PTA is taking many collaborative efforts to promote ease of doing business and attract foreign investment. These collaborations would help address industry challenges and facilitate more favorable business environment. PTA would support the business community in promoting ICT sector. This was said by Maj. Gen. (R) Hafeez ur Rehman, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority while talking to a delegation of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry that called on him led by President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari.

PTA Chairman said that Pakistan’s telecommunications and digital technology sectors are undergoing transformative changes, driven by development of comprehensive regulatory frameworks. He said that PTA is working to provide customers with affordable and high quality services and ensure reasonable returns to investors. He said that the mobile phone sector has achieved a remarkable growth of 29% during the last 5 years due to which mobile services are available to 90% of the country’s population while the broadband subscribers have soared to over 130 million. He assured that PTA would continue to focus on improving coverage, access and quality of services to promote ease of doing business and attract more investment.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that in this competitive business environment, availability of affordable telecommunication services and digital technology is very important for businesses and PTA should focus on this to promote ease of doing business. He said that suspension of mobile broadband services badly affects the digital transactions of businesses and causes them significant losses and stressed that the PTA should address this issue to save businesses from losses. He said that better cybersecurity is important for the protection of critical data of businesses from attacks and emphasized that PTA should take measures to this effect. He said that Pakistan needs to promote indigenous manufacturing of mobile phones and their parts and said that PTA should bring further reforms in the regulatory framework to attract foreign investment in local production of mobile phones. He said that PTA should play a role for some good broadband packages for students and SMEs. He assured that ICCI would cooperate with PTA in efforts to make Pakistan an IT hub to promote digital economy and exports.

Zafar Bakhtawari, former President ICCI and Secretary General UBG Pakistan stressed for enhanced broadband accessibility, especially in rural and far-flung areas to create business opportunities and improve the economy. Ameer Hamza, Saif ur Rehman Khan and others were also present on the occasion.