Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT&T), Dr. Umar Saif, shared promising news for Pakistan’s technological advancement in a series of video messages. He disclosed plans for the launch of 5G services by July-August this year, alongside the auctioning of a 300MHz spectrum. Dr. Saif expressed satisfaction with the caretaker government’s progress, highlighting the fulfillment of 13 out of 15 goals aimed at promoting the IT sector and enhancing exports within a brief period of five months.
Dr. Saif underscored a significant achievement where IT companies are now permitted to retain 50 percent of their export earnings in dollars, leading to a notable 32 percent surge in IT exports within the past 60 days. Additionally, he highlighted the establishment of a dedicated telecom tribunal aimed at swiftly resolving disputes within the telecom sector.
Dr. Saif emphasized the need to align educational institutions with industry requirements, outlining plans for a standardized quality test for 75,000 IT graduates and the introduction of specialized industry courses in universities.
Regarding freelancers’ demand for PayPal payments, progress is being made to address this issue. Additionally, Dr. Saif discussed Pakistan’s first space policy, enabling international companies to offer communication services via low-orbit satellites.
An exciting initiative highlighted is the establishment of 10,000 e-Rozgar centers nationwide to support freelancers and startups. These centers will offer cutting-edge facilities and technical assistance, aiming to boost IT exports by $10 billion annually.