In a series of video messages, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT&T) Dr Umar Saif has revealed exciting plans for the future of technology in Pakistan. He announced that the country is gearing up to launch 5G services by July-August this year, along with auctioning a 300MHz spectrum. Dr Saif expressed pride in the caretaker government’s achievements, stating that they have met 13 out of 15 goals in promoting the IT sector and boosting exports within just five months.
One key achievement highlighted by Dr Saif is a policy change allowing IT companies to keep 50 percent of their export earnings in dollars. This move has already led to a significant 32 percent increase in IT exports in the past 60 days. He also mentioned the establishment of a specialized telecom tribunal to resolve disputes in the telecom sector quickly.
Dr Saif stressed the importance of aligning educational institutions with industry needs. To this end, plans are underway for a standardized quality test for 75,000 IT graduates and the introduction of special industry courses in universities.
Addressing the demand for freelancers to receive payments through PayPal, Dr Saif shared that progress is being made in this area. He also discussed Pakistan’s first space policy, which will allow international companies to offer communication services through low-orbit satellites.
Another exciting initiative is the establishment of 10,000 e-Rozgar centers across the country to support freelancers and startups. These centers will provide state-of-the-art facilities and technical support, with the aim of boosting IT exports by $10 billion annually.
