Assigning tasks to non-professionals

By Technology Times at August 27, 2011 | 2:09 pm | PrintA- Reset A+

Pakistan is long standing at the borders of the three generations (3G) technologies but this stage could not be covered due to multiple factors from both the government and the telecom operators. Currently, over 85 per cent of international telecom operators have converted into 3G and in certain cases even to 4G technologies and are trickling these advanced technologies benefits including speedy as well as refined services and reduced tariffs down to their subscribers. Subsequently, this gap of technologies is not only encouraging grey telephony in the country but also inflicting Rs 340 million per month revenue loss to the national exchequer as well as the local telecom operators. The telecom sector the world over has received special significance and subsequently received advanced technologies. However, in Pakistan the situation is virtually reverse. Most recently, the President of Pakistan has constituted a committee which also included Federal Minister for Water and Power, Syed Naveed Qamar, besides representatives of private sector. The committee has been assigned to examine the proposals the IT Ministry has prepared for 3G auctioning. However, the chances of achieving the desired results would remain dismal by all means as the committee has a member (Naveed Qamar) who does not possess the qualification as well as experience required to fully understand this advanced IT and telecom sector. The government of Pakistan a couple of years back had devised a plan to introduce 3G technologies in the country by auctioning the 3G licenses to telecom operators. However, it had to delay the 3G licenses auctioning repeatedly on certain reasons, maybe from the government side or from those telecom operators that have invested heavily on the 2G technologies and to some extent are unwilling to jump to the 3G technologies. The lethargic attitude on the part of government has already caused a heavy loss to the telecom sector. Appointment of irrelevant authorities for IT and telecom sector and their lacking interest in devising long-term planning are the main factors behind reverse or slow-pedaling of this sector. As a result, certain research projects which were launched with heavy budgetary allocations in this fast gaining importance sector have been closed. The government at this critical stage is not in a position to do any misadventure; it needs to reshuffle its priorities and assign the telecom sector’s policy-making task to those who have rich vision of this sector and understand the future requirements of this field, otherwise the results would not be different from what had happened in the past.

 

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