period. This is a global crisis. Moreover, the market has changed drastically
Pakistani market is very promising. The technological sector is growing rapidly and there is a lot of potential. We are on the road to compete with the rest of the world; therefore, technology is need of the day. However I can understand that the current economic situation is not supportive but this situation will not last for long
Flare: Are you satisfied with the role of government and its policies? Tauseef: The major problems are the economic and political instability and lack of security in the country. People are hesitant to purchase goods be-
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Fr e e d ow n lo ad | fl a re. p k
ts not revelatory that the academic and the tech worlds move at vastly different paces. Education often lags behind when it come to technology adoption and integration. But there has never been a better time for innovation in the classroom. Although public school systems face drastic budget cuts and harsh public scrutiny, we continue to see the private sector (as well as government initiatives) invest in vibrant and disruptive education tech. While movements to incorporate eBooks and develop better learning management systems are finally taking hold in higher education, more interesting (and potentially disruptive) are the emergent tech trends of social, local and mobile. We will begin to see innovations in these areas affecting the classroom and education in both dramatic and subtle ways. The days of mutual exclusivity between traditional learning tools and social networks are numbered. The winning cross-platform apps and cloud-based systems will transcend easy categorization and integrate all the social sharing widgets weve come to expect, from Facebook and Twitter to real-time conversation and chat layers. Students are already sharing all kinds of content with their friends. The problem is that neither Facebook nor blackboard goes far enough to provide the right contextually-aware, fun sharing environment. Schools havent really taken advantage of the rise in geolocation, and how that can be specifically tuned toward better learning, and an overall more enjoyable campus experience. College life is designed around scheduling and events (in and outside of the classroom) and yet there have been few inroads into making checkins and GPS-based systems more compatible with the university environment. Last but not least, mobile is the third pillar that will drive education tech innovation forward and is already a key component in the social and location-based services imagined above. With the general public obsessed with asking Siri to help them learn, plan and do, were now primed to expect even more from our
Why academia needs to get digitalize

While movements to incorporate eBooks and develop better learning management systems are finally taking hold in higher education, more interesting are the emergent tech trends of social, local and mobile. We will begin to see innovations in these areas affecting the classroom and education in both dramatic and subtle ways
be parsed out at the student level and sent to individual phones for real-time feedback While students are increasingly connected on the go, educators have only scratched the surface of intertwining learning into their students mobile lives outside the classroom. Transporting academics to the entire campus and beyond will better integrate curricula with other school activities. Educational outreach in Pakistan is at an all time low and has reached a critical stage. Yet despite all the mismanagement and the lack of immediate measures on the part of government, theres one thing that has a huge potential to drive and enable education on the national level and this one thing is technology. Though Pakistan claims to have a 50 percent literacy rate, its a very narrow definition of literacy which says that anyone who can read and write his or her name is literate! With the passage of time, there have been numerous campaigns which tend to keep reminding us of the dire situation of education in the region. One such campaign was initiated early this year and is called The Education Emergency. This campaign aims to use technology in order to create mass awareness about how severe the consequences will be if immediate action is not taken. Educationalists have begun to realize the importance of technology in making education available to far flung areas. There have been many such start-ups that recognize the true potential of technology and make use of it to educate the larger population. Another example is VEFA Pakistan or Virtual Education For All. They use technology to deliver lectures and course programs in the national language. They have a couple of projects including an e-school which uses YouTube to deliver lectures. Nethertheless, despite all the great measures that have been taken, the country has still failed to properly address the education emergency which has now reached a critical stage. The reason is that the measures undertaken are not enough to address the needs of the countrys ever growing population. As a rough estimate puts the population of Pakistan at over 180 million people, providing quality higher learning opportunities to the masses is indeed a daunting challenge. Even though theres been a lot of buzz which keeps alerting the government to the threat of the education emergency reaching a truly critical stage, the government does seem to have other priorities to tend to and just keeps on repeating that its doing everything in its power. n
Educational outreach in Pakistan is at an all time low and has reached a critical stage. Yet despite all the mismanagement and the lack of immediate measures on the part of government, theres one thing that has a huge potential to drive and enable education on the national level and this one thing is technology
VPAs. Every student had his own personal learning assistant that helped with course selection, suggested extracurricular events that tie into selected majors and more. Every student had an iKnow tutor in their phone or tablet that mapped out a personalized study plan and tracked material retention for each course. Data collected from classroom clickers can
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ossibly a place where mobile phones might be thought to be banned, turns out to be a hotbed of phone use - the hospital operating theatre. To help prevent medical errors and give doctors and nurses speedy access to patient records, doctors offices and hospitals are using more portable computers and smartphones. A survey of the professionals who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery found that over half (55.6 percent) of perfusionists use of a cell phone during the performance of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Sending text messages while performing CPB was acknowledged by 49.2 percent, with clear generational differences detected when cross-referenced with age groups. For smart phone features, perfusionists report having accessed e-mail (21 percent), used the internet (15.1 percent), or have checked/posted on social networking sites (3.1 percent) while performing heart surgery. Despite this, safety concerns were expressed by 78.3 percent who believe that cell phones can introduce a potentially significant safety risk to patients. Speaking on a cell phone and text messaging during CPB are regarded as "always an unsafe practice" by 42.3 percent and 51.7 percent of respondents, respectively. Personal distraction by cell phone use that negatively affected performance was admitted by 7.3 percent, whereas witnessing another perfusionist distracted with phone/text while on CPB was acknowledged by 33.7 percent of respondents. This survey suggests that the majority of perfusionists believe cell phones raise significant safety issues while operating the heart-lung machine. However, the majority also have used a cell phone while performing this activity. Recent advances in modern medicine owe their success, in large part, to the integration of technology. Smartphones are the latest example of this trend, allowing doctors several hundred miles away from their patients to not only monitor their condition in real-time, but also to share information, update charts, and even carry out procedures with remote instructions if the need arises. This remote ability is particularly beneficial for health travel patients, and has given rise to a new term in the med-
A survey of the professionals who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery found that over half (55.6pc) of perfusionists use cell phone during the performance of cardiopulmonary bypass
ical profession: telehealth. The ability of the smartphones to display incredibly detailed procedures in an easy to follow, step-by-step fashion has garnered praise from both doctors and patients. Patients are particularly fond of the technology because it allows them to leave their country of origin while receiving the highest degree of medical care. Canadian patients who wish to travel to the United States, for example, experience enormous psychological, physical, and emotional benefits from knowing that their medical condition is being monitored at all times. Doctors and Nurses, especially in remote parts of the developing world, can perform any number of procedures by relying on the information displayed on their mobile device. level of care. The biomedical data is transferred through what is known as CDMA, or the code division multiple access channel. This is a worldwide technology which more efficiently utilizes existing frequencies, assigning each user a unique code which allows him or her to communicate while many other people are simultaneously communicating on the same frequency without being lost in the shuffle. As a result, a network of medical communications can be easily set up without placing an undue burden on existing frequencies. As a whole, telehealth is revolutionizing global healthcare. The flexibility of this system takes a great deal of worry and stress out of chronic conditions, especially those related to the heart. Outpatient procedures become even less stressful for both the doctor and the patient; any complications will be noted immediately, even if the patient does not realize his or her symptoms require reporting. If the patient has had gastric band surgery or bariatric surgery abroad, his or her doctor can be instantly virtually present. Because of telehealth, health care is now becoming more integrated and thorough due to the amount of data that can be easily collected and dispersed. No region on the planet is too remote to easily access the latest developments in medicine, and no patient has to worry about being out of reach of modern medical care. The medical director of a surgical intensive care unit that he has seen his colleagues using the computer in the unit during surgery for Amazon, Gmail, Ive seen all sorts of shopping, Ive seen eBay. You name it, Ive seen it. Ironically, nearly 80 percent of the technician survey respondents said they believe that cell phones can introduce a significant safety risk to patients; more than half agreed that texting during a procedure was always an unsafe practice. None of the doctors are saying electronic devices should be banned just used in a more responsible, safe manner. In medical school and residency, there are few courses on online professionalism. Perhaps that needs to be part of the curriculum. We need social media and health 2.0 role models who can teach physicians, residents and medical students not only how to act professional online, but also on appropriate mobile technology use in the clinic and hospital. n
Recent advances in modern medicine owe their success, in large part, to the integration of technology. Smartphones are the latest example of this trend, allowing doctors several hundred miles away from their patients to not only monitor their condition in real-time, but also to share information and update charts
Whatever procedure may be involved, including cosmetic surgery, weight loss surgery, and dental or orthopaedic procedures, the smartphone allows doctors to monitor vital signs and upload information about their patients without restricting the mobility of the patient. The ability to monitor heart rates in particular has dramatically increased the popularity of the smartphone as a medical device. Patients feel safe and cared-for, even if they do not see the doctor face-to-face, while doctors are able to compile accurate and thorough clinical data without adding significantly to their overhead, or compromising the
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Gartner predictions for 2012

now or be swept aside, Plummer warned. With that in mind, here are Gartner's top 11 predictions for 2012: Low-cost cloud services will cannibalise up to 15 percent of top outsourcing players' revenue by 2015. Just as low-cost airlines disrupted the transportation industry, the projected $1 trillion IT services market is facing further disruption from industrialised low-cost IT services (ILCS), which Gartner describes as "an emerging market force that will alter the common perceptions of pricing and value of IT services." Vendors will need to invest in and adopt a new cloud-based, industrialised services strategy, the research firm says. The investment bubble will burst for consumer social networks in 2013 and for enterprise social software companies in 2014. In the consumer social network space, there's a large crop of vendors with overlapping features competing for a finite audience. In the enterprise market, small vendors are struggling to grow, consolidation is imminent, and big players such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Google and VMware are muscling in on the action, Gartner says. "While substantial excitement will be raised by private firms going public, valuations of smaller independent vendors will diminish as recognition sets in that the opportunities for market differentiation and fast growth have eroded." At least 50 percent of enterprise email users will rely primarily on a browser, tablet or mobile client instead of a desktop client by 2016. As the options for email clients continue to grow, the need for mobile device management platforms will soar and suppliers will be pressured to support more collaboration services, including instant messaging, Web conferencing, social networking and shared workspaces, Gartner predicts. Mobile application development projects targeting smartphones and tablets will outnumber native PC projects by a ratio of 4-to-1 by 2015. "Smartphones and tablets represent more than 90 percent of the new net growth in device adoption
T budgets and responsibilities are moving out of the control of IT departments and into the hands of others, thanks to trends such as consumerisation and cloud computing, Gartner says in its vision for 2012 and the coming years. That means, to be successful, IT organisations will have to excel at relationship management and be adept at coordinating more widely distributed activities, according to Daryl Plummer, managing vice president and Gartner fellow. "As users take more control of the devices they will use, business managers are taking more control of the budgets IT organisations have watched shift over the last few years," Plummer said in a statement. "The IT organisation of the future must coordinate those who have the money, those who deliver the services, those who secure the data, and those consumers who demand to set their own pace for use of IT." IT departments need to adapt
ner says. 40 percent of enterprises will make proof of independent security testing a precondition for using any type of cloud service by 2016. Third-party testers won't be the only way for enterprises to evaluate cloud services for their security capabilities. Inspectors' certifications will become a viable alternative or complement to third-party testing, Gartner says. "This means that instead of requesting that a third-party security vendor conduct testing on the enterprise's behalf, the enterprise will be satisfied by a cloud provider's certificate stating that a reputable third-party security vendor has already tested its applications." More than 50 percent of Global 1000 companies will have stored customer-sensitive data in the public cloud by year-end 2016. Under pressure to reduce costs and operate more efficiently, more than 20percent of organisations are already selectively storing cus-
More cloud, consumerisation, loss of IT control

Low-cost cloud services will cannibalise up to 15 percent of top outsourcing players' revenue by 2015. Just as low-cost airlines disrupted the transportation industry, the projected $1 trillion IT services market is facing further disruption
tomer-sensitive data in a hybrid cloud environment, Gartner says. 35 percent of enterprise IT expenditures for most organisations will be managed outside the IT department's budget by 2015. Business managers and individual employees are demanding more control over the IT expenditures related to their jobs. "CIOs will see some of their current budget simply reallocated to other areas of the business. In other cases, IT projects will be redefined as business projects with line-of-business managers in control," Gartner predicts. 20 percent of Asia-sourced finished goods and assemblies consumed in the US will shift to the Americas by 2015. Many companies that serve the US market will shift their sources of supply from Asia to the Americas, including Latin America, Canada and the US, thanks to political, environmental, economic and supply chain risks, Gartner says. "Except in cases where there is a unique manufacturing process or product intellectual property, most products are candidates to be relocated." The financial impact of cybercrime will grow 10 percent per year through 2016, due to the continuing discovery of new vulnerabilities. Growth in consumerisation and cloud computing will lead to the introduction of new software vulnerabilities and attack methods by financially motivated hackers, Gartner warns. The prices for 80 percent of cloud services will include a global energy surcharge by 2015. Some cloud data center operators already include an energy surcharge in their pricing package, and Gartner expects to see more providers follow suit. n
At least 50 percent of enterprise email users will rely primarily on a browser, tablet or mobile client instead of a desktop client by 2016; the need for mobile device management platforms will soar and suppliers will be pressured to support more collaboration services, including instant messaging, Web conferencing, social networking and shared workspaces
for the coming four years, and increasing application platform capability across all classes of mobile phones is spurring a new frontier of innovation, particularly where mobile capabilities can be integrated with location, presence and social information to enhance the usefulness," Gart-
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martphones are increasingly becoming attractive target for nefarious hackers, and in 2012 the number of incidents of mobile based malware is set to skyrocket, according to mobile security vendors and analysts. 2011 was a watershed year in terms of the types of threats we saw emerging. In 2012 Lookout predicts that some of the biggest mobile malware monetization trends will be mobile pickpocketing (SMS/call fraud), botnets and vulnerable phones. Cyber criminals will also attempt to distribute malware using automated repackaging, browser attacks and malvertising. In November, market researcher Juniper found that Android malware samples had increased by 472 percent since July 2011 and predicted that Android will remain the target of mobile malware writers around the world. Security company Websense forecast that there would be more than 1000+ different mobile device attacks on smartphones and tablets in 2012. Its important for users to be on the lookout for malware on any device they use, however, Google Open Source Programs manager Chris DiBona, suggests that the issue is being exaggerated. In a post on Google+, DiBona writes that No major cell phone has a virus problem in the traditional sense that window and some mac machines have seen. There have been some little things, but they havent gotten very far due to the user sandboxing models and the nature of the underlying kernels. If you are concerned about security on your mobile phone some of the best ways to be safe are to lock your phone with a password when it is not in use and download applications from official app stores. For anyone who follows the smartphone market year 2012 is going to be very interesting maybe the most interesting yet. We will see big announcements such as iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III. Followed by new platforms such as Windows Phone 8, Blackberry 10 and Meltemi. RIM is in deep trouble whether they publicly acknowledge it or not. The smartphone market has practically divided into three and is now the shared playground of Android, iOS and increasingly also Windows Phone. RIM finds itself in a new position as an outsider and lives in utopia if it still believes that it can have a future without joining either the Android or Windows Phone camps.
In 2012 Lookout predicts that some of the biggest mobile malware monetization trends will be mobile pickpocketing (SMS/call fraud), botnets and vulnerable phones. Cyber criminals will also attempt to distribute malware using automated repackaging, browser attacks and malvertising
this trend to continue in 2012 as well. Samsung has experienced noticeable success with its Galaxy series of Android handsets. I believe that Samsung will continue on this road and keep investing heavily into the development of new Android phones and tablets (Internet TVs). Apple will continue to dominate the smartphone market as it has done so far. As can be expected Apples biggest product launch in history, the much awaited iPhone 5, will sell faster than any other iPhone before it. However, the year 2012 will mark a turning point also for Apple as it sees fierce competition from both the Android and Windows Phone camps. Nokia is finally back! I expect Lumia to become a worldwide hit that will help the company to get rid of the curtain of negativity that it has been hiding behind since the iPhone launched in 2007. Windows Phone will finally start to show some signs of life in 2012. And due to the heavy investments made to the ecosystem by both, Nokia and Microsoft also the developers and media are starting to take notice. I believe that from a technology perspective 2012 will be remembered as the year of a smartphone. The biggest battle in the history of smartphones will likely be fought in 2012. Apple, Google and Samsung are all gearing up for the big battle. It will be especially interesting to see what Microsoft and Nokia can accomplish now that Nokia finally has competitive products. Theres no fight without a black horse and in this fight there are three. Facebook, Amazon and Yahoo. I believe Android to continue to be popular also in 2012. LG, Huawei and friends will keep flooding the market with non-inspiring mediocre Android devices, with mediocre quality and mediocre consumer interest. Sony is also in a new position now that it has ditched its long time partner Ericsson. I expect Sony to continue on its Xperia path of nicely designed Android devices with decent specs, plasticy feel and confusing custom graphical user interface. New PlayStation phone is without a doubt also in the works. Mobile gaming will continue to be a big thing in 2012.
I believe that from a technology perspective 2012 will be remembered as the year of a smartphone. The biggest battle in the history of smartphones will likely be fought in 2012. Apple, Google and Samsung are all gearing up for the big battle. It will be especially interesting to see what Microsoft and Nokia can accomplish
HTC is in a difficult spot. They have grown fast since 2006 but the growth has now apparently come to an end. The Taiwanese company released a profit warning in November and lowered its Q4 revenue forecast by 25 percent. HTCs success has mostly been built on the success of Android. Samsung has so far seemed pretty much incapable of coming up with any ideas of its own. Therefore its no wonder that the lawyers from Cupertino are constantly banging their door. I expect
In 2012 the five most earth shattering things will be the RIMs undecided fait, turbulence inside Android ecosystem, the continuing iPhone fatigue among consumers, Windows Phones moderate success and the Facebook Phone. n
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ravelling to space or embarking on an expedition to excavate lost Mayan ruins is normally the stuff of adventure novels. But for employees of Facebook, these and other lavish dreams are moving closer to reality as the world's No. 1 online social network prepares for a blockbuster initial public offering that could create at least a thousand millionaires. The most anticipated stock market debut of 2012 is expected to value Facebook at as much as $100 billion, which would top just about any of Silicon Valley's most celebrated coming-out parties, from Netscape to Google Inc. While weak financial markets could postpone or downsize any IPO, even the most conservative market-watchers say Facebook seems destined to set a new benchmark in a region famous for minting fortunes, with even the rank-and-file employees reaping millions of dollars. Facebook employees past and present are already hatching plans on how to spend their anticipated new wealth, even as securities regulations typically prevent employee stock options from being cashed in until after a six-month lock-up period. "There's been discussions of sort of bucket list ideas that people are putting together of things they always wanted to do and now we'll be able to do it," said one former employee who had joined Facebook in 2005, shortly after it was founded. He is looking into booking a trip to space that would cost $200,000 or more with Virgin Galactic or one of the other companies working on future space tourism. That's chump change when he expects his shares in Facebook to be worth some $50 million. "If that IPO bell happens, then I will definitely put money down," said the person, who declined to be identified because he did not want to draw attention to his financial status, given the antiglitz ethos of many people in Silicon Valley. "It's been a childhood dream," he said of space travel. Others are thinking less science fiction and more "Indiana Jones." A group of current and former
Facebook workers has begun laying the groundwork for an expedition to Mexico that sounds more suited to characters from the Steven Spielberg film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" than to the computer geeks famously portrayed in the movie about Facebook, "The Social Network." Founded in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends, Facebook has grown into the world's biggest social network with over 800 million members and revenue of $1.6 billion in the first half of 2011. Zuckerberg, 27, is estimated to own a little over a fifth of the company, according to "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick.
Given its generous use of equity-based compensation in past years, people familiar with Facebook say that even by conservative estimates there are likely to be well over a thousand people looking at million-dollar-plus paydays after the company goes public. "There will be thousands of millionaires," said a former in-house recruiter at Facebook
But the wealth will trickle down to engineers, salespeople and other staffers who later joined the company, since most employees receive salary plus some kind of equity-based compensation, such as restricted stock units or stock options. Facebook's headcount has swelled from 700 employees in late 2008 to more than 3,000 today. Given its generous use of equity-based compensation in past years, people familiar with Facebook say
that even by conservative estimates there are likely to be well over a thousand people looking at milliondollar-plus paydays after the company goes public. "There will be thousands of millionaires," said a former in-house recruiter at Facebook. Lou Kerner, the head of private trading at Liquidnet, estimates that Facebook now has roughly 2.5 billion shares outstanding, which would translate to a per-share price of $40 at a $100 billion valuation. Engineers are the most richly rewarded among the rank and file. The company has also been stingier in handing out equity to noncore employees -- so there may not be as many of the dazzling rags-to-riches stories that were commonplace at the time of the Google IPO, when in-house chefs and at least one masseuse struck gold with options. Facebook's IPO has been long anticipated, but veterans of other startups that have gone public say the period after could be fraught with new challenges. Some employees could grow jealous over colleagues with more stock, while others might look down on peers who are too quick to sell, questioning their loyalty to the company. And there is always the risk that talented staff would leave with their newfound wealth to make their own mark in the technology world by becoming entrepreneurs or investing in other promising startups. For many of Facebook's staffers, the IPO will provide the means to pay off school loans and buy a house or new car. Home prices in the San Francisco Bay Area have typically been lofty, but many homeowners and real-estate agents are eagerly anticipating a surge of new buyers flush with money from the IPOs of Facebook and other Web companies. "A lot of them are going to be multimillionaires at 30 and live to be 100. That means creating a 70year plan, which is unheard of," said John Valentine. Valentine, whose firm manages about $600 million in assets, said he plans to break into the Facebook client base through connections with venture capital firms. "It's the hot ticket in Silicon Valley," he said of Facebook. n
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The 10 biggest search engines in China have signed up to the anti-phishing scheme to ensure that users looking for bank websites go to the right place; the government hopes to limit the numbers of people falling for phishing scams and visiting the fake sites
he Chinese government is cracking down on home-grown cyber thieves seeking to steal online banking details. The crackdown combats phishing by ensuring that the websites of legitimate banks appear at the top of search results. The move comes as the personal details of more than 45 million Chinese people were stolen in separate attacks. The government is investigating the thefts and said that the wave of attacks "threatened internet safety". The 10 biggest search engines in China have signed up to the anti-phishing scheme to ensure that users looking for bank websites go to the right place. Phishing attacks involve messages that look like they come from a bank or other organisation and direct people to a website that mimics the real thing. When people visit the fake site and enter their login details these are recorded by cyber criminals who may loot the account soon afterwards. By ensuring that the websites of banks appear first, the government hopes to limit the numbers of people falling for phishing scams and visiting the fake sites. Some of the search engines will put a special icon next to the bank links in lists of results to flag them as legitimate. The anti-phishing initiative comes at the end of a week in which the personal details of almost 10 percent of China's 485 million web users were stolen. On Christmas day, the hugely popular Tianya chat site revealed that the login names and passwords from 40 million of its users had been stolen. All risk being plundered by attackers as the information was held in plain text. Tianya has contacted the affected users and urged them to change their passwords as soon as possible. Soon after, CDSN, one of China's largest forums for programmers, reported that the details of all its six million users had been stolen. The attackers got away with email addresses, login names and passwords. Again, all the details were stored in
plain text. The scale of the attacks prompted government action and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it would investigate who was behind the attacks. "The department believes the recent leak of user information is a serious infringement of the rights of internet users and threatens internet safety," the Ministry said in a statement. The Chinese government is known to have put in place technology that monitors online chat rooms for controversial topics but the far-reaching measures have not stopped all nefarious cyber activity.
The department believes the recent leak of user information is a serious infringement of the rights of internet users and threatens internet safety; more than 100 million social networking user accounts have been hacked in China, including accounts on the country's most popular microblogging platform, Sina Weibo
As well as criminal hackers, many activists are turning to the web to make protests more visible. The website of Menginu, a firm at the centre of a tainted milk scandal, was vandalised and its homepage image replaced with text that read "Do you have a conscience?" Meanwhile, more than 100 million social networking user accounts have been hacked in China, including accounts on the country's most popular microblogging platform, Sina
Weibo. The hacking outbreak has made "Have you changed your password?" a trendy greeting among netizens, reports the China newspapers. Recently, dozens of websites including Sina Weibo, forum Tianya, IT website CSDN, and the Facebook-like Renren have been attacked by hackers. The data from the accounts of 5 million Renren users, 8 million Duowan game users and 20 million 7k7k game users have been posted online by the hackers. The data has been posted without encryption. The incident is the largest data leak ever in China. Some analysts believe it is just the tip of the iceberg and that more personal data has been resold by the hackers for a profit. The central government has tried to enforce "real name" policies for internet accounts in Beijing and Shanghai, which has been criticized as a huge source of risk for data safety on the internet. There are 500 million internet users in China, with 320 million on Sina Weibo. Recently prominent websites notified their users to change their passwords, sending netizens into a panic. Some users joked that "the era of password changing" is coming, while others said a "winter solstice for internet" has begun. People often have the same username and password for many websites, which increases a chain-leak risk. According to a program designed by an internet user, among the more than 6 million hacked accounts on CSDN, 2.39 million users shared a password with at least one other user. Around 235,000 users used 123456789 as their password. Yang Jianzheng, vice director of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology's business school, told reporters that hackings have increased worldwide and the practice has created a grey industry in China. In hacker circles, a package of data could be sold for more than 1 million yuan ($158,000). n
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Research reveals GSM phones vulnerable to hack scams

technology that could potentially threaten hundreds of thousands of phones. "We can do it to hundreds of thousands of phones in a short time frame," Nohl told reporters ahead of a presentation on the topic at a hacking convention in Berlin recently. Smartphone malware is popping up at an unprecedented rate as people put more and more valuable information on the devices, using them to hold corporate secrets, conduct banking and function as digital wallets. GSM became the dominant mobile technology globally in the late 1990s and even though new, faster mobile networks have been rolled out across the world, operators have stuck to their GSM networks to support older phones and to offer service when new networks fail. The Berlin convention takes place just days after U.S. security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc (Stratfor) said its website had been hacked and that some names of corporate subscribers had been made public. Activist hacker group Anonymous claimed responsibility. Attacks on corporate landline phone systems are fairly common, often involving bogus premium-service phone lines that hackers set up in countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Fraudsters make calls to the numbers from hacked business phone systems or mobile phones, then collect their cash and move on before the activity is identified. The phone users typically do not realize the problem until after they receive their bills, and telecommunications carriers often end up foot-
Mobile security is a hot issue because hackers are paying unprecedented attention to the devices as smartphone sales have outpaced sales of PCs. Industry lobby group GSMA said it did not expect the new findings to affect its views on the security of the technology
laws in a widely used wireless technology could allow hackers to gain remote control of phones and instruct them to send text messages or make calls, according to an expert on mobile phone security. They could use the vulnerability in the GSM technology -- which is used by most telecom operators globally and by billions of people -- to make calls or send texts to expensive, premium phone and messaging services in scams, said Karsten Nohl, head of Berlin-based Security Research Labs. Nohl is a well-regarded expert on mobile security who last year identified a bug in GSM technology that makes calls vulnerable to tapping. He says he is calling attention to these flaws to pressure the industry into beefing up the security of their products. Mobile security is a hot issue because hackers are paying unprecedented attention to the devices as smartphone sales have outpaced sales of PCs. Only a few flaws have been found in GSM technology - which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications - over its 20-year history. Industry lobby group GSMA said it did not expect the new findings to affect its views on the security of the technology. "The GSMA and its mobile network operator members are confident in the security of existing 2G GSM networks and real attacks on real networks against real customers are most unlikely," it said in
a statement, adding that newer technologies are safer and not impacted by the new research. GSMA's statement "on anticipated GSM security announcements" did not make clear whether the industry group had actually seen Nohl's latest research. Security experts have previously identified a small number of viruses designed to infect smart-
Fraudsters make calls to the numbers from hacked business phone systems or mobile phones. Researchers reviewed operators in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Slovakia, Switzerland and Thailand
phones, allowing hackers to take control of the devices and force them to make calls or send text messages. But Nohl said he has discovered a way to leverage previously disclosed vulnerabilities in GSM
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ing at least some of the costs. Even though Nohl will not present all details of possible attacks at the conference, he said hackers will usually replicate the code needed for attacks within a few weeks. Mobile networks of Germany's T-Mobile and France's SFR offer their clients the best protection against online criminals wanting to intercept their calls or track their movements, according to a new ranking Nohl will unveil at his presentation. The new ranking, at gsmmap.org, is conducted by security researchers, who hope this will heighten the awareness of operators and consumers on the vulnerability of their mobile communications. Researchers reviewed 32 operators in 11 countries and rated their performance based on how easy it was for them to intercept the calls, impersonate someone's device or track the device. "None of the networks protects users very well," Nohl said. The sample is set to grow from 32 carriers dramatically next year as the tool enables anyone to participate in data gathering by downloading measuring software to their phones.Nohl said mobile telecom operators could easily improve their clients' security, in many cases by just updating their software. Researchers reviewed operators in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Slovakia, Switzerland and Thailand. n
Event
International
Fr e e d ow n lo ad | f la re .p k
A model displays Sony's new 3D camcorder "Handycam HDR-TD20V" claimed to have 34 per cent smaller body size compare to the previous model.
Colby representative Danay Stockton displays the Colby MID-9742-8 tablet.
Wendy Mittelstadt, product manager for Ion, poses with the company's Guitar Apprentice guitar controller for the iPad. The guitar holds an iPad in its shell which runs the software for the device.
Models display the Nikon 1 camera at the Nikon booth at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas.
Model Nicole demonstrates the ease of the zipper while wearing a set of Zipbuds earphones displayed.
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Microsoft representative Derrick Stanfield Kivoi (L) and Bernard Groveman dance to Microsoft's Xbox 360's 'Dance Central 2' using the Kinect at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas.
CEOs (L-R): Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Stephen Elop of Nokia and Ralph de la Vega of AT&T Mobility display their Nokia Lumia 900 smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Fr e e d o w nl oad | f la re .p k
International
Event
A woman touches the screen on Sharp's 80-inch touch screen TV set Aquos Board, an Interactive Display System.
President and CEO of Intel Paul Otellini holds a new Intel product while delivering the keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show.
Television personality Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi appears during an autograph signing at iHip's booth.
Senior vice president and president of Lenovo's Consumer Business Group Liu Jun show the new Lenovo smartphone during Intel's presentation.
A HTC smartphone with a ST Ericsson Nova A9500 application processor chip is shown at the Consumer Electronics Show opening event in Las Vegas.
A model displays the iShower speaker, an easily detachable Bluetooth enabled shower speaker with complete compatibility with any Bluetooth audio streaming phone, tablet or computer.
An artist uses the Samsung's Galaxy Note at a Samsung booth at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
An exhibitor at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas shows off a pair of motorized shoes made by Acton, a Los Angeles company.
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Synopsis
National
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | fl a re. p k
Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Award 2011 winners announced

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) and Ericsson announced Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Award 2011 winners at a ceremony held at Ericsson Pakistan Headquarter recently. The award has been conferred to the winning team for their exemplary efforts in developing a mobile application "Poor Man's Reader" to facilitate literacy in the country. The ceremony was graced by Chairman PTA Dr. Mohammed Yaseen and senior management of Ericsson Pakistan. Mr. Muhammad Bilal Zafar and Mr. Muhammad Ahmad Bashir Senior year undergraduate students from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Department of Computer Science, School of Science and Engineering were awarded a cash prize of Rs 100,000 for their ability to demonstrate an innovative mobile application benefiting and empowering people and the society in the education category. On this occasion, President & CEO of Ericsson Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Mohsen Tavakol said that "The response to the Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Awards 2011 has been great with nominations received from top universities across Pakistan. He said that the work of our students and academia industry are carrying out in the mobile arena is commendable and Ericsson aims to bring academia closer to the industry with initiatives such as Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Awards. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PTA Dr Mohammed Yaseen applauded Ericsson's initiatives and commitment to the Telecom Industry of Pakistan "We are proud to witness and recognize the work of our university students in the mobile development world and our partnership with Ericsson facilitates us in the escalation of
Group photo of participants with Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Dr. Muhammad Yaseen during Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Award 2011
ICT industry in Pakistan. "We look forward to carrying out significant projects, such as the Ericsson- PTA Mobile Excellence Award 2011, in the future as well, to bridge the gap between industry, academia and the regulator". A runner up award was conferred upon F.Sc students from the University of Karachi, Mr. Sameer Ahmed Khan, Mr. Zohaib Ahmed Shakir and Mr Noman Bin Rizwan for developing "Educating
Dreams -Be a saviour!" mobile application. The panel of judges also conferred two special recognition awards upon Mr. Irfan Ullah Khan, from Comsats University of Technology, Abottabad, for developing a "Home Security System" and presenters of "Clever Minds" application, Mr. Hammad Masood and Mr. Yawar Abbas from FAST Karachi. n them. He said that with the endless archives of information they can easily access through their machines. He added that increased access to networks made available by computers and the internet nowadays is one of the greatest resources that students possess in terms of education and research. n
UMT students get laptops

Lahore: Students and faculty members of the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, who participated in a special initiative by SKIF Enterprises to offer laptops on easy installments, received their machines in a special ceremony held at the campus. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, also purchased a laptop. Addressing on the occasion, he urged all students who had participated in the programme to use their new laptops wisely and to realise how much of a global exposure their machines would give
PTA to auction frequency spectrum for broadband services

Islamabad: In pursuance of the policy directive issued by Ministry of Information Technology (MOIT), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is planning to Auction Frequency Spectrum for Cellular Mobile Broadband Services. The license for this service will be technology neutral and the licensees overseen by a joint professional group comprising public sector stakeholders, including representatives of Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information Technology, PTA and FAB etc. PTA has constituted a special committee for making preparations to conduct the auction in the most possible transparent manner. the awareness and For information of potential investors, PTA is also planning to hold Investors Conferences in Karachi and Islamabad. International Road Shows will also be organized. The exact schedule for this auction would be made available soon. It is pertinent to mention that the introduction of Cellular Mobile Broadband services in the country will initiate a new economic cycle in the country and accrue great benefits for the national economy. It will also usher in new era for proliferation of a number of new applications for data intensive value added services. This will greatly fulfill the requirement and demands of Cellular Mobile Phone subscribers and professionals who are eagerly waiting for this service. n
Sajid leads Zong as CCO

Islamabad: Sajid Mahmood Chief Information Officer of Zong China Mobile Pakistan, will now be leading the company in the capacity of Chief Commercial Officer as well. He is already heading IT, Corporate Sales, Legal, Regulatory and OAS functions of the company. In effect, with these changes, Marketing, Sales & Distribution and Customer Services will also be reporting to Mr. Sajid. Since its commencement, Zong has grown under the guidance of people like Sajid Mahmood, who have been leading the Zong family with dedication. Leaders like him have taken the Company to unparalleled heights of prosperity by contributing great values, novel ideas and best practices. Top leadership has placed their confidence in Mr. Sajids capabilities. Zongs CEO Mr. Fan Yunjun commented, The Company has been very fortunate to have outstanding employees who have shown great commitment to their work. Sajid Mahmood is an enthusiastic and hardworking person with flare for novelty and meticulousness. We are certain that he will bring more success to Zong. Sajid has also been a member of China Mobile Pakistan Limited Board of Directors and Executive Management Team (EMT). He has diversified and wide experience in leadership, product/process development, strategic planning and organization operational efficiency. He is a visionary leader and a result oriented person, who values creative thinking, innovative problem solving skills and teamwork.
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be able to deploy any technology including 3G / 4G / LTE /any other upcoming technologies, said a press release issued here. The Information Memorandum (IM) for auctioning process is being prepared by PTA. The auction will be held tentatively in March 2012 for which exact schedule will be issued later. The auction process will be
Members of Zong family are of the view that Sajid Mahmood will once again surpass the expectations of the management in fulfilling his duties, and has wished him luck for his future plans.n
Fr e e d o w nl oad | f la re .p k
National
Synopsis
Nokia, Unesco to launch mobile teachers' learning

Islamabad: Nokia Pakistan and Unesco launched the project "Mobile Learning Project for Teacher's Professional Development" as formal collaboration in the presence of senior government officials, Nokia representatives and Unesco representatives. As part of this program, Unesco and Nokia are joining hands, where Nokia is providing its mobile phones and its application "Nokia Education Delivery for Unesco's project on 'use of ICT for professional development of public school teachers' in remote areas. This collaboration is part of the agreement signed last year between Unesco and Nokia at international level to promote the use of mobile technologies to further the objectives of "Education for All". As part of this agreement Nokia is developing applications and new Mobile technologies offering access to information and enrich learning environments at global level. In Pakistan, through the project "Mobile Learning for Teachers" Nokia's education delivery application will help Unesco to enable the delivery of high- quality educational materials to teachers who lack training and resources though mobile phones giving an opportunity to teachers to train themselves on the same level as professionally competent teachers. Speaking about the project, Unesco Director, Kozue Kai Nagata said, "In 21st century Public- private partnerships are enjoying growing attention and support as a new and sustainable modality for development. We are confident to collaborate with Nokia to provide us with the best platform to train public school teachers. Speaking about the launch of NED program, Ulrike Vott Nokia Sustainability Manager for Middle East said, "Nokia Education Delivery facilitates education in a fun and interactive way. In addition to the NED software, Nokia offers program implementation support for the benefit of Pakistan's education landscape." Amir Jahangir, President Agahi and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, shared his views on the launch that "Pakistan is a knowledge starved country, where universal education has its own challenges. To meet the target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on education, Pakistan needs to address its education challenges through innovation and technology which can reach to a larger population with cost effective solutions". n
Huawei to launch enterprise solutions in Pakistan

Islamabad: Huawei Technologies is all set to introduce its Direct Enterprises Solutions and ICT Systems to commercial arena in Pakistan, targeting large and medium sized corporations in the public and private sectors. These solutions and systems include Data Centre, Video Conferencing Studios, Smart Devices, Cloud Computing, Network Security, Digital Home, eCity,Virtual University and etc,. Huawei Technologies will launch its full-fledged commercial marketing from 2012 for tapping a potential market of Pakistan in various sectors, said Nadeem Aslam Malik, Director Enterprises Business Huawei Technologies. The business in Pakistan needs advancement and technologies to grow its volume with faster paces and reduced cost, now the solutions and products are not too far from there reach as Huawei has come up with their requirements. Huawei is also looking forward for a major role in launching 3G technology with different mobile operators particularly with the companies it has been working for past many years. The company has already started network swap of 3G technology for Ufone and Mobilink and introduced smartphones and low-cost handsets with them, he said. The company has planned to launch its Smartphones through different distribution channels and ensure the availability of advanced 3G devices in the country. Huawei has been working in Pakistan for past 15 years having presence in 28 cities. The company has been associated with telecom sector mainly claiming nearly 60 percent share in Pakistan for setting up physical infrastructure for telecom companies. n
Microsoft launches CIE in Pakistan

Karachi: Microsoft Pakistan has launched Customer Immersion Experience (CIE) Labs in Karachi with an investment of nearly one million dollars with an aim to provide hand-on experience to entrepreneurs and professionals with companys products and technologies including top of the line Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project, Visio, Windows Phone, Dynamics CRM and System Center. Microsoft believes that business whether small and large need the right platform and tool to optimize them communicate, collaborate, create and manage information more efficiently within their organization, said Kamal Ahmed Country Manger Microsoft Pakistan. He said the lab will help bridge the divide between Pakistan and developed countries through availability of all technologies they can adopt and compete in the global market. People will experience all those technologies which are adoptable to their businesses as per need basis and affordability so they can be enabled with all these trends which are popular in the world, Kamal added. He said the Microsoft has been aggressively working to reach 1.2 million of students getting higher education in different discipline, in this regard, the global software giant will take onboard 73 universities to educate technology within six months. n
applications. The lab has been specially designed for hands-on environment where business and IT decision makers test drive Microsoft
productivity and attain maximum output from their workforce, hence, the lab offers the opportunity for users to experience first-hand of how Microsoft technologies can help
Islamabad: Pemra enforcement teams raided numbers of cable TV networks in various parts of country in a bid to stop illegal satellite and CD channels shown by the cable operators despite repeated warnings to stop them. Pemra press release stated that excessive CD channels on cable networks were not only a peril to social fabric but also main source of content piracy and plagiarism which PEMRA is taking seriously to address. Pemra also suspended transmission of seven TV channels showing un-ethical and misleading documentaries related to health and other products in deviation to Pemra and Ministry of Health laws and the scope of their given licenses. The cable operators faced Pemra action included: M/s. Dharyal Cable Network, M/s. L.R. Cable Network, Jhelum, M/s. Leo Biz Cable Network, M/s. Perfect Cable Network, Murree, M/s. Sky Video Cable Network Haripur. 10 satellite receivers and equipment being used to run illegal CD channels was impounded. Similarly in Lahore Pemra crackeddown on M/s. British Cable Network, M/s. LCN M/s. Max Media cable Network, M/s. New Tech Cable Network, M/s. Sony Cable Network, confiscating 23 satellite TV receivers, illegal decoders, set-top-boxes and equipment used to run illegal CD channels. Moreover, in Pasroor & Sialkot, M/s. Butt Friends Cable Network and M/s. Orient Cable Network, M/s. Neuvo Albab Cable Network & M/s. Choudhry Cable Network, were raided and 36 receivers, decoders and CPUs were confiscated. In Sindh enforcement teams raided cable TV networks operating in the cities of Karachi, Sakrand, Qazi Ahmed, Khadro, Sanghar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matli, Badin, Tando Jan Muhammad, Talhar, Digri, Tando Ghulam Ali & Matiari. Cable Networks raided are M/s. Star Cable Network, M/s. Highway Communication, M/s. Sindhri Cable Network, M/s. Sky Cable Network, M/s. Star Cable Network, M/s. Perfect Cable Network, M/s. Shahzeb Cable Network, Kerio Cable Network. In total 54 gadgets i.e. receivers, decoders, computers seized by PEMRA inspection teams. n
Pemra takes action against illegal channels & programmes
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Synopsis
National
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | f la re .p k
NADRA develops SMS service to verify voters in the Electoral Rolls

Islamabad: National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) has developed an SMS service application to facilitate citizens to verify their vote registration and particulars in the voters list, Deputy Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik stated in a statement. NADRA and ECP signed agreements with telecom companies to forge a partnership in order to launch this service. I congratulate Ufone, Warid and Telenor who stood up and offer their platforms for this national interest, and expect the companies who are sitting on fence to step up to the challenge and contribute on national cause said Tariq Malik. He added that this service would be initiated soon after the publication of Preliminary (ghair hatmi) electoral rolls (PER) for public display. The sender will send his CNIC number to a short code and will subsequently receive a message in Urdu. It will confirm registration of voter as well as location (electoral area) where voter is registered along with serial number of voter in electoral rolls. This service will help the general public to check the status of their vote conveniently from anywhere, anytime across Pakistan. He said after the introduction of the new service, it would be the We want to use technology, to provide outreach Malik added. ECP is considering more than 50,000 display centers countrywide where PER will be physically voters. He said it is a great convenience to the citizens to be able to check their vote status through e-governance using stateof-the-art technologies, first time in
Deputy Chairman NADRA Tariq Malik, Mr. Ishatiaq Ahmed Khan Secretary ECP, Naveed Khalid Ufone, Faisal Qayyum Telenor signing the MoU at NADRA HQs for introducing SMS Service Faclitate Citizens to verify vote registration and particulars in the list.
responsibility of every eligible voter to make sure that his/her vote had been registered and furthermore to report any discrepancy to ECP. The intent of using this service is to assist ECP to execute its constitutional duty as per electoral laws.
displayed but introduction of SMS service is expected to spike genuine public interest in electoral process. While lauding the innovative service and NADRA roles Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan said it is a milestone to facilitate the
the world. He appreciated the cooperation offered by the Ufone and Telenor in this historic move leading towards ensuring free and fair elections. Deputy Chairman NADRA, Secretary ECP and Chiefs of Ufone, Warid and Telenor later signed the agreement. n
Govt to generate $291 million from Instaphone auction

Islamabad: Government is likely to generate more than $291 million from auction of 800 MHz of Instaphone GSM license in March 2012 previously owned by Instaphone. Officials privy to the development told that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced to hold the auction after the reauction of the license have been approved by Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani while chairing a cabinet meeting a couple of days ago. During the meeting it was decided that that existing operators and new international players would also be invited for this auction of Instaphone license which is the sixth existing licensee in the country but not a new one. Experts believed that this auction would attract handsome investment in the country. PTA will notify the Information Memorandum (IM) containing inter ali auction methodology, data and venue later on. It is too pertinent here that on January 04, 2008 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) terminated the license of Instaphone due to company's failure to pay outstanding dues for the license renewal fee they agreed to in April 2005 that is $291 million. Pakcom, the company that runs Instaphone, failed to meet the payment schedule of $291 million for getting the operating license renewed for next 15 years from 2005. The Instaphone challenged the PTA's decision before the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court in appeals. Both the appeal and the writ petition were dismissed by the court and PTA's determination was upheld. Instaphone was a telecommunications company in Pakistan and the pioneer of cellular industry in Pakistan. The company was initially owned by Millicom International and was acquired later by the Arfeen Group. n
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Islamabad: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zong, China's Mobile Company, Fan Yunjun called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza billion in the national exchequer besides providing job opportunities Gilani and presented him a one over a period of four years as taxes, to thousands of youth in Pakistan. million rupees cheque for the Prime Minister's Flood Relief Fund. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan and China enjoyed timetested friendship and the year of 2011 was declared as the year of Pakistan-China friendship to celebrate the 60 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Prime Minister recalled the visit of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his visit to China, which were a clear manifestation of the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries. He appreciated the services of Zong, which had touched the figure of 13.2 million subscribers and had CEO Zong Mr. Fan Yunjun presents a cheque of Rs.1 million to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for flood affectees. contributed an amount of Rs. 26
CEO Zong presents Rs1m cheque to PM

The Prime Minister directed the Secretary Ministry of Information Technology to help Zong in resolving difficulties in implementation of their extension projects. The CEO Zong said that the mobile company has made a cumulative investment of $1.5 billion in four years and deposited Rs. 26 billion as taxes during the same period. He said that the Zong was the largest telecom service provider worldwide, adding that the company was keen to invest in 3-G (Third Generation) technology. He said that the company wants to extend its operations to new heights which would provide job opportunities to the youth in various fields benefiting from its future projects.n
Fr e e d o w nl oad | fl ar e. pk
National
Synopsis
Firdous inaugurates feedback, complaints call centre

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has inaugurated feedback and complaints call centre at PEMRA headquarters, Islamabad recently. She said the Complaint Call Centre, a state-of-the-art public complaints call centre (0800736672) has been set up to address complaints against cable operators. The Minister said dedicated and trained staff would be available at the Centre round the clock. PEMRA has been given mandate to improve the standard of information, education and entertainment, ensuring more choices for viewers in news, current affairs and other programmes. She said launching of complaints call centre is the one step ahead to facilitate public at their doorsteps through one window facility and it would definitely work as catalyst to bridge divide between stakeholders and PEMRA. The minister said the government has also established councils of complaints at four provincial capitals and one at federal capital comprising eminent persons to redress public complaints and grievances against broadcast media and distribution service. Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government believes in freedom of expression and media but this freedom must be coupled with responsibility as well as in conformity with the societal norms. She said the call centre has not been established for victimisation rather it would take action against the channels involved in airing programmes against religions and country's interest. "We want to introduce selfaccountability at the channels by introducing this medium," she remarked. She assured that status and quality of the complaint will be evaluated before taking any action and said, code of conduct evolved by
Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Chairman PEMRA Dr Abdul Jabbar and Secretary Information Taimoor Azmat unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the Feedback & Complaint Call Center at PEMRA Headquarters.
the government in consultation with all stakeholders for media will be fully implemented. The Minister said, keeping in view the present scenario, the government is also planning to introduce National Digitalization Policy (NDP) in 2012. Introduction of NDP will increase the channels
carrying capacity and improve quality of picture. To a question she said the government is working for improvement and strengthening democratic institutions in the country and "strong media is guarantee to strong democracy and parliament." n
Zong appoints Usman Ishaq as Director Marketing

Zong: China Mobile Pakistan has promoted Usman Ishaq as Director Marketing who already a member of Zong family and diligently fulfilling his responsibilities as Director of Sales and Distribution. his team took the telecom company to new heights of success by enhancing sales, and managed to grab the largest share in subscribers number among all telecom operators during the last one year. For this reason, he has now been entrusted with the task of leading the marketing team of the Company. Usman Ishaq has studied in PAK AIMS, Lahore and has diversified industry experience. Prior to joining Zong, he has worked for companies like Mobilink, ICI Pakistan, and Warid Telecom. His key specialties include sales, distribution, customer management, business During his tenure as Director development and project Sales & Distribution, Usman and management. n
Chinese city offers help to produce solar energy

solar projects, adding that Zibo City was providing solar energy units to almost all the homes there. He expressed the hope that the HCCI would play an active role in promoting trade between the two cities. Acting president of the HCCI Turab Ali Khoja said Dr Wangs visit to the chamber had provided an opportunity for interaction to boost up trade between the two friendly countries. He said businessmen of Hyderabad felt that there was immense demand for Pakistani goods in Chinese market. The visit would be helpful for the business and industrial communities of Hyderabad to export their goods to Chinese markets. Mr Khoja pointed out that at present Hyderabad was exporting goods worth more than $60 million to various countries and said that there were vast opportunities to increase the volume of trade between the two friendly countries. He said Hyderabad had a large number of agro-based and textile industries, garment manufacturing units and automobile manufacturing and assembling plants which were using Chinese technology. He said power sector and coal mining, especially Thar coal, provided a big opportunity to investors. University of Sindh ViceChancellor Dr Nazir A. Mughal said the university was ready to serve industry. He said the HCCI could tell them what kind of courses should be introduced for the benefit of industries through their research activities.n
Pak-Telecom users reach 111m in Oct 2011

Islamabad: Mobile phone users in Pakistan were recorded at 111,126,434 in October 2011, reaching a tele-density of 65.2 percent, reported Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). PTA last declared these stats in June 2011 when mobile phone users count stood at 108,894,518 with tele-density of 64.8 percent. According to new stats, Mobilink leads the market with 33,537,922 subscribers, followed by Telenor with 27,607,043 subscribers till October 2011. Ufone stood third
Hyderabad: The Zibo city of China is ready to share expertise for setting up solar energy projects in Hyderabad, according to Dr Wang Jianzhong, deputy director of the Zibo Municipal Foreign Affairs Office. Speaking at a reception given in his honour by the Hyderabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), he said Zibo was one of the most important industrial cities of China. He said that in the trade with Pakistan, Zebo mainly imported cotton and exported medicines, industrial equipment and other goods. Dr Wang said that the purpose of his visit to Hyderabad was to promote programmes of exchange of students and scholars and his citys relations with Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Kotri and Mirpurkhas. He said educational, cultural and energy projects would be taken up for the benefit of the communities of those cities. Dr with 20,828,145 subscribers. Warid Wang said Zibo and Hyderabad had 15,985,299 subscribers and Zong at fifth position with 13,168,025 subscribers. During last reported four months Zong outclassed other operators by adding highest number of subscribers while Warid lost 1.4 million subscribers under the head of data cleanup. Telenor added 939,964 subscribers during reported period. Ufone managed to grab 294,358 subscribers with Mobilink adding could start business cooperation. He 159,761 subscribers from July- said sufficient sunlight in October 2011. n Hyderabad could be used to develop
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Synopsis
National
Ufone assists TCF in Rahbar Mentor Program

Lahore: Taking a step forward to promote education amongst the underprivileged, Ufone Volunteers are assisting in The Citizens Foundations (TCF) Rahbar mentor program. The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is a professionally managed, nonprofit organization working to improve the quality of education in Pakistan. TCF Rahbar program is a Mentor Program aimed at the development of youth as responsible individuals and as productive members of society. The program has completed seven successful cycles in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. In just over three years, TCF have been able to reach over 3500 students with the support of more than 800 volunteer mentors from all walks of life. In continuation of Ufones collaboration with TCF, an interactive workshop was arranged for Ufone employees in Lahore. The workshop was to prepare the volunteers, who are taking part in TCFs Rahbar programme, and instill in them the knowledge and expertise to carry out mentorship activities. Moazzam Ali Khan, Head of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility at Ufone, said that the volunteers were very keen on sharing their experiences with the students at TCF schools. He said that the aim was to make a difference, no matter how big or small, in the lives of these children. Ufone, being a socially responsible organization continues to be at the forefront of many mentor initiatives. Since inception Ufone has taken serious interest in in-house and external CSR projects and over the last few years, has carried out various initiatives that benefit the deserving segments of the society. These initiatives have profited the populace as well as provided an opportunity for the volunteers to fully appreciate the art of distributing knowledge. Tuba Mahmood, Assistant Manager Volunteers & Alumni North at TCF said I am glad to see such a positive response from Ufone regarding The Citizens Foundation & its Rahbar program. The CSR initiative taken by Ufone & other corporates not only helps to spread the message of our organization but it also provides a platform to people who want to go an extra mile to give back to society. n and 4 towering sixes in his innings. Bilal Qureshi ZONG captain played a captains knock and hit massive sixes during the run chase. The deal was sealed by Umair Aslam in the final over where he hit 17 runs with the help of 3 fours. This exciting match was witnessed by cheerful crowd who appreciated the efforts being put in by ZONG players in winning the Tournament. ZONG Cricket team has reached the finals of 1st Bankers T20 Tournament by beating Islamabad Challengers. ZONG team was unbeaten throughout the tournament outclassing Telenor, Ericsson, MOL, Shifa International in the league matches. n
Pak envoy in Canada to contact telecom firm

Islamabad: Ministry of Foreign Affairs would approach Ontario based Canadian multinational telecommunications company Research In Motion (RIM) to secure record of BlackBerry communications between former ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ejaz in relation to memogate investigation. Diplomatic sources told that Secretary Salman Bashir would direct Pakistans High Commissioner to Canada, Mian Gul Akbar Zeb to contact the company in effort to secure record of the communications of two main characters of the memogate scam. Sources in cellular industry believed that these efforts might not bear fruit because of the RIMs stringent policy not to share details of communications of its customers. The move comes in line with directives of the Supreme Court as the Judicial Commission probing the memogate to contact the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) and BlackBerry representatives in Pakistan so that forensic evidence of the conversation can be obtained. RIM designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile and telecommunications market, and also provides platforms and solutions for access to information, including e-mail, voice, instant messaging, short message service (SMS), Internet and intranet-based applications and browsing. RIMs portfolio includes the Black Berry wireless solution, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, software development tools and other software and hardware.n
Zong wins Bankers T20 Tournament

Islamabad: Zong cricket team has won the 1st Bankers T20 Tournament by beating Liberty Power by 5 wickets. Bating first Liberty Power set a mammoth target of 197 runs in 20 overs. Zong in reply, achieved the target in 20th over with the loss of 5 wickets. Zong Teams major contributors were Rouman Talat who scored 92 runs in just 45 balls with the strike rate of 202.22. He stroked 10 fours
PTA launches ICT apps on www.pakistan.pk

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority launched various application services on its online national rabta portal (www.pakistan.pk). The primary focus behind the launch is to assist local Internet users in retrieving various information specific to Internet resource information and content of the country. National Whois application will help the user to access ownership and management information of an IP address of Pakistan. The Whois service is linked up with APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Center) database. ICT rabta pages service will assist a user to retrieve contact and general information about ICT industry of the country whereas educational portal service will help the students and general community to access information regarding public & private educational institutes, scholarships and skill development programs available in the country. Another significant service launched is a local search engine for the country titled as Raftaar Pakistan. The search engine will entertain a particular search string by fetching the relevant information from websites registered under .pk ccTLD. This is first of its kind online search platform offering filtered and Pakistan-based content. It is anticipated that the search platform Raftaar will catch the attraction of broadband internet service providers in order to encourage and promote local search facility. PTA would welcome to work with Broadband services providers to host Raftaar. n
ZONG launches SMS helpline service

Islamabad: ZONG Pakistan has launched a brand new service to provide convenience to its customers. The telecom company has once again proved its commitment of giving the best services to its subscribers by introducing SMS helpline.
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Now the helpline service number 310 will be accessible through text messages. This is a first of a kind facility ever offered in the history of Pakistans telecom industry. This service is completely automated and easy to use. Users can effortlessly access the required information through SMS without having to wait for the customer service representative. n
National
Synopsis
NADRA issues 1.1m Pakistan Cards to rain-hit families

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) claimed that it has issued 1.1 million Pakistan Cards so far and disbursed Rs nine billion to rain-affected families in Sindh. Deputy Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik said, during distribution process of Pakistan Card, started in September 2011, the authority has almost facilitated around 84 percent affected families in the province. Malik said, the number of affected families was 1.344 million and 1.1 million families have already been provided first instalment of Rs 10,000 each in the first phase. The same amount would be provided per family in the second phase, he added. Tariq Malik said due to flood last year, 16 districts of the province were affected and the authority was working in 14 districts including Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Mirpur Khas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Thatta, Ghotki, Tando Allah Yar, Sanghar, Matiari, Kharipur and Naushero Feroz. Giving details, the deputy chairman said NADRA had set up distribution centres at districts including Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpur Khas, Tando Allahyar and Sanghar while distribution of Pakistan Cards in Naushero Feroz and Khairpur would start soon. He said that throughout the distribution process, NADRA ensured strong checks so only the deserving families belonging to the provincially notified calamity-hit areas could obtain the Pakistan Card. He said the authority, in addition to setting up centres, has also mobilised its mobile resources Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs) to process the CNIC for free in all the affected areas in co-ordination with the public representatives and district administration. Answering a question, he said NADRA had launched a mobile SMS service in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) and all operating telecom companies to determine a person's existence in the beneficiary list for the Pakistan Card project to facilitate the rain-affected people in checking status of their requests. The eligibility of the applicant for the Pakistan Card can be checked by simply sending his or her CNIC number to the designated short code, he added. The intent to use this service is to assist the provincial and local governments in curtailing the rush at the centres and helping the flood victims by using the technology, he said, the service is for free.
Mobilink IR Mobilink organises golf tournament LG, Intel sign deal Islamabad: LG Electronics (LG) and Intel have entered into a strateservices get top gic alliance to adopt and jointly promote Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) spot in PTA technology, says a press release. Inranking tel WiDi will be embedded into next
Karachi: Mobilink has once again proven to be the best service provider for International Roaming (IR) services, as per a recent survey conducted by Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA). The survey is a part of an effort by the regulatory authority to ensure provision of quality services to cellular service subscribers who travel beyond Pakistans borders for work or leisure. The operators were judged on the quality of their International Roaming services and billing parameters. This is the second time Mobilink has emerged as the nations top preference for mobile communication and services in 2011. The company was previously ranked as excellent among all cellular service providers in the country, according to the results of the customers perception survey held in Q3 2011. n
Winners of the Karachi leg of the 5th Club Indigo Golf Invitational with Irfan Akram, Vice President Customer Care, Mobilink.
Karachi: Mobilink inaugurated the 5th annual Club Indigo Golf Invitational, with the first leg of the tournament organised at the Karachi Golf Club, says a press release. The one-day tourney attracted over 100 amateur golfers, representing a diverse segment of Karachis corporate and business sector, making for a well competed event, providing healthy entertainment and promoting golf in Pakistan. Similar tournaments will be held for Club Indigo members in Lahore and Islamabad over the
coming weeks. The leading players of the competition were Muneer Feroze (Winner Gross) and Faisal Iftikhar (Winner Net) Irfan Akram, Vice President Customer Care at Mobilink highlighted, It is a great pleasure to see the enthusiasm displayed by Karachis golfers at the Club Indigo Golf Invitational. With your fervor and support over the years, this recreational event has turned into a popular sporting activity. Mobilink will continue to s nurture golfing talent in Pakistan through such tangible efforts. n
years LG Cinema 3D Smart TVs, making them the first in the TV industry to feature Intel WiDi technology. Intel WiDi is a wireless connectivity inter-face which allows for instant, high-definition viewing of content stored in notebooks and other external mobile devices on large screen TVs, projectors or monitors. Through this strategic alliance, Cinema 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner, said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Companys TV Business Unit. Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition. Intel is planning to expand Intel WiDi technology to various devices to provide consumers the seamless, smarter usage experience, said HeeSung Lee, Country Manager of Intel Korea. n
Nokia & Djuice partnered to enhance developers

Karachi: With a vision to cater to the lower segment of the market, Nokia Pakistan and Djuice have joined hands to start a series of Developer Workshops that aim to provide training focused on S40 devices. The first workshop in this chain was held at Telenor regional office where Tony Torp, Nokia External Trainer shared the details of development tools available to develop mobile apps for S40 devices and gave hands-on training to the participants. Rabia Azfar Nizami, Business Development Manager EDX, Near East, NOKIA said, I appreciate the
ing, promotion & monetization support for applications developed by interest level of Karachis developer Djuice Opportunity is one such ini- students & independent developcommunity to learn and excel in tiative where we provide publish- ers. n their chosen field. Nokia has been organizing these kinds of workshops for developers in Pakistan for the past 1 year. Talking about the partnership, Usman Javed, Director Marketing, Telenor Pakistan said, Djuice is delighted to partner with Nokia to start offering these developer workshops. It is the first time that such a forum has been made available to students & faculty and we are receiving tremendous response from participants. Djuice supports iniNokia and Telenor representatives along with participating developers at 'Nokia Developer Workshop on S40 Platform'. tiatives that build young talent.
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Synopsis
National
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | fl a re. pk
PC underlines need to limit government borrowing

The Planning Commission has underlined the need to limit government borrowings, from scheduled banks expressing, fear that the tendency of borrowing by the government would crowd out the private sector, it is learnt. Sources said that money, prices and fiscal policy section of the Planning Commission pointed out that shift towards scheduled banks would crowd out the private sector. That has to be controlled by limiting government borrowing. The Planning Commission in monetary development during the first quarter of the current fiscal year stated that Net Domestic Assets (NDA) showed expansion of Rs 176.7 billion during the period in government sector borrowing (net), while borrowing for budgetary support stood at Rs 181.5 billion. Moreover, government borrowing from scheduled banks showed expansion of Rs 260.5 billion during the period under review against a contraction of Rs 1.4 billion in the corresponding period of previous year. Government borrowing from SBP also showed a contraction of Rs 79 billion, against an expansion of Rs 149 billion in the corresponding period of last year. The Planning Commission said that the consecutive reduction in policy rate by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is a positive sign for public domestic debt, private sector and capital market. The reduction of interest rate would have a positive impact on economic growth as it is believed to improve the overall investment climate within the country. The Net Foreign Assets (NFA) of the banking system contracted by Rs 89.3 billion reflecting a decrease of 11.4 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year against the expansion of Rs 35.1 billion showing a expansion of 6.5 percent during the corresponding period of previous year. The contraction in NFA is due to deficit in current account balance, Rs 105 billion ($-1.2 billion), and deficit in trade balance was Rs 350 billion ($4.0 billion) in the period under review. However, workers' remittances reached $3.3 billion (Rs 288.7 billion) during July-September 2011 against $2.6 billion (Rs 224.4 billion). Moreover, exports stood at $6.1 billion (Rs 533.6 billion) during July- September 2011 against $5.2 billion (Rs 448.8 billion) showing a growth of 18.8 percent over the corresponding period of previous year. The imports stood at $10.2 billion (Rs 8892.3 billion) in July- September 2011 against 8.2 billion (Rs 707.8 billion), posting a growth of 26.06percent over corresponding period of last year. Moreover, Portfolio investment and Equity securities also showed contraction of $46 million (Rs 4.0 billion) and $45 million (Rs 4.0 billion) respectively in July-September 2011. n
Pakistan registers itself in emerging markets lists: Shivakumar

Karachi: Slowly but surely, Pakistan is beginning to register on the maps of international emerging markets investors, according to D Shivakumar, the head of Nokias sales in India, the Middle East and Africa. For a country that has about 3percent of the world population; one of the youngest populations; the tenth largest workforce and the potential of being the fifth or sixth largest telecom market in the world, the opportunities can only be immense, said Shivakumar, who is one of the four people responsible for overseeing the Finnish mobile giants global sales efforts. Shivakumar laid out some of the key reasons why he felt Pakistan might be able to attract investment and which sectors he felt would most rapidly spur economic growth in the country. Sectors like telecom and retail the sectors in which Pakistan has seen massive growth in the recent years would be an ideal combination for most emerging markets, he said. According to various industry reports including the impact of telecom on the GDP by London School of Business, Shivakumar said, a 10 percent increase in telecom penetration has a direct impact of 1.2 percent increase in the countrys GDP. He said telecommunications can overcome many traditional barriers and costs to serve of many physical industries like banking, health, education. Telecom also generates many jobs in the value chain, something every emerging economy needs, he added. Highlighting the importance of agriculture another important sector, which accounts for 21 percent of the countrys GDP Shivakumar said Pakistan employs 43 percent of its workforce in this sector. Clearly, it needs to do a lot of work in the area of agriculture since so many families depend on this sector, he added. Pakistans $210 billion economy has been included in four emerging markets list: Dow Jones list, Goldman Sachs Next 11, Emerging and Growth-Leading Economies (EAGLEs) and FTSE a list, representing economies that are expected to become some of the most important sources of global growth. Pakistans inclusion in four lists augurs well for the country; shows the confidence that the institutions have in Pakistans future growth potential, said Shivakumar. n
Zong launches its first reconnection programme

Karachi: In line with its policy to offer the best services, ZONG has once again introduced an innovative campaign for its subscribers. All those who have not been using their ZONG SIMs since November 1, 2011 will be rewarded for start using their S I M s a g a i n . ZONG has consistently introduced packages which are innovative and beneficial for its users. With this latest scheme, those subscribers who meet the criteria will be able to avail 1,000 free ZONG to ZONG minutes and 10,000 free SMS to any network. To benefit from this offer, the subscribers will be required to send Free to short code 2244. This is not all, customers who fall under the above mentioned criteria and recharge more than Rs 300 will enter into a lucky draw for international return tickets to Dubai and Thailand. n patronage of Ministry of IT and Telecom, Government of Pakistan has international partners CEMS (Conferences Exhibitions Management Services (PTE) LTD) and Chanchao International Company LTD and Strategic Partners are CMEC (China National Machinery & Equipment Import & Export Corporation) and PSEB (Pakistan Software Export Board). The event is also supported by Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) and Engineering Development Board (EDB). n
MoIT patronizes Intl exhibition

Karachi: International Information Technology & Telecom Exhibition & Conference 2012 (IITEC Pakistan) is the first ever show of IT industry of Pakistan which is being organized by FAKT Exhibition Private Limited under the patronage of Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, Government of Pakistan from April 7-9, 2012 at Expo Centre Lahore. The event stands uniquely different in the industry as it draws attention from government to the businessmen community serving the IT and Telecom industry of Pakistan. IITEC Pakistan is being organized with a motive to promote and support the already explored opportunities and also find ways to explore the underlying investment opportunities in the IT and Telecom industry resulting in generation of millions of dollars revenue to the country.
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Talking about the event focus, it will showcase the latest and state of the art products and technologies of IT and Telecom industry and will bring together both the buyers & sellers under one roof to discuss the Industry potential. Moreover, the event will also acknowledge the contribution of IT and Telecom industry to the economy of Pakistan. The event is targeting international participation from the countries of America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Canada, Far East, Middle East, Europe, U.K and many others. The expected number of trade corporate visitors for the event is estimated to be around 25,000. IITEC Pakistan 2012 under the
Fr e e d o w nload | f l ar e. pk
National
Synopsis
Samsung Galaxy-Y brings a fabulous Smart Bid offer

Lahore: Samsung Electronics Company Ltd., a global leader in Digital media and telecommunication technology had recently launched the Samsung Galaxy Y smartphone (model S5360). To promote this innovative sleek, compact and affordable smartphone for the youth, Samsung has launched an online facebook campaign called Smart-Bid. The participants will get great opportunities to win a brand new Samsung Galaxy smartphone for as low as Rs. 1000 only. Within days of launching this campaign on the Samsung Facebook page, the fan base has increased to more than 184,000, making it the most popular Consumer-Electronics page in the Pakistani social-media community. Samsung Galaxy Y is the youngest memSamsung Pakistans Managing Director, ber of the Samsung Galaxy series and the Mr. Hee Chang Yee said; The Samsung most affordable smart-phone, available in the Smart-Bid has been instrumental in creatmarket yet. ing a positive buzz for the Samsung Galaxy Y, which was precisely what we aimed for. This gives us a great platform to launch more attractive campaigns for the revolutionary Samsung products in future. The most important part of any creative campaign on social media is the active engagement of the fans and Smart-Bid has achieved enormous response from the fans. Samsung Smart Bid was initiated in conjunction with the launch of the much awaited Samsung Galaxy Y smart-phone earlier this month. n
Schneider wins Gigaton award for Outstanding Business Leadership in Action

Lahore: Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, has recently been awarded with the Gigaton Awards for Outstanding Business Leadership in Action for its phenomenal contribution to the reduction of carbon usage. This honourable accolade was awarded to Schneider Electric by The Carbon War Room (CWR), the Gigaton Throwdown, and the World Climate Summit. Selected from among 25 global companies that were nominated for the awards, Schneider Electric was acknowledged for its leadership in energy efficiency and the development of the Smart Grid. Mazhar Valjee, Country Manager Schneider Electric Pakistan, said: Carbon is not only an environmental issue but a business imperative. As the global specialist in energy management, we focus on fostering energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions for our customers, while leading by example in implementing these solutions across our own sites. Not only is our approach beneficial for the planet but also a fantastic business opportunity. We are honoured that the Gigaton Award Academy recognizes our day-today efforts towards achieving greater sustainability. n
Etihad Airways first class chefs take flight

Lahore: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, now employs qualified First Class Chefs officially onboard flights to London, Sydney, Melbourne and Paris, and they will also be progressively introduced across all other first class destinations during 2012. The airline has hired nearly 110 chefs since announcing in May it would introduce fully-qualified and classically-trained international chefs dedicated to food service excellence in its Diamond First Class cabins. First Class Chefs will also contribute to menu development for both lounges and flights. Etihad Airways First Class Chefs are provided with a pantry stocked with prime cuts of meat, sauces, par-cooked items, spices and freshly chopped vegetables. The pantry allows them to prepare for service and personalise dishes in the same way as chefs in a restaurant kitchen. Tools not typically seen on an aircraft, such as a whisk and foamer are also at their disposal. n
Free calls, SMS with Warid SIM Jagao offer

Karachi: Welcoming the New Year, Warid brings back its SIM Jagao offer with more invigorating and embracing feel than ever before. All those Warid customers who have not used their Warid SIM since 1st October, 2011, can start using it now to receive a bonus on every recharge for the next three months. The bonus amount ranges from 5per cent for a reload of less than Rs. 100, up-to 25per cent for a reload of Rs. 1,000 or more. The greater the recharge amount will be the bigger the bonus will be. This bonus will not only be eligible for free calls to all local networks but also free SMS to all local networks. Customers can also enjoy amazing call rates as low as Rs. 2.99/hour for all calls to FnF for the duration of the campaign. Warid members also get a chance to win free return tickets to Malaysia after a lucky draw. No other network is offering such rewards, which makes this a unique opportunity indeed. With Warid, everyone is a winner. n days and 30 minute bucket will expire in 3 days. Subscription can be made by dialing *721*1# (for $2 Bucket) & *721*2# (for $5 Bucket). For balance enquiry roamers can dial *706#. n
Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) has launched an attractive win-back initiative for EVO customers who can now recharge, get bill waivers and win exciting prizes. EVO customers, who have not recharged their prepaid device or paid EVO post bill since December 01, 2011 or earlier, can now recharge and get bill
PTCL launches EVO recharge
Ufones roaming buckets

Karachi: Taking another step forward in offering greater valueaddition; Ufone is prepared to take international roaming to a new level with affordable costs and convenience of connectivity. While visiting USA, Ufone prepaid connection is your best partner for cellular roaming needs. Customers can get 30 incoming minutes for $2 or 130 incoming minutes bucket for $5 on T Mobile network, says a press release. Mobile communication technologies have evolved independently across continents and there is significant challenge in achieving seamless roaming across these technologies. Ufone has managed to live up to the challenge and is offering a unique buckets for roamers in USA. This phenomenal offer will encourage friends and family in Pakistan to call roamers freely. The 130 minute bucket will expire in 30
waivers and as well as win a brand new EVO Tab, Cloud or Nitro device in a lucky draw being held on February 15, 2012, said a press release. This offer is valid for both pre-paid and post-paid customers. PTCL is determined to bring the most cutting edge innovative solutions and technologies to its customers at their convenience, said PTCL Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, Naveed Saeed. We are constantly introducing new technologies and products to provide customers with the most advanced mobility solutions available, he said. PTCL Executive Vice President Wireless Business, Omar Khalid. n
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Synopsis
National
PTCL inaugurates One-Stop Shop with a new look

experience. At PTCL, our customers always come first, said Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, Naveed Saeed, while addressing the inauguration ceremony. With the start of the New Year, we want our valuable customers to just walk into our new centers and experience the best customer care. This is not just a promise; it is a commitment by PTCL. The inauguration ceremony was attended by PTCLs senior executives as well as the OSS staff attired in their smart new uniforms. Widely recognized as the Companys public face, PTCLs nation-wide 133 One-Stop Shops are facilitating customers in billing adjustments, fault rectification, new service requests, duplicate bills, billing installments and payments all under one roof. Equipped with latest products and services, these outlets are offering one window operations in strategic locations spread all over the country to reach every customer. We want to create a comfortable professional atmosphere in our shops where customers are quickly helped to choose what best fits their needs, said Executive Vice President Customer Care, Kamran Malik, adding that PTCL is investing heavily in innovative service offerings and quality customer convenience solutions. n
Group Photo at the eve of inuagration of one stop shop. PTCL SEVP Commercial Naveed Saeed along with other executives at Islamabad.
Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has inaugurated a revamped and remodeled PTCL Is-
lamabad F-7/2 One Stop Shop (OSS), as part of its new Customer First campaign, which focuses on building an enhanced customer care
Get favorite number from Warid Retail Outlets across Pakistan

Lahore: Going an extra mile to best serve its customers, Warid Telecom recently launched Warid Ezee Connection. Empowering its retailers to further enhance the customer experience, now Warid new customers can get the prepaid number of their choice from any designated retail outlet across Pakistan. Leading the market with customized Products and Services, Warid manages the product portfolio of over 60 Value Added Services based on IVR, SMS, MMS and GPRS platforms. T h e company is always a step ahead to best serve the needs of its valued customers by providing them the opportunity to experience the best in mobile technology. With the great brand repute, loyal subscriber base and the recognition as the most steadfast telecom operator, Warid continues to set the excellence benchmarks in the telecom Industry of Pakistan. n
PTCL offers unbeatable broadband options for students

Islamabad: To continue helping Pakistan's students in reaping the benefits of broadband Internet connectivity, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) has launched a new Broadband Student Bundle Package with free voice minutes included. In addition to PTCL's existing Broadband Student Basic Package, the new Student Bundle Package with PSTN includes 1Mbps broadband connectivity with unlimited downloads, 150 free voice minutes and buzz entertainment portal, all just for flat Rs.999 per month, said a press release issued here. "PTCL has taken this initiative keeping in view the need to provide our youth with easy and economical access to high speed broadband internet, thereby expanding their knowledge, skills and productivity," said PTCL Senior Executive Vice President Commercial, Naveed Saeed. "Such a package will make the usage of high speed unlimited Internet not only affordable for students but also give them the liberty to download unlimited infotainment material, along with free minutes to call on landline numbers." "Broadband is all about access to information at high speed, and PTCL's leadership in providing the fastest Broadband service is leading its proliferation in Pakistan," said PTCL Executive Vice President Wire-line Business, Aasif Inam. n
Karachi: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU was signed by Executive Director, State Bank of Pakistan Inayat Hussain and Director General, Commercial Affairs, PTA Dr. Muhammad Saleem, in the presence of SBP Governor, Yaseen Anwar and PTA Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen. The main objective of MoU is to develop an appropriate technological & regulatory framework through a consultative process to strengthen the mobile banking with a view to supporting the provision of banking services as authorized by SBP. Under this collaboration, PTA and the SBP will act as facilitator by means of regulatory oversight and issuance of license/designation to Third Party Service Providers (TPSP) and setting the performance benchmarks through standardized Service Level Agreement (SLAs) between the telecom operators/TPSPs and the authorized financial institutions for carrying out financial transactions in a prudent manner through Mobile Banking means, under the relevant legislative structure. To monitor the progress, representatives of both the parties shall meet on a quarterly basis and suggest measures to improve or further expand the framework as and when the need arises. n
SBP, PTA sign mobile banking MoU
Wateen announces winners in 3rd round of "Recharge & Reconnect"

Lahore: Wateen Telecom, Pakistans leading converged communications provider, announced the winners of its third lucky draw in the Recharge and Reconnect campaign through which it is incentivising subscribers to recharge their accounts early. The Recharge and Reconnect lucky draw campaign is aimed at building a connection with Wateen customers, while encouraging them to recharge their accounts before the recharge date for each month. Entrants need only ensure that they recharge their Wateen broadband accounts before the due date in order to automatically qualify for the lucky draw of that month. The Recharge and Reconnect lucky draw campaign was launched round of the campaign. The winners received their prizes from Chief Commercial Officer, Wateen Telecom, Syed Jibran Ali. As Pakistans number one provider of converged communication solutions, Wateen aims to lead the digital revolution in the country. Wateen believes that consumers who pay their bills on-time should be rewarded and wants to promote this culture in Pakistan. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Jibran said, Wateens vision is to reshape the consumer life through the internet. We wanted to give back a token of our appreciation to our loyal customers who pay their bills on-time CCO, Wateen Telecom, Syed Jibran Ali gives prize to the winner. and show that even such a notion teen head office in Lahore recently. under the campaign, having won a can be rewarding. n Nayyar Waseem from Lahore won Lenovo Laptop during the first in October, with the first draw held that month. This is the third round of the draw with three winners announced and the prizes presented at a small ceremony held in the Waan I-pad, Owais Qureshi from Islamabad won an HP laptop and Shafqat Abbas from Lahore was the winner of a Dell Streak tablet. This was Nayyar Waseems second prize
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Fr e e d o w nl oad | f l ar e.p k
International
Synopsis
Global tech sales to surpass $1 trn in 2012

Smartphones and tablet computers will help push worldwide consumer electronics spending over $1 trillion this year but growth is sluggish compared to last year, according to industry analysts. "Most product categories are slowing down or going into contraction," Steve Bambridge, global business director for GfK Boutique Research said ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. "Really there's two main exceptions: tablets and smartphones," Bambridge said at a briefing for reporters before the official opening of the high-tech gadget extravaganza. GfK and CES sponsor the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) forecast that global spending on technology products will grow five percent in 2012 to $1.04 trillion compared to eight percent growth last year and $993 billion in sales. GfK and CEA said they expect smartphone sales to grow 22 percent this year compared with 59 percent last year while overall tablet sales are expected to double to more than 100 million this year. As demand slackens in the United States and Western Europe grapples with an economic crisis and wobbly euro emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India will increase their share of spending on consumer electronics, GfK and CEA said. Emerging economies are expected to account for 46 percent of global tech sales revenue in 2012, up from 37 percent in 2008, while developed economies will see their share fall to 54 percent from 63 percent over the same period. CEA chief economist Shawn Dubravac said he expects more than 20,000 new products to launch at CES, which brings together over 2,700 exhibitors from around the world to the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center. n
Acer unveils thinnest laptop

Acer on unveiled the world's thinnest laptop computer as an array of "ultrabook" rivals prepared to debut this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Taiwan-based computer titan will begin shipping Acer Aspire 5 models in the second quarter of this year, with prices to be disclosed in coming weeks. "That S5 is quite significant," analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies said after the Acer press event. "It looks like the thinnest and lightest, and it sets the bar for the rest of the ultrabook vendors," he continued. The Aspire S5 has a 34-cm (13.3inch) screen and is 15 mm at its thickest point. The ultrabook weighs slightly less than 1.35 kg (three pounds). "We are committed to evolving this technology," said Acer chief executive J.T. Wang. "By the second quarter of this year we will have four models of ultrabook. n
Smartphones survive under water

As sleek new smartphones prepared to make splashes at the Consumer Electronics Show a California firm was out to prevent water from being the death of them. Liquipel was showing off a clear coating a thousand times thinner than a human hair that shields smartphones outside and inside from damaging effects of water. "Water will just run through the machine," Liquipel president Danny McPhail told as he casually tossed an iPhone into a tub of water and watched it sink. "It actually beads right on top of the circuit board and rolls off." He plucked the unscathed iPhone from the tub and shook the water from the gadget, which continued to work. About six weeks ago, the Southern California company launched the first public service that let smartphone owners send gadgets in to be coated using the nano-technology. n
USB 3.0 is coming to smartphones and tablets

By the end of 2012 smartphones and tablet devices will sport a USB 3.0based microUSB connector, which will allow speedier data transfer than the current USB 2.0 standard. USB 3.0 theoretically allows for data transfer rates of around 625 MB/s, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0, whose maximum data transfer speed is 60 MB/s. The USB 3.0 transfer speed on mobile devices wont be that fast, but it will be much faster than now. What takes 15 minutes will roughly take 1 minute and 10 seconds, said Rahman Ismail, CTO of the USB Implementers Forum at the CES trade show in Las Vegas. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets will also recharge more quickly through USB 3.0. To be able to implement USB 3.0 in the context of mobile devices, the USB Implementers Forum will have to develop new specifications for the standard. Were coming out with new specs, new areas where we will make it very power efficient, power friendly, said Ismail. USB Implementers Forum also said it aims to reduce the size of USB 3.0 ports on laptops, as its becoming a limiting factor in laptop thinness. n
LG unveils giant 84-inch TV

Now when you talk to your TV, it will actually listen. LG announced during the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show that it is adding voice recognition and 3D gesture control to its Cinema Screen line of HDTVs for 2012. LG is taking smart TVs to the next level in size as well as interactivity. The company unveiled a 84-inch ultra resolution TV with a 1 mm bezel, along with other available display sizes such as 55 inches and 60 inches. The line includes bezel-less designs, an upgraded LG Smart TV platform with a redesigned Magic Remote and touch-screen plasma. The devices feature voice recognition. n
Google sees Android enhancing home appliances

Now when you talk to your TV, it will actually listen. LG announced during the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show that it is adding voice recognition and 3D gesture control to its Cinema Screen line of HDTVs for 2012. LG is taking smart TVs to the next level in size as well as interactivity. The company unveiled a 84-inch ultra resolution TV with a 1 mm bezel, along with other available display sizes such as 55 inches and 60 inches. The line includes bezel-less designs, an upgraded LG Smart TV platform. n
Mobile device royalties approaching the $20 billion mark

The GSM, WCDMA, and LTE royalties on cellular phones will continue to grow for the next few years, but are starting to flatten out, reports ABI Research. GSM handset royalties are already playing a much less significant role for royalty revenues, with GSM/WCDMA/LTE handset royalties becoming increasingly significant. GSM/WCDMA handset royalties hold the lion's share because of the size of the 3G handset market. Bilateral roaming agreements may cancel out a lot royalties paid, but what is left is still significant and can weigh heavily on handset vendors with rising market share but weak patent portfolios. For GSM/WCDMA handsets, vendors pay anything from less than 4 percent if they have a very strong patent portfolio to well into the teens. The average paid, weighed by market share, will fluctuate between approximately seven and eight percent. It gets much worse for a company with a weak patent portfolio selling 2G/3G/4G handsets with LTE. "WWAN royalties on handsets are a significant source of revenue for companies holding the largest amount of essential patents," says Philip Solis, research director, mobile networks. "In addition to being a source of revenue for companies, patents are being used more aggressively for offense and defense against competitors." Apple, Google, HTC, Microsoft, Motorola Mobility, and Samsung are just some of the companies that have been suing other companies or defending themselves in lawsuits. Apple has been very aggressive with its patent lawsuits around the world and is finding some success in banning product imports in some countries against companies like Samsung and HTC. n
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Synopsis
International
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | f l ar e.p k
RIM sells all PlayBook models for $299
India rises to spam top spot

New Delhi: India has emerged as the world's top source of junk mail as spammers make use of lax laws and absent enforcement to turn the country into a centre of unsolicited email. A recent report by Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based global Internet security firm, says more spam was sent from the south Asian giant than anywhere else in the world in the third quarter of the year. An average of 79.8 percent of email traffic in the three months to the end of September was junk. Of that, 14.8 percent originated in India, 10.6 percent came from Indonesia, and 9.7 percent from Brazil. Darya Gudkova, a spam analyst at Kaspersky, said the statistics reflect a growing trend for spam to be sent from computers in Asian and Latin America countries. India's dubious top spot was attributed to lack of awareness about
Well we had reported that RIM was selling the playbooks in India at insane prices. All the stock was subsequently sold out in 4 odd days. In an effort to gain some attraction, and to leverage on already suicidal discounts, RIM has decided to sell all PlayBook models for $299 for a limited period of time. We ponder why RIM made such a move. The last time we saw someone undercutting competition this way was Sony, when it priced the PS3 at dirt cheap prices, only to see it in almost every home and make profits thereafter. Does RIM intend on conjuring something similar? Hurry up. The India's Department of Telecom sale lasts only until February 4, (DoT) has questioned whether the 2012. telecom tribunal, TDSAT, has the authority to investigate the 3G roaming agreements between the mobile networks. The DoT declared the Roaming agreements to be an illegal breach of the operating licenses, and the Just four months after releasing mobile networks appealed to the triits first-ever tablet in the US, Sony bunal. However, the DoT argues has knocked off $100 from the price that the mobile networks are seeking to change the terms of the litag. The Sony Tablet S, a unique- censes, and that was outside the looking 9.4" Android-based tablet, remit of the tribunal to investigate. was originally priced to compete The networks have always claimed that before with Apples popular iPad and the censethey were toldroamingthe liauction that deals much-lauded ASUS Transformer would be permitted. Bharti, Vodafone, Idea, Tatas Prime, but the early price cut suggests sales of the device have been and Aircel are all appealing against the DoT ruling. weaker than the company expected. Half a million TD-LTE base staSony is now selling its $499.99 tions will be deployed by 2016 At least half a million base sta16GB Tablet S for $399.99 and its $599.99 32GB Tablet S for $499.99 tions will be installed or upgraded for TD-LTE by the end of 2016. on its online store. The reduction "It was only two years ago that comes just weeks after Sony announced it would drop $50 off the price of the tablets through the end of 2011. n
Internet security and anti-spam laws, which had effectively given spammers free reign, she added. Vijay Mukhi, an Internet security specialist in India's financial capital, Mumbai, said spammers, forced to look for new bases after other countries cracked down on the practice, can act with impunity in India. "We have an Information Technology Act that was introduced in 2000. But we don't have any convictions under it and it's silent on spam," he told. "If I'm a spammer, I would rather spam from India to India and the rest of world because nothing will happen to me.".n
India challenges tribunal on 3G roaming agreements

nearly every WiMAX operator, including operators with unpaired TDD frequency spectrum, were planning to deploy WiMAX 2," says Aditya Kaul, practice director, mobile networks. "Today, almost all of them have switched plans and are deploying Td-lte instead." TD-LTE is the Time-Division Duplex (TDD) variant of the fourthgeneration (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless standard. WiMAX operators today are generally offering fixed WiMAX service based on the IEEE 802.16d specification, or mobile WiMAX service based on IEEE 802.16e. The IEEE 802.16m standard (also known as WiMAX 2) was developed to provide higher data rates and increased capacity and the members of the WiMAX Forum committed to follow this evolution path for 4G. "A funny thing happened on the way to the forum," says Jim Eller, principal analyst, wireless infrastructure. "Despite starting two years later than WiMAX 2, TD-LTE
Sony slashes $100 off the price of its Tablet S
emerged as a viable alternative." China Mobile was the early promoter of TD-LTE technology, as a 4G evolution path for its 3G network based on TD-SCDMA technology. Other operators, however, saw better advantages in aligning with the global LTE standards. TD-LTE commercial service has been launched in Brazil, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. TD-LTE deployments are underway in Australia and Scandinavia and large-scale TD-LTE networks are planned in the United States and India. The 600-pound gorilla in TDLTE is still China. China Mobile started its second phase of the TDLTE Large Scale Trial Initiative (LSTI) in December and it will run until June 2012. According to Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting, "China Mobile announced plans last month to install an additional 10,000 to 20,000 TD-LTE base stations in 2012 and perhaps another 60,000 in 2013. n
Facebook, the social networking giant has released an instant messaging application for computers running Microsofts Windows7 operating system. The app, which resembles the chat bar on Facebook.com, can be docked to the home screen, or be accessed via the Windows system tray. Users get notifications when friends want to chat. Friend activity is also shown; however, clicking on these items will take you to a web browser. The same goes for messages in your Facebook inbox. n
Facebook releases messenger software for Windows7
Details of a new Nokia flagship smartphone have been leaked, a week before it was due to be shown off at the US trade show, CES. The claimed handset, is the Lumia 900, which is in some reports being called the Nokia Ace, although that would go against Nokia's recently revamped naming convention for smartphones. According to a report, the smartphone will come with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, 512Mb of RAM and 8 megapixel camera. Due to Windows Phone OS limitations, the screen resolution will be fixed at 800x480, although that may be improved later with OS upgrades. Potentially indicating how confident the two mobile networks were that their merger would be approved, the handset will start selling on AT&T, but will come with support for T-Mobile's network as well.n
Google buys batch of New Nokia smartphone details patents from IBM It has been revealed that Google leaked bought a number of patents from
RIM considers splitting CEO, Chairman roles

Troubled smartphone manufacturer, Research in Motion is reported to be considering splitting the role of CEO and Chairman. The company has come under pressure, particularly over the way that its founder and Chairman, Mike Lazaridis shares the CEO role with Jim Balsillie. The company has been carrying out an internal review of its board structure, which it agreed to last year to avoid a shareholder revolt. The review is due to be completed by the end of this month, and a decision announced by the end of February. Barbara Stymiest, an independent director who joined RIM's board in 2007, is believed to be the leading candidate to replace Balsillie and Lazaridis as Chairman, sources familiar with events told. Splitting the role of Chairman and CEO is normal practice in Canada, but less so in the USA, and the company had argued for a single person to hold both jobs as the company shares are also listed in the USA. n
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IBM at the very end of last year, including some which may be smartphone specific. According to the USPTO patent assignment database, Google acquired 188 granted patents and 29 published pending patent applications from IBM. A report by SEObytheSea noted that the patents cover a broad range of topics, such as presentation software, blade servers, data caching, server load balancing, network performance, video conferencing, email administration, and instant messaging applications. A number of the patents cover specific internet, phone, and mobile phone technologies as well. The purchase could be a simple routine transaction, but in the current patent wars, anything which could boost Google's defense of its Android platform is bound to be subject to scrutiny. Possibly the most significant patents picked up seems to be one that relates to mobile advertising, and another which talks about a computer integrated into a cordless phone. n
International
Synopsis
New submarine cable by 2014 BD mobile users up to 84.07 m

Dhaka: Bangladesh will be connected to its second submarine cable in 2014. The stateowned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited is preparing to complete all related work within Dec 2014, the company's director Manwar Hossain told reporters. The telecom ministry recently issued instructions to BSCCL on how it should collect the funds for this project. The company is in charge of the only submarine cable connecting Bangladesh to the world, a cable consortium of 16 countries, the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-4 or SEA-ME-WE 4. In 2014, Bangladesh will be connected to SEA-ME-WE 5. Manwar Hossain said telecommunications and internet connectivity gets hampered if the SEA-ME-WE 4 suffers any damage. "Once SEA-ME-WE 5 is connected, there will be no such trouble," he said. n Dhaka: The number of mobile phone users in Bangladesh reached 84.07 million at the end of November 2011, according to data released by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently. The market's largest operator, Grameenphone, added 0.42 million customers in November to reach 36.11 million. Second-largest operator Banglalink's customer base reached 23.36 million after adding 0.68 millon customers in November while Robi added 0.3 million customers to 15.85 million. Indian company Bharti Airtel's Bangladesh operation reached 5.80 million customers in November, up from 5.57 million in October. State-run Teletalk had 1.19 million customers in November while lone CDMA mobile operator Citycell's customer based remained the same at 1.73 million. n
Sydney: Australian scientists hailed what they described as a world-first discovery of two shark species interbreeding, a never-before-seen phenomenon which could help them cope with warmer oceans. Lead researcher Jess Morgan said the mating of the local Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the common black-tip, was an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world. "It's very surprising because no one's ever seen shark hybrids before, this is not a common occurrence by any stretch of the imagination," Morgan, from the University of Queensland, told. "This is evolution in action." The discovery was made during cataloguing work off Australia's east coast when Morgan said genetic findings showed certain sharks to be one species when physically they looked to be another. The Australian black-tip is slightly smaller than its common cousin and can only live in tropical waters, but its hybrid offspring have been found 2,000 kilometres down the coast, meaning it could be adapting to ocean temperatures. "If it hybridises with the common species it can effectively shift its range further south into cooler waters, so the effect of this hybridising is a range expansion," Morgan said. "It's enabled a species restricted to the tropics to move into temperate waters." Climate change and human fishing are some of the potential triggers being investigated by the team, with further genetic mapping also planned to examine whether it was an ancient process just discovered or a more recent phenomenon. Colin Simpfendorfer, a partner in Morgan's research from James Cook University, said initial studies suggested the hybrid species was relatively robust, with a number of generations discovered across 57 specimens. n
World-first hybrid shark found off Australia
India bans SMS service in Jammu

by the sharing of free information across Facebook and Twitter. The people of Jammu and Kashmir also expressed similar kind of sentiments. Though, their condition is miserable vis-a-vis ban on Short Message Service (SMS) on Pre-paid mobile service. It is been nearly one and half year since the SMS service for pre-paid subscribers was stopped. Since, Jammu and Kashmir is a conflict zone thats why no serious thoughts being given to the demand of revoking this ban. Prepaid subscribers are annoyed over this unnecessary and unwanted ban as they are not been able to wish their friends and dear one through SMS on festive occasions like, Christmas, Diwali, New Year etc. The people sincerely feel that Government is wise enough to know the timing of imposing ban and thereafter lifting the same. But, in reality the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has forgotten that SMS services were banned. The Government has no reason generate a controversy and ride on to continue the ban despite that no the waves of media explosion that plan has been formulated to lift the happens after that supplemented same. n Jammu: The passing year 2011 has witnessed an intense debate over the issue of social networking sites. The Minister for Telecom Kapil Sibbal had given the signals about Government censorship on some of the sites. However still ban of SMS services in Jammu and Kashmir, has not made the headlines of any major Indian media. Some people say that Good publicity is good, but bad publicity is better. And we as social animals are purview to this fact more now than ever. It is so easy these days to
India leading telecommunications operator, Airtel Nigeria sets the foundation for a better and cleaner environment with the signing of a historical agreement with Ericsson to upgrade 250 diesel powered stations across the country. This initiative will enable the company to harness solar and wind energy for the operation of its base stations. Being the first company in the telecom industry to move in this progressive direction in Nigeria, Airtel brings hope and optimism for the future. Other businesses will hopefully follow this example, understanding the critical role they can play in the transition to a low carbon economy, and the advantages of freeing their operations from the dependency on
Airtels revolutionary agenda with Green initiative
Japan developing virus to identify, neutralize cyber threats

Tokyo: Japanese technology firm Fujitsu is developing a seek and destroy virus which could identify and combat hacking and other cyber threats in a more effective way, according to reports. The work is ongoing as part of a three year initiative which has seen the Japanese government invests a reported $2.3 million to combat Internet-based threats. According to local media, the weapon is in fact a virus which monitors and analyse attacks, before identifying the source and closing down the threat to prevent further problems. The chief snag for the plan is that Japanese law currently forbids the manufacturing of computer viruses. However, we would suspect that a compromise can be reached in due course, given the project is being carried out in the interest of national security. Japan was a notable victim of hacking in 2011, which proved to be a year in which cyber crimes and threats rose to prominence. Japans parliament had its computer system hacked into, while a number of cyber espionage campaigns including one targeting almost 50 US companies were waged on governments and firms across the globe. The Fujitsu product is still to be completed, and the virus is currently being tested in a closed environment where researchers are examining how it can be applied to help shore up security against Internet-based threats. n
public power supply and diesel. During a tour at the first e-site completed in Lekki recently, chief operating officer Deepak Srivastava said that the company has invested 93 billion nairas ($600 million) in the past year to fund its network expansion in order to improve its services. With the huge growth in the telecommunication industry, especially in developing markets, Airtel is looking at the long-term scheme of mobile telephony, as it takes on this green technology initiative in Nigeria. Not only is the company contributing to a better and cleaner environment, Airtel is looking ahead to the growing number of subscribers in the country, and especially those in the rural communities. It is estimated that 90 percent of future subscribers will be in developing markets with more than half of this population living outside the city limits where power is scarce and unreliable. n
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Mobile Reviews
Fr e e d o w n l o a d | f l a re . p k
The Samsung Captivate Glide for AT&T Wireless is long overdue. The market is brimming of dual-core Android devices and the slide-out QWERTY packing Samsung Captivate Glide has only just arrived. Interestingly enough, its been a relatively quiet year for the fans of the hardware QWERTY droids. The offerings are few, while the potential users are plenty good news for Samsungs entry. In terms of specs, the Samsung Captivate Glide is rather closely related to the Galaxy R the two major differences between the two phones can be found in the screen department and, of course, the presence of hardware QWERTY in the case of the Captivate Glide. The smartphone sports an NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU with two 1GHz cores and a gig of RAM. The display has been taken straight from last years Galaxy S not a bad a thing since the 4 Super AMOLED unit with WVGA resolution is still is one of the finest screens on the market. Traditionally, well begin by taking a look at the key features of the Samsung Captivate Glide, followed immediately by its main disadvantages.
Alright. This one's a bit different. So we act accordingly. And because we're not quite versed in all things fashion, let's move straight to what we're good at. Meet the HTC Rhyme. The HTC Rhyme is hard to define. It almost feels like they didn't plan this one as a phone for girls. When they later decided to target the female audience, they came up with all sorts of relevant accessories. You'll never hear anyone at HTC call it the ladies smartphone. But it's being marketed as one. They are extra careful to avoid references to Android and don't even call it a smartphone in any of their ads. That's not what we're gonna do. We'll look at the smartphone inside the Rhyme. And see if it could be his smartphone too, as much as hers. That's what HTC would gladly have people think. It'd be a win-win for them. But let's see what's in the HTC Rhyme for users. We have the full list of features and possible deal-breakers coming up. Android Gingerbread/Sense UI combo. But the accessories and paintjobs do make it different from the slew of Android handsets. There is a leather pouch, a docking cradle, specially designed headphones and the eye-catching Charm cube that lights up upon an incoming call or message.
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The Galaxy Nexus packs an impressive spec sheet, but it is (yet again) the OS which is the devices main highlight. After all, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is widely expected to put an end to the fragmentation, which currently plagues Googles mobile platform. Unlike its Nexus S predecessor, which was essentially a rebranded Samsung Galaxy S, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a completely different device from the current flagship of the company, the I9100 Galaxy S II. The latest Google phone sports a different GPU and chipset, which are, well, not as powerful as those found inside the Galaxy S II. Here is a quick look at what the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has to offer, along with its main disadvantages. A quick look at the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will show you that the smartphones hottest hardware feature is its Super AMOLED screen with HD resolution a first for a Samsung smartphone. The display combines amazing contrast ratio and superb viewing angles, with eye-popping size and resolution a perfect match for the spanking new OS on board.
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The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is RIMs first ever-released Curve with a touchscreen. The Curve lineup is usually an expression of RIMs understanding for a budget phone and this one supposedly, doesnt make a difference. It should attract customers with a lower entry price while offering the full BB OS 7 experience. The new Curve 9380 is basically a downgraded Torch 9860 it has a less-capable processor and smaller and low-res display. Both gadgets look similar too, but the Curve's pricetags makes up for the differences. So, lets take a look at the Curve 9380 full feature list, followed by potential deal-breakers as we saw them. As you can see, most of the listed drawbacks of the new Curve are typical BlackBerry. So if tyou are even thinking about getting any of RIMs phones, youve probably already accepted to live with those the mandatory BIS plan for emails and data traffic as well as the poor variety of apps and the high App World prices. So, the Curve 9380 offers the latest BlackBerry experience on a cheaper price and without losing much of its appeal. The BlackBerry OS 7 on this Curve is as capable and fast as on the Torch 9860, the main difference being the lack of HD video recording.
Do we cancel the show if the star is not available? This one must've crossed some minds over at Sony Ericsson when the Xperia Neo had to be discontinued. But no, they didn't cancel it. The crew was told to take five instead while they skimmed the B-list for a possible substitute. The Xperia neo V is not an upgrade of the original Neo. Its actually a downgrade forced by circumstances. The only difference is the camera sensor - down from 8 to 5 megapixels - and the more recent Android version. Sounds so little, doesn't it? That's the price for saving the Neo. The deadly Japan earthquake took lives and brought the local electronics industry to a halt. Sony was affected too and, with a shortage of 8 megapixel camera sensors looming, someone had to take the hit. That someone was the Xperia neo. This is the story told by a company insider, who we have no reason to doubt. It's the same phone, different camera and the lower price makes sense. And it should be clear by now the V is the Roman numeral for five, not a letter.
LG seems to be coming back in action by making phones that makes the best use of mobile technology. This, it is doing by integrating some of the most attractive features that are inspired by technology and convenience and LG X350 is good example of that. It is a smart and stylish mobile phone that blends wide arenas of entertainment in a single device. LG X350 is a TV, multimedia player, Radio and social networking phone with dual sim support that marks its clear presence in the world of mobile communication. The overall feel of this device is smart and stylish with a vibrant 2.3 inches TFT screen and full QWERTY keyboard on the front and a loudspeaker and smart 2MP camera on the back. The screen of the phone is quite impressive showing nice and quite sharp images and videos making it a nice choice for video savvy mobile users. However, its users will quite miss the fast-paced 3G and 4G networks. Nevertheless, you will not be bored because of its radio and TV player gives quite an impressive entertainment experience wherever you are. The signal connectivity and transmission both work nicely on the LG X350 making it a reliable TV phone. The camera is though limited to 2MP, which is certain drawback in it compared to a wide range of mobiles that even have 13MP camera, so dont be expecting much from it. Over all, LG X350 is just an okay phone that combines TV transmission and dual sim feature in one device, nothing fancy and may feel a bit overpriced.
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Current Mobiles
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Rs. 4,750
Rs. 3,900
Nokia C2 00
Swap SIM Cards On The Go. A stylish dual SIM phone Nokia C2-00 with easy swap and great multimedia andmessaging features. Keep one SIM card inside Nokia C2-00 & easy swap your other SIM cards in the external SIM slot of Nokia C2-00 at any time, Stay in touch on your Nokia C2-00 with e-mail, access internet & enjoy media support up to 32 GB, The stylish, compact Nokia C2-00 comes in a range of colours and features distinctive silver detailing.
Qmobile E500 Party

A real party phone. Qmobile E500 Party Phone is a Sound Booster mobile phone which comes with a big package in a affordable price, With Dual Sim Card Qmobile E500 Party Phone has a screen size of 2.2 inch & gives 176 x 220 resolution, Qmobile E500 Party Phone has a VGA Camera which is present on the back side & can take not only pictures but can record video as well, GPRS and Bluetooth are also available in Qmobile E500 Party Phone which means you can connect to the internet where ever you want.
Rs. 3,900
Rs. 7,400
Samsung E2232 Nari

Candybar Phone. If you want a basic candybar phone you need to go for Samsung E2232 Nari,Samsung E2232 Nari is an affordable price Dual SIM GSM mobile phone, With music centric features, external speakers, quick access music button Samsung E2232 Nari is awesome cell phone in this price range, Samsung E2232 Nari also supports a basic VGA camera which means you can capture your memorable moments as well.
W710 Wi-Fi
Living the Wireless Life !!! Dual SIM/ Dual Standby 3.2 Full Touch UI W-LAN 3.2 MP Camera with Video Recording Advance Media Player (MP3, MP4, 3GP AVI) , Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, Youtube Google, Twitter, Skype, Opera, Email Bluetooth, JAVA, EDGE Webcam, Live Wallpapers
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Above prices are subject to change as per market
Current Mobiles
Tech Tool
Rs. 8,500
Rs. 9,200
Samsung C5212 DUOS

The Masstige of Dual Standby Samsung C5212 DUOS is the most affordable Dual Sim phone by Samsung, You'll get 2 phones in 1. Now control 2 sim cards with ease with Samsung C5212 DUOS, The Samsung C5212 DUOS proves Samsung have a pretty good idea of what a true dual SIM phone should look and act like.
Nokia Asha 300

Fun & Fast. Get the speed that you need with Nokia Asha 300 when you want to go online, Make the home screen yours on Nokia Asha 300 with everything you want just a touch away, The Nokia Asha 300 makes staying in touch really easy. Update your Facebook status or send a tweet, Use the 5 MP camera of Nokia Asha 300 to snap all the nice things and the surprising things you find in your daily life.
Rs. 8,800
Rs. 8,100
LG KP320
Enjoy images LG KP320 is the real successor of LG KG 300 and includes even more improved & enhanced features as compare to the KG300. LG KP320 comes with a 3 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash & a spacious 80MB built in storageproviding adequate storage for most people & if thats not enough for you... the KP320 also supports microSD memory card . shooting photogenic
Nokia X2
Let's play everything out loud The Nokia X2 has a sleek, modern design, powerful dual speakers for music and radio playback coz Nokia X2 is built for music lovers, Take Snaps anywhere with 5 megapixel camera with flash on your Nokia X2. Style never goes out of fashion,Nokia X2 has a modern look and feel with its curved design and colourful accents. and by the way you also get access to unlimited free songs with your new Nokia X2
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Current Mobiles
Rs. 13,300
Rs. 13,300
Nokia C5 06
Stay in Touch Nokia C5-06 is a slim touch screen phone with easy-to-use messaging features. With Nokia C5-06 you get free lifetime navigation with integrated A-GPS, and Wi-Fi for fast web browsing. Nokia C5-06 provides easy access to your contacts and email. With Nokia C5-06 enjoy the entertainment on the move stream videos, try new games and browse the web with a fast Wi-Fi connection. Nokia C5-06 - Endless Possibilites
Samsung S5560 Marvel

Marvel in Full Touch Entertainment Stylish mobility with great entertainment features, The new Samsung S5560 Marvel makes a splash with full-touch convenience & advanced connectivity. Streamlined in form & usability, Samsung S5560 Marvel offers an easy-to-use experience thanks to the full-touch screen, Touch Wiz software, & drag-n-drop widgets. Entertain yourself for hours with Samsung S5560 Marvels rich multimedia features. Its easy to snap photos, listen to tunes, surf the web, or connect with your online social communities with Samsung S5560 Marvel. Packed with style, entertainment, connectivity & ease-of-use, Samsung S5560 is truly a mobile to marvel at. Samsung S5620 Monte will rock your world!
Rs. 12,950 Nokia Asha 303

A Smarter QWERTY With Touch The stylishly slim Nokia Asha 303 features an exceptionally responsive touch screen that's great for browsing & apps. Plus, enjoy a full QWERTY keyboard onNokia Asha 303 for fast texting all on the vivid 2.6-inch display. Nokia Asha 303is a powerful social networking hub. It's easier than ever to stay connected to what's important. Nokia Asha 303 is powerful, with a 1 GHz processor, & features the latest 3.5G and Wi-Fi support for fast connectivity. Nokia Asha 303 comes with great preloaded apps like Angry Birds Lite. & when you want more, you can enjoy easy access to thousands of games & apps in Nokia Store. Nokia Asha 303 - Fast, slim, & stylish.
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Rs. 11,500 Voice V900

Smartness Redefined! Ladies & Gentlemen We hereby Present The All New Voice V900, Pakistan's first Dual SIM Android Phone.. Voice V900 combines arresting design with ease of use. with the 3.2 inch Crispy touch screen of Voice V900, the photos you take on it's 5 megapixel camera will be a beauty to behold. with Wifi, GPRS & the new Android 2.2, Voice V900 is more than ready for all your browsing, email, chatting, in short, internal needs. storing all your downloads won't be a problem with 8 GB Card on Voice V900.
Current Mobiles
Tech Tool
Rs. 22,000
Rs. 18,325
HTC ChaCha
Like It, Push It. You can take a photo - straight to Facebook. Make a video straight to Facebook. Show whatever, whenever, at the touch of a button on your HTC ChaCha, Start a live instant chat & juggle between as many private conversations as you want the conversation never ends with HTC ChaCha, Heaps of friends, heaps of things you want to say HTC ChaCha comes with a QWERTY keyboard so you can knock out your messages fast, With the HTC ChaCha touchscreen zooming in and out ofpictures, emails & web pages is made simple with a pinch of the screen.
Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio

Step Out In Style. Express your personal style with the Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio Smartphone, The Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio packs in a huge mobile performance, featuring the amazing new Android operating system, Everything from navigation to downloading and web browsing is faster and easier on Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio, The Samsung S5660 Galaxy Gio is all about enjoying life while on the go.
Rs. 22,500
Rs. 17,900
Nokia 603
Fast, Bright & Fully Featured. Your day made easier Nokia 603 features a powerful 1 GHz processor making everything you do with your phone feel fast, smooth, & effortless, NFC (Near Field Communication) offers an easy way to share & connect on Nokia 603 without any wires or hassle, Many of the best apps around come preloaded on your Nokia 603 like apps for Facebook & Twitter as well as apps for business, With more and more added every day in store the Apps of Nokia 603 makes life a bit better, a bit easier or just a bit more fun.
Nokia 500
Fast & Colorful Smart Phone. Now this is speed the powerful 1 GHz processor of Nokia 500 makes sure your apps and entertainment are a pleasure to use, Express your individuality, Two additional Free covers with a vibrant matt finish are included in the box of Nokia 500, Everything is ready on Nokia 500 straight out of the box with fully integrated email and social networks, From day one your three customisable home screens are live and always up to date on Nokia 500 you decide what lives on them.
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Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos

SIZE Dimensions 129.8x68.9x9.7mm,Weight138 g DISPLAY Type Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.52 inches (~206 ppi pixel density), Multitouch Yes, Protection Corning Gorilla Glass, TouchWiz UI, Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones, Loudspeaker Yes, 3.5mm jack Yes MEMORY Card slot, microSD, up to 32GB Internal 16GB, 1 GB RAM DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Speed Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB (MHL), USB On-the-go Camera Primary, 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread), Chipset Qualcomm MSM8660 Snapdragon, CPU Dual-core 1.2 GHz, GPU Adreno 220 Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, RSS, Browser HTML, Adobe Flash Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS, GPS Yes, with A-GPS support, Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator, Colors Black, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), SNS integration, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration, Voice memo/dial/commands, Predictive text input (Swype)
Motorola Fire
SIZE Dimensions 116.5x58x13.5mm, Weight 110 g DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches (~143 ppi pixel density), Multitouch Yes, Moto Switch UI Sound Alert types, Vibration, MP3 ringtones Loudspeaker Yes, 3.5mm jack Yes MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 32GB DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Speed HSDPA, HSUPA WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB, Camera Primary, 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS, GPS Yes, with AGPS support Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator Colors Black, White, Dual SIM (dual stand-by), MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player, MP4/H.263/H.264 player, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Document viewer, Photo viewer Organizer, Voice memo/dial, Predictive text input BATTERY Stand-by Up to 260 h, Talk time Up to 7 h
Apple iPhone 4S
SIZE Dimensions 115.2x58.6x9.3mm, Weight 140 g DISPLAY Type LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Size 640 x 960 pixels, 3.5 inches (~330 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes, Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, MEMORY Internal 16/32/64 GB storage, 512 MB RAM DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes Speed HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0 Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, VGA, 480p@30fps, videocalling over Wi-Fi only FEATURES OS iOS 5, Chipset Apple A5, CPU, Dualcore 1 GHz Cortex-A9, GPU PowerVR SGX543MP2, Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, Messaging iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, Browser HTML (Safari) GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS, Colors Black, White, MicroSIM card support only, Scratch-resistant glass back panel, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Siri natural language com BATTERY Stand-by Up to 200 h (2G) / Up to 200 h (3G), Talk time Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)
Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos

SIZE Dimensions 110.8x63.5x11.9mm, Weight 112.3 g DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors, Size 400 x 240 pixels, 2.6 inches (~179 ppi pixel density), Optical trackpad, Samsung TouchWiz, Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3 ringtones, Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, 2 GB included, Internal 512 MB ROM, 384 MB RAM DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Speed HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, Camera Primary 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, Features Geo-tagging, Video Yes, QVGA@24fps, Secondary Yes, VGA FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS, Browser HTML, Adobe Flash, Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS, GPS Yes, with A-GPS support, Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator, Colors Black Dual SIM (dual stand-by), SNS integration MP4/WMV/H.264 player MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player, Picasa integration, Voice memo/dial Predictive text input
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Fr e e d o w n l o a d | fl a r e . pk
Upcoming Mobiles
Tech Tool
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

SIZE Dimensions 125x63x8.7mm, Weight 117 g DISPLAY Type LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Size 480 x 854 pixels, 4.2 inches (~233 ppi pixel density), Multitouch Yes, Protection Scratch-resistant glass, Sony MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, 8 GB included, Internal 1 GB (320 MB user-available), 512 MB RAM DATA GPRS Up to 86 kbps, EDGE Up to 237 kbps Speed HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR, USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support, Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality, FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3.4 (Gingerbread), planned upgrade to v4.0, Chipset Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon, CPU 1.4 GHz Scorpion, GPU Adreno 205, Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass, Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email Browser HTML, Adobe Flash, Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS GPS Yes, with A-GPS support, Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator, Colors Pure White, Midnight Blue, Misty Silver, Gloss Black, Sakura Pink HDMI port, Active noise cancellation BATTERY Stand-by Up to 460 h (2G) / Up to 460 h (3G) Talk time Up to 7 h 25 min
Nokia Lumia 710 T-Mobile

SIZE Dimensions 119x62.4x12.5mm, Weight 125.5 g DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 480 x 800 pixels, 3.7 inches (~252 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes, Protection Corning Gorilla Glass, Nokia ClearBlack display, Sound Alert types, Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes, MEMORY Internal 8 GB storage, 512 MB RAM DATA GPRS Class 33, EDGE Class 33, Speed HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR, USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary, 5 MP, 25921944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash FEATURES OS Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Chipset Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon CPU 1.4 GHz Scorpion, GPU Adreno 205 Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML5, RSS feeds, Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS, GPS Yes, with AGPS support, Colors Black, white/black, MicroSIM card support only, SNS integration, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player, P4/H.264/H.263/WMV player, Document viewer/editor, Video/photo editor, Voice memo/command/dial, Predictive text input BATTERY Stand-by Up to 396 h, Talk time Up to 7 h
HTC Vivid
SIZE Dimensions128.8x67.1x11.2mm,Weight176.9 g DISPLAY Type S-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors, Size 540 x 960 pixels, 4.5 inches (~245 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes HTC Sense UI, Sound Alert types, Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes, 3.5mm jack Yes MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory, Internal 16GB storage, 1 GB RAM DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Speed HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary, MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3.4 (Gingerbread) Chipset Qualcomm APQ8060 Snapdragon CPU Dual-core 1.2 GHz Scorpion, GPU Adreno 220 Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass, Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Adobe Flash Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS, GPS Yes, with A-GPS support, Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator, Colors Black, White SNS integration, Google Search, Maps, Gmail YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa integration MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA player, MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player, Organizer Document viewer, Voice memo/dial/commands Predictive text input BATTERY Stand-by Up to 288 h Talk time Up to 7 h 40 min
BlackBerry Curve 9380

SIZE Dimensions 109x60x11.2 mm, Weight 98 g DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, Size 360 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches (~188 ppi pixel density), Optical trackpad, Touch-sensitive controls Proximity sensor for auto-turn off, Sound Alert types Vibration; Polyphonic(64), MEMORY Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall Call records Yes, Internal 512 MB storage, 512 MB RAM, Card slot microSD, up to 32GB DATA GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, HSUPA, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UMA (carrier-dependent) Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary 5 MP, 25921944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash FEATURES OS BlackBerry OS 7.0, CPU 806 MHz processor Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser HTML, Games Yes + downloadable, Colors Black, GPS Yes, with AGPS support, SNS applications, NFC support ( c a r r i e r - d e p e n d e n t ) , MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/FLACplayer, MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player, Organizer, Document viewer, Voice memo/dial Predictive text input BATTERY Stand-by up to 360 h (2G) / up to 360 h (3G) Talk time up to 5 h 30 min (2G) / up to 5 h 40 min (3G)
77
Tech Tool
High Range Mobiles
Rs. 52,000
Rs. 49,900 BlackBerry Torch 9860
HTC Sensation XE
Designed To Impressed. With Beats Audio HTC Sensation XE comes with custom made Beats headsets, engineered to deliver extraordinary sound, Featuring an aluminum unibodyconstruction & designed with touches of red HTC Sensation XE feels premium & looks beautiful inside & out, You can easily multitask & surf the most visually rich websites at blazing speeds of HTC Sensation XE, The 4.3 inch expansive qHD display of HTC Sensation XE brings you an unprecedented movie watching experience when you are on the go.
Multimedia marvel BlackBerry Torch 9860 have the power to perform. Featuring the new BlackBerry 7 OS, Liquid Graphics touch technology & BBM 6, your photos, videos, games and apps come to life in incredible detail on the large screen of BlackBerry Torch 9860. A spectacular 3.7" touch screen is the largest on a BlackBerry yet.BlackBerry Torch 9860 boasts millions of colors for a stunning viewing experience. A 1.2GHz processor powers BlackBerry Torch 9860, seamlessly integrating with BlackBerry 7 OS. So you can game, surf, socialize or watch videos with smoother multitasking and navigation.
Rs. 39,000 Nokia E7

Your Mobile Office. With new Nokia E7 you have easy access to your work and private email accounts from the same view, You can Create, edit and share office docs and view PDF files with Adobe Reader in your Nokia E7, By using Nokia E7 you can update your status across all your social networks at the same time, You can Keep your important data protected in Nokia E7 with F-Secure Anti-Theft for Mobile, WithNokia E7 you can enjoy National Geographic, CNN and many more channels with on-demand Web TV.
Rs. 50,000 Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB
The Fastest iPhone Ever iPhone 3GS -Meet the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. iPhone 3GS features video recording, Voice Control, up to 32GB of storage, & more. The first thing youll notice about iPhone 3GS is how quickly you can launch apps. Webpages render in a fraction of time, & you can view email attachments faster. On iPhone 3GSimproved performance & updated 3D graphics deliver an incredible gaming experience, too. In fact, everything you do on iPhone 3GS is up to 2x faster & more responsive than iPhone 3G.
Rs. 33,800
Rs. 68,000
Samsung Galaxy Note
Phone? Tablet? Its Galaxy Note! Meet the new Samsung Galaxy Note - a new type of smartphone. The world's first 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display, Samsung Galaxy Note provides you with an expansive highresolution screen for an immersive viewing experience. Samsung Galaxy Note provides the ability to freely capture & create ideas anywhere & everywhere. The S Pen of Samsung Galaxy Note is combined with the full touch screen to create a best-inclass mobile input experience. With Advanced 8MP powerful camera of Samsung Galaxy Note, you capture the worlds every moment in deep detail. powered by lightning fast network speed (HSPA or 4G LTE) & 1.4GHz dual core processor, Samsung Galaxy Note is a mean machine.
Samsung Galaxy SL I9003

Turn On Smart Life. Immerse yourself in your rich media content like never before with Samsung Galaxy SL I9003, With Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 you can watch your favourite content in broad daylight and enjoy a crisp & clear picture, 1Ghz processor, 4GB internal memory & Wireless Tethering of Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 you have the speed, space & access you need to stay connected wherever you roam, You can enjoy the best viewing experience with Samsung Galaxy SL I9003.
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Low Range Mobile
Tech Tool
Rs. 2,625
Rs. 3,000
Nokia 101
BeEntertained&InControl. With Nokia 101 you will be entertained for the long time & you can keep every thing in control at the same time, The Nokia 101 helps you to make life run more smoothly and easily, with everything from a calendar and an alarm clock, to a torch to help you find your way, Stay entertained wherever you go with a music player of Nokia 101 that can support up to 16GB memory card, The Nokia 101offers you dual SIM capability which makes it easy for you to access calls andtexts over two different networks.
Samsung E1252
DoubleYourCoverage&Savings. Giving you the performance of two mobiles in the convenience of one handset isSamsung E1252, You will have all the benefits of two phones with Samsung E1252, The speaker of Samsung E1252 has clear & loud sound that you will never miss a call even in a noisy environment, Saving the cost of a second phone & offering better usability & connectivity is what called Samsung E1252.
Rs. 3,650
Rs. 3,200
Qmobile E300
SlimbutSmartPhone. If you really want a slim & smart phone in low price then you need to take a look atQmobile E300, Hifi Speaker are also there in Qmobile E300 which is something really new, Qmobile E300 also has a MP4 Player so you can also watch your favorite videos in it, With all these features Qmobile E300 is really good to have in this price range.
Megagate 5210 ROCKSTAR

PumpTheMusicLoud! Dual SIM/ Dual Standby Explosive Sound MP3 Player with Music Keys Large 2.0 Display Digital Camera with Video Recording High Quality Video Player (MP4, 3GP) Bluetooth, FM Radio, 3.5mm Audio jack Facebook, MSN, Yahoo External Memory upto 8GB
Touchtel Eco
BaniRaheyEgo Its a phone Packed with all multimedia features, Dual SIM, One touch MP3 Player, Loud Sound, MP4/3GP Player, FM Radio with Recording, Large Color Display, Torch light, 1.3MP camera with flash, MMC Slot, Auto call recording, video Recording, GPRS & Privacy Lock! Its all in here so dont miss the chance to take the pleasure of experiencing the true world of multimedia!! Touchtel T-40 is economically yours!!
Touchtel One
The power of a brilliant touch with a user friendly experience lets you insidearealmofinnovation. With Touchtel T-1 Experience the real flavor of 3.0 resistive touch screen, stay in touch with your entire contacts through WiFi, face book, MSN, Yahoo, Skype, Bluetooth & Email. Not only this, also enjoy its broad range of features including Surround Sound, Media Player (MP4/AVI), Wireless FM Radio, 3.2MP camera with flash & MMC Slot. 79
Tech Tool
Latest LapTop
Sony Vaio EH26EG

Rs 71,099
Lenovo Thinkpad - X1
Rs 1,68,099
Color Pink, Series EH Series, Operating System Windows 7 Home Basic, Processor Type Intel Core i3, Processor Speed 2.00 GHz, Processor L2 Cache 3 MB, Processor Model i3-2330M, RAM Capacity 4 GB, RAM Type DDR3, Hard Disk Capacity 500 GB, HDD RPM 5400, HDD Interface SATA Screen Size 15.5 inch, Screen Type LED, Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 :HD, Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 410M, Video Memory 512 MB Optical Drive Multiformat DVD Writer
Color Black, Series ThinkPad X, Operating System Windows 7 Professional, Processor Type Intel Core i5, Processor Speed (2.53GHz Turbo Up To 3.20GHz), Processor L2 Cache 3 MB, Processor Model i5-2520M, RAM Capacity 4 GB, RAM Type DDR3, Hard Disk Capacity 320 GB, HDD RPM 7200, HDD Interface SATA, Screen Size 13.3" Widescreen, Screen Type LED-Backlit, Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 :HD, Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000, Video Memory Shared Optical Drive External USB Optical Drive sold seperately
Lenovo Essential - B570

Rs 39,499
Dell XPS-15 L502x

Rs 96,899
Color Black, Series Essential B, Operating System Dos, Processor Type Intel Pentium Dual Core, Processor Speed 2.00 GHz, Processor L2 Cache 2 MB, Processor Model C2-B940, RAM Capacity 2 GB, RAM Type DDR3, Hard Disk Capacity 320 GB, HDD RPM 5400, HDD Interface SATA, Screen Size 15.6 inch, Screen Type LED, Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 :HD, Graphics Intel Integrated Graphics, Video Memory Shared Optical Drive Multiformat DVD Writer
Color Silver, Series Studio XPS, Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium, Processor Type Intel Core i7, Processor Speed (2.20GHz Turbo Up To 3.10GHz), Processor L2 Cache 6 MB, Processor Model i 7 2670QM, RAM Capacity 4 GB, RAM Type DDR3, Hard Disk Capacity 750 GB HDD RPM 7200, HDD Interface SATA, Screen Size 15.6 inch Screen Type LED, Screen Resolution 1366 x 768, Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M, Video Memory 2 GB, Optical Drive DVD/RW
HP Mini 110-3801TU
Rs 32,099
Apple MacBook Pro

Rs 2,03,999
80
Color Black, SeriesHP Mini, Operating System Windows 7 Starter, Processor Type Intel Atom, Processor Speed 1.66 GHz, Processor L2 Cache 1 MB, Processor Model Atom N570, RAM Capacity 2 GB, RAM Type DDR3, Hard Disk Capacity 320 GB, HDD RPM 5400, HDD Interface SATA, Screen Size10.1 inch, Screen Type LED, Screen Resolution 1366 x 768, Graphics muilt In, Video Memory Shared
Operating System Mac OS X Snow Leopard Processor Type Intel Core i7 Processor Speed 2.2 GHz Processor L2 Cache 6 MB Processor Model Info n/a RAM Capacity 4 GB RAM Type DDR3 RAM Slots 2 Hard Disk Capacity 750 GB HDD RPM 5400 HDD Interface SATA Screen Size 15.4 inch Screen Type LED Screen Resolution 1440 X 900 Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6750 Video Memory 1 GB Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Latest Computers
Tech Tool
Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower

Rs 41,999
Compaq Business Desktop C500B

Rs 37,990
Monitor No, Operating System Dos Processor Type Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Model E7500, Processor Speed 2.93 GHz, Processor L2 Cache 3 MB, RAM Type DDR3, RAM 2 GB, Hard Disk Capacity 500GB, RPM 5400, Chipset Intel G41 Express Chipset, Graphics X 4 5 0 0 HD, Video Memory Shared, Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Monitor No Operating System Dos Processor Type Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Model E7500 Processor Speed 2.93 GHz Processor L2 Cache 2 MB RAM Type DDR3 RAM 1 GB Hard Disk Capacity 320 GB RPM 5400 Chipset Intel G41 Express Chipset Graphics Built In Video Memory Shared Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Dell OptiPlex 780

Rs 46,999
HP Elite 8200 SFF

Rs 75,999
Monitor No, Operating System Dos Processor Type I n t e l Core 2 Duo Processor Model E7500, Processor Speed 2.93 GHz, Processor L2 Cache 3 MB, RAM Type DDR3, RAM 2 GB, Hard Disk Capacity 500GB, RPM 5400, Chipset Intel Q45 Express, Graphics X4500 HD, Video Memory Shared, Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Monitor No, Operating System Dos, Processor Type Intel Core i7, Processor Model i7-2600, Processor Speed 3.40 Ghz turbo upto 3.80 GHz, Processor L2 zache8 MB, RAM Type DDR3, RAM 4 GB, Hard Disk Capacity 500GB, RPM 7 2 0 0 , Chipset Built In, Graphics HD, Video Memory Shared, Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
HP Elite 8200 CMT

Rs 73,498
Apple iMac 27 Inch 2.8GHz

Rs 1,99,990
Monitor No, Operating System Dos, Processor Type Intel Core i7, Processor Model i7-2600, Processor Speed 3 . 4 0 Ghz turbo upto 3.80 GHz, Processor L2 Cache8 MB, RAM Type DDR3 RAM 4 GB Hard Disk Capacity 500GB, RPM 7200, Chipset Intel Q67 Express, Graphics HD, Video Memory Shared, Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Monitor 27 Inch Operating System Mac OS X Leopard Processor Type Intel Core i5 Processor Model Processor Speed 2.80GHz Processor L2 Cache 8 MB RAM Type DDR3 RAM 4 GB Hard Disk Capacity 1 TB RPM 7200 Chipset Built In Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5750 Video Memory 1 GB Optical Drive DVD Super Multi 81
Tech Tool
Game Review
84
With the wholesome appeal of a fairy tale, Trine 2 is unapologetically packed with comfortable tropes. Like the first game, it stars a trio of classic fantasy heroes: a merry knight, a sly thief, and a nervy wizard. Their adventure bustles them through ye olde tale of rescue the princess--via enchanted forest and murky cavern, wherein they thrash goblins and giant spiders. But out of that conventional premise, the game conjures a gorgeous and gratifying platform puzzler. Trine 2's environments could have been lifted off the screen of a latter-day Fantasia. Deep, richly detailed levels pop with lively, luminous color. The forest is home to luscious glowing foliage and glistening colossal snails. Gloomier levels house oversized spiders, animated with skincrawling authenticity. One level, taking in sunset on a tropical beach, is stop-and-stare beautiful. The hero character models are very slightly less crisp than in the PC version, but that nitpick is dwarfed by the general visual loveliness. In local multiplayer, or in the online multiplayer that's new to this sequel, your two co-op companions play the other two characters. This lets you combine powers rather than flit between them, although hero swapping on the fly is also permitted. Combining powers opens up new avenues of sandbox tinkering; the wizard can float other party members on a conjured plank platform or hang a goblin harmlessly in midair for the thief to skewer with arrows. For maximum sandbox tomfoolery, there's also an unlimited mode, in which any combination of hero characters is allowed. The storybook-style narration is genteel, and the heroes are amiably voiced. The music is rousing, too. Here, as with story and setting, Trine 2 cleaves comfortably to the genre, with all of the cheery piping of a highclass Renaissance fair. If you bypass secrets and ignore experience orbs, you can breeze through a single-player campaign in six hours or so. Although Trine 2 wouldn't outstay its welcome at twice that length, it's no raw deal, given the modest pricing (1200 Microsoft points). This Trine follow-up is a more complete, refined work than its predecessor, and those who didn't catch the original are in for a real treat.
There's something infinitely satisfying about causing a 15-car pileup at 80mph that produces fiery explosions, sends twisted scrap metal rocketing in all directions, and flings drivers through the air like rag dolls. The FlatOut series has never been much for realism and instead has favored physicsheavy vehicular carnage at high speeds. And that's exactly what you find in FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction--only it's amped up to the third degree. True to its name, this arcade-style demolition racer is over the top in every way. Slamming into rival cars and smashing through the scenery en route to the finish line is packed with adrenalinepumping thrills, yet all the chaotic fun unravels when it starts to get in the way of achieving the staunch precision that's needed to win races and progress. The tracks are nicely varied, elaborately designed, and beautifully depicted at times, yet they too seem custom crafted for maximum frustration. You can plow through explosive barrels, debris, fences, and many other obstacles with destructive ease, but tiny saplings will stop you like a brick wall. Some courses throw other impassible hazards at you as well, placing them in the worst, most unavoidable spots to spur maximum vehicular annihilation. Adding that to the questionable driving skills and apparent road rage of your opponents yields a combination that makes it tough to enjoy the fast-paced racing action because you spend more time stuck on the scenery or upside down on fire than burning rubber the normal way. The unavoidable, constant crashing and restarting gets old quick. Tuning up the cars doesn't help much either. There's nothing in between "flimsy toy car" and "clunky tank" at first, and it makes muscling through the early stretches of the main racing mode an exercise in sheer aggravation. It can take an awfully long period of teeth-clenching frustration to make it through the first small track only to discover you have to start over because you didn't rank in first place out of the 15 psychotic drivers. After spending time in the game's other play modes--which range in difficulty from being equally unforgiving to downright easy--unlocking new vehicles with better handling makes returning to the main game a lot more reasonable, but that's not the end of FlatOut 3's woes.
Doing more than simply dropping the SmackDown vs. RAW moniker that has prefaced the last run of WWE games since 2004, WWE '12 aims to refresh the longrunning wrestling series' recent stale leanings with redesigned gameplay and an all-new game engine. While it still packs a massive roster and is brimming with all of the over-the-top macho bombast and ridiculous braggadocio hardcore wrestling fans love, not all of the updates are for the better. It's easier to jump right into the ring and start hammering away at meaty dudes with vigor, but overaggressive AI and a nearbroken attack counter system sap the fun. Unfortunately, other problems add to the pile, making it tough to enjoy the game's authentic trappings. Having the freedom to create your own content to play in the game is another area where WWE '12 shines, since you can craft everything from your own custom wrestlers and movesets to entrances and storylines. The story-driven Road to Wrestlemania, on the other hand, is one of the game's biggest disappointments. It has three lengthy chapters that explore heavily scripted storylines centering on Sheamus, Triple H, and a custom wrestler you create, but these matches are some of the least enjoyable encounters in the game. They often revolve around unclear yet strict objectives, and deviating from them results in failure. Having the freedom to create your own content to play in the game is another area where WWE '12 shines, since you can craft everything from your own custom wrestlers and movesets to entrances and storylines. The story-driven Road to Wrestlemania, on the other hand, is one of the game's biggest disappointments. They often revolve around unclear yet strict objectives, and deviating from them results in failure. The franchise may have been in need of some serious tinkering, but the impact of the gains made in this next evolution of the series is canceled out by the leftover problems lingering in the formula. While a few improvements feel like a step in the right direction and will no doubt hit the sweet spot for some players, there are crucial areas where WWE backslides. Insidious AI and the weak story mode are among the bigger culprits, but the fact that such a huge portion of the gameplay hinges on a horribly imprecise reversal system is a real dealbreaker.

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January 15 - February 15, 2012

PTCL launched 3G EVO smartphone

Xconnect continues to grow: Tauseef Khan

Ufone brings hi-tech BlackBerry Torch 9810, 9860

CEO Zong and management team visit C-III region

HTC joins Brightex, opens two HTC concept stores in Karachi

January 15 - February 15, 2012

Editor Assistant Editor

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PM approves USF projects in Sindh, Balochistn

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SMS traffic up by 16percent

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Zubair Ahmed Kasuri

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Wateen to revolutionise communication through the launch of Freedom Booths

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Obama doesn't let his children use Facebook

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Why academia needs to get digitalize

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Prof Hafiz Umair Munawar

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Gartner predictions for 2012

More cloud, consumerisation, loss of IT control

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Research reveals GSM phones vulnerable to hack scams

Colby representative Danay Stockton displays the Colby MID-9742-8 tablet.

Ericsson-PTA Mobile Excellence Award 2011 winners announced

UMT students get laptops

PTA to auction frequency spectrum for broadband services

Sajid leads Zong as CCO

Nokia, Unesco to launch mobile teachers' learning

Huawei to launch enterprise solutions in Pakistan

Microsoft launches CIE in Pakistan

Pemra takes action against illegal channels & programmes

NADRA develops SMS service to verify voters in the Electoral Rolls

Govt to generate $291 million from Instaphone auction

CEO Zong presents Rs1m cheque to PM

Firdous inaugurates feedback, complaints call centre

Zong appoints Usman Ishaq as Director Marketing

Chinese city offers help to produce solar energy