Latest news with #DFDI)Forum2025
Express Tribune
30-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
High spectrum costs hamper digital access
Listen to article The telecom industry has urged the government to address challenges of high spectrum prices, scarce availability, digital literacy gaps, and limited broadband access to help move the country toward a Digital Pakistan. "Structural challengessuch as overpriced and scarce spectrum, digital literacy gaps, and limited broadband accessmust be urgently addressed," said Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim at the Pakistan Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) Forum 2025. While speaking during a panel discussion titled "DFDI Landscape: Insights and Actions," he emphasised that challenges such as broadband expansion, digital banking, and digital education cannot be addressed by the private sector or NGOs alone. "The government must play an enabling rolesometimes by intervening, and at other times by stepping back," he said. On spectrum pricing, he was unequivocal, "Spectrum is the foundation of broadband connectivity, yet it has historically been mispriced. The upcoming auction offers an opportunity to fix this and enable digital growth," he remarked. If Pakistan is to lead in the digital era, it must shift from a whole-of-government to a whole-of-country approachmobilising every sector, stakeholder, and citizen around a shared digital vision," he said and stressed that digital investment is not merely about capital, it is also about building confidence in Pakistan's talent and potential. "We're already a generation behind in tech. Without embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI), local large language models, data centres, and fast internet, we risk falling two generations behind," he cautioned. The panel featured key voices from across sectors, including United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Samuel Rizk, Contour Software's Bilal Mahmood, Milliman's Dermot Corry, AI Doctrine Inc's Naeem Mirza, and the Digital Cooperation Organisation's Rao Mehroz Khan. In a separate session titled "Opportunities for the Telecom Sector in the Digital Era," Asif Aziz, President Enterprise Solutions at Jazz, called for a strategic shift in the telecom sectorfrom providing basic connectivity to enabling full-scale digital ecosystems for enterprises. "Pakistan has 197 million mobile connections, but now it's about enabling digital transformation across healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and agriculture," he said. He also flagged the risks of prohibitive spectrum pricing: "If it discourages investment in infrastructure, 5G will remain a theoretical promise." On affordability, Asif highlighted a critical gap, stating, "While 40% of the population lives within mobile broadband coverage, many still don't use it. A basic smartphone costs 3740% of a low-income household's monthly income, and import duties exacerbate this issue. Connectivity without affordability is connectivity in name only." Across the forum, panellists emphasised that bold public-private collaboration, regulatory reforms, and alignment with global best practices are essential. With a young population and rising demand for innovation, Pakistan is well-positioned to unlock inclusive digital growthif the right actions are taken now.
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Express Tribune
29-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
First-ever digital FDI forum kicks off
The collaboration between Raast and Buna will help overseas Pakistanis in instantly sending remittances back home through the digital infrastructure, making cross-border transactions easy and convenient. PHOTO: FILE Listen to article Pakistan marked a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey on Tuesday with the inauguration of the first-ever Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) Forum 2025, held under the patronage of chief guest of the event, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. According to a press statement, the forum also welcomed the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya as Guest of Honour. Hosted by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication in collaboration with the DCO, the event signalled Pakistan's commitment to fostering global digital partnerships and investment. The forum brought together over 30 ministers from DCO member states, 75 international investors, and more than 100 leading Pakistani IT companies. As per the statement, with $700 million in digital investment announcements made on Day 1, the forum underscored global confidence in Pakistan's digital economy. Addressing the audience, the statement adds that Federal IT Minister, said, "Pakistan's ICT exports have grown by over 25% in the past nine months, showing the growth of our digital economy." She added, "We have improved our position by 14 places in the UN E-Government Development Index between 2022 and 2024, mirroring our ongoing commitment to digital progress and service delivery." She emphasised that Pakistan's tech sector is open for international collaboration and poised for future growth. At the forum, Federal IT Minister and DCO Secretary-General engaged with over 40 Pakistani startups and companies, applauding their entrepreneurial spirit and investor appeal. The opening day concluded with a strong sense of opportunity, global partnership, and renewed momentum for building Islamabad as Davos of digital investment, reads the press statement.
