| Islamabad - The Minister for Information
Technology pledged the process of implementation of the broadband policy
would be rapidly completed.
"We would also expect all stakeholders, particularly the entrepreneurs
providing internet services, to use this opportunity to ensure a rapid and
optimal delivery of the service", he said.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority would also be given the complete
support of the government providing an environment under the policy
directives while keeping the element of expediency prominent. "We want
Pakistan to be the regional leader in promoting ubiquitous broadband access
in the country as this will promote Pakistan as the most progressive nation
in the region", he said.
Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari Saturday said
"an extraordinary success of sector deregulation policy" prompted by the
government last month in December is going to help businesses flourish and
the broadband internet sector grow at a tremendous rate.
He informed that many of the new LDI/WLL licensees in Pakistan, were newly
formed companies and quite a few of them had already grown to become
consortiums with multi-disciplinary equity partners. "There is very little
precedence of this in the past and we would like to see the broadband policy
feeding this positive development," he said on the occasion of releasing
broadband policy.
Minister Leghari stated that PTCL has taken the lead in this policy's
implementation and it's expected to announce a huge reduction in their
pricing. Some of the major distributors are charging huge sums for high
speed DSL based broadband internet. Some of the packages of major ISP's
providing DSL services go above 1 Lakh rupees per month. PTCL has also
declared a 100% universal internet coverage by June 2005.
Minister Leghari has urged key stakeholders in the sector to gear up to use
broadband for improving services in their sectors. "Providing broadband
access proliferation is only half the battle as its use by the various
social sectors remains crucial for realization of the true benefits," he
added. According to people UPK News interviewed in the public, find high
speed, always on internet at cheap rates, unimaginable.
The minister stated that the use of broadband access could improve and even
enhance the social services that are vital to the well-being of the people,
especially in the education and health sectors. "The policy also envisages
many major steps to address the content development component", he added.
The Information Technology ministry is planning to hold competitions for the
best websites at the college and university level.
|
