Pakistan's Internet Traffic Jumps Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

[Riaz Haq]

Internet traffic in Pakistan has surged 15% amid COVID-19 lockdown, according to Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). This spike has occurred in spite the fact that Netflix and YouTube have reduced their bandwidth requirements during the current health crisis. Netflix says it has cut its bandwidth use by 25% without sacrificing quality.  Google's YouTube video platform has decided to temporarily change the quality of all videos on YouTube to standard definition.The increased traffic is mainly due to people working from homes. Pakistan has nearly 80 million 

broadband subscribers as of now.

PTA:

In an announcement on March 26, 2019, PTA reported "net increase of around 15% in internet usage was witnessed since last week as the country fights against Coronavirus". PTA went on to assure users that "there is sufficient internet capacity available in the country to meet the growing demands of the future". This surge in Internet traffic has occurred in spite of Netflix and YouTube cutting their bandwidth requirements.

Netflix:

Netflix notified PTA in March that "it has developed ways to reduce Netflix’s traffic on telecommunications networks by 25% while also maintaining the quality of service" during the COVID19 pandemic. This action is aimed at reducing stress on the network as people are forced to work from home.

Pakistan Telecom Indicators As Of December 31, 2019

Google/YouTube:

Google's YouTube video platform has decided to temporarily change the quality of all videos on YouTube to standard definition. In addition, Google has launched "Bolo" in Pakistan. It is a speech-based reading app in Urdu that uses machine learning to help children read aloud confidently, using their own voice. A free English app has also been introduced that includes fast and easy lessons on business, marketing, management, and more.

Google has added new features and resources to provide locally relevant information to Pakistani users. These include expansion of COVID-19 SOS Alerts and Knowledge Panels on Google Search, as well as YouTube Information Panels. These product features link to National Institute of Health (NIH), to provide locally relevant information to Pakistani citizens.

Google is also offering ad inventory to the Ministry of National Health Services so they can spotlight timely, helpful information. Google has also shared tips and resources for remote workers and students enabling them to improve their productivity. These include a new collection of distance learning solutions, training, and resources to help teachers and students stay connected.

Summary:

Pakistan has seen a 15% surge in Internet traffic since the coronavirus lockdown started forcing many people to work from home. This traffic spike has occurred in spite of bandwidth hogs like Netflix and YouTube cutting their bandwidth requirements. Pakistan has nearly 80 million subscribers.

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[Riaz Haq]

Rapid digitisation transforms economic and socio-cultural landscape of Pakistan - Daily Times


https://dailytimes.com.pk/709565/rapid-digitisation-transforms-econ...

The increasing digitization of life has brought about drastic transformation in socio-cultural and economic landscape of Pakistan during the last two decades with exponential growth in use of electronic gadgets and tools of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs).

The electronic gadgets have become a commonplace phenomenon of everyday life in almost every household even in the remotest parts of the country. Therefore, if anything happens worth watching or reading in any part of the globe, it does not go unnoticed on social media. Similarly, the trending (the stuff of your choice) that appears on the screen keeps the viewer mentally engaged for hours.


Everything has been brought down to the pocket size minicomputer on the palm of the consumer. It is a whole world of socialization with a number of social media websites. The Facebook and whatsapp groups of friends, family members and colleagues have once again virtually connected people.

The IT has provided alternate means to almost everything from education to citizen-government interaction, economy to market-customer relations, socialization to marketing, healthcare to banking sector, praying to mourning, greetings to happy birthday wishes, sports to entertainment, media to business, Google maps to webinars, YouTube Channels to online newspaper, e-commerce to online games, e-payment to online transaction, online shopping to digital tourism. Artificial Intelligence (IA), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), big data, automation, cloud computing, and mobility had a growing effect over the industry, economy and socio-cultural environment of the country.


Therefore, the incumbent government has pursued the dream to digitize almost each and every sector for strengthening the socio-economic fabric of the country.

The digital journey has got more momentum in Pakistan when people were restricted to their residences during the first and second waves of Covid-19 to overcome the spread of coronavirus. The citizens were left with no choice but to use the gadgets for socialization and other purposes more frequently.

[Riaz Haq]

Rapid digitisation transforms economic and socio-cultural landscape of Pakistan - Daily Times


https://dailytimes.com.pk/709565/rapid-digitisation-transforms-econ...

The increasing digitization of life has brought about drastic transformation in socio-cultural and economic landscape of Pakistan during the last two decades with exponential growth in use of electronic gadgets and tools of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs).

The electronic gadgets have become a commonplace phenomenon of everyday life in almost every household even in the remotest parts of the country. Therefore, if anything happens worth watching or reading in any part of the globe, it does not go unnoticed on social media. Similarly, the trending (the stuff of your choice) that appears on the screen keeps the viewer mentally engaged for hours.


Everything has been brought down to the pocket size minicomputer on the palm of the consumer. It is a whole world of socialization with a number of social media websites. The Facebook and whatsapp groups of friends, family members and colleagues have once again virtually connected people.

The IT has provided alternate means to almost everything from education to citizen-government interaction, economy to market-customer relations, socialization to marketing, healthcare to banking sector, praying to mourning, greetings to happy birthday wishes, sports to entertainment, media to business, Google maps to webinars, YouTube Channels to online newspaper, e-commerce to online games, e-payment to online transaction, online shopping to digital tourism. Artificial Intelligence (IA), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), big data, automation, cloud computing, and mobility had a growing effect over the industry, economy and socio-cultural environment of the country.


Therefore, the incumbent government has pursued the dream to digitize almost each and every sector for strengthening the socio-economic fabric of the country.

The digital journey has got more momentum in Pakistan when people were restricted to their residences during the first and second waves of Covid-19 to overcome the spread of coronavirus. The citizens were left with no choice but to use the gadgets for socialization and other purposes more frequently.

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) Report:

“A surge in demand for telecom services due to lockdown resulted in significant growth not only in subscriber base but also in the usage of telecom services,” the report stated. “Today, data usage stands at 4,498 Peta Bytes (FY2020) as compared to 2,545 Peta Bytes (FY2019), showing a growth of over 77pc. This substantial growth would not have been possible if the networks were not upgraded.”

The telecom sector’s titanic status in Pakistan prevails as a recent report released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) shows that the sector’s contribution to the national exchequer witnessed a boost of 129 percent in 2020 as compared to 2019, despite the fact that the economy was burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per details from PTA’s Annual Report 2020 released today, the telecom sector proved yet again that it is one of the most valuable drivers of the national economy. Over the course of FY2020, it contributed a tremendous amount of Rs278 billion to the national exchequer, as compared to Rs121 billion back in FY2019. This represents a year-on-year growth of 129 percent.

When you think about it, the year 2020 actually held massive potential for telecom growth in general, as people all over the nation had no choice but to stay cooped up in their homes and rely on data packages and Internet services to stay connected to the world beyond.

https://www.techjuice.pk/telecom-sector-added-rs278bn-to-pakistans-...

[Riaz Haq]

Telecom Sector Contributed Rs. 278 Billion to National Exchequer in 2020: PTA Annual Report

https://propakistani.pk/2021/01/15/telecom-sector-contributed-rs-27...


The telecom sector has emerged as a prominent contributor to Pakistan’s economy and its contribution to the national exchequer has shown an increase of 129 percent in 2020 as compared to 2019 despite the economy being under pressure due to the effects of the pandemic.

As per the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) Annual Report 2020 released here today, the sector contributed Rs. 278 billion (including the PTA’s deposits to the national exchequer) in the FY 2020 as compared to Rs. 121 billion in the FY 2019 registering a Year-on-Year growth of 129 percent.

A surge in the demand for telecom services due to the lockdown had resulted in significant growth not only in the subscriber base but also in the usage of telecom services.

Today, data usage stands at 4,498 Peta Bytes (FY2020) as compared to 2,545 Peta Bytes (FY 2019), showing a growth of over 77 percent. This substantial growth would not have been possible if the networks had not been upgraded. The country currently has international bandwidth connectivity of 3.1 TeraBytes and around 47,000 cell sites, of which 90 percent are 4G-enabled sites.


According to the PTA’s Annual Report, the total broadband subscriptions in the country grew by 175 percent over the last five years. Today, broadband subscribers have crossed 90 million, showing a growth of around 8 percent in the FY 2020. Additionally, Pakistan had a total broadband penetration of 42.2 percent in the FY 2020.


The telecom networks are currently available for 87 percent of the population and PTA is working with operators to increase their network coverage for the remaining 13 percent of the unserved people in Pakistan. The total teledensity now stands at 82 percent with over 172 million Mobile subscribers and 2.2 million fixed-line subscribers.

In 2020, although the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) across the economy had been affected by the global lockdowns, the telecom sector made an iconic share of 25 percent (USD 623 million) in the total FDI made in the country. The total investment made by the local operators grew by 14.25 percent, and a total of USD 734 million were invested locally.

The total revenues of the sector reached Rs. 537 billion in the FY 2020, which had mainly been generated by the mobile sector. The financial gains have been enjoyed equally by telecom consumers, the affordability of telecom services in Pakistan has improved over the years, and the per GB broadband prices are currently as low as USD 0.20, which is among the lowest in the region.

Similarly, due to the Device Identification & Registration System (DIRBS), the introduction of government revenues increased manifold with the collection of taxes on the import of handsets. The local manufacturing of handsets has enlivened the telecom ecosystem with growth in local 4G device manufacturing crossing 34 percent.

PTA Renews PTCL License for 25 Years

Pakistan also underwent trials of 5G services which were one of the few firsts in South Asia. The PTA is aiming for a spectrum auction of LTE and VoLTE services in 2021 as a precursor to 5G. It is also gearing up for an auction of a spectrum for high-speed broadband services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The PTA Annual Report highlights that this year, the regulator awarded 110 licenses for numerous telecom services and issued 91 certificates for the commencement of service to operators.

The PTA conducted QoS surveys across Pakistan for data, voice, and SMS services, and the operators were directed to take corrective measures where they had underperformed. It also conducted a number of successful raids against illegal VoIP setups this year to curb grey telephony.

[Riaz Haq]

Mobile wallet penetration is currently low with the total number of accounts standing at 46mn (34% of the adult population) and active accounts at 25mn (18% of ...

https://tellimer.com/article/pakistan-digital-payments-boom-under-c...

Easypaisa, a leading digital wallet in Pakistan, reported a significant increase in activity during the lockdown
This is an indication, and reinforces our view, that Covid-19 could drive a shift to digital payments in Pakistan
Pakistan represents an ideal environment for digital banking to thrive

----------------

The report draws insights from a regional survey, which polled more than 5,000 consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Pakistan.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252493293/Covid-19-sparks-boom-...

Across those countries, 47% of consumers said they expected to shop online more frequently over the next year. Only 15% expected their online shopping frequency to decline, while the remaining 38% expected it to remain the same.

The likely surge in e-commerce and digital payments in 2021 is consistent across the countries surveyed, with 49% of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consumers saying they will shop online more frequently, and 48% in Jordan, 47% in Egypt and 39% in Pakistan saying the same.

Mo Ali Yusuf, regional manager at Checkout.com, said Covid-19 was driving a “significant share” of e-commerce and digital payment transactions in the Middle East, with 40% of online shoppers saying they are buying and paying online because of the pandemic.

“We’ve witnessed this steady shift to digital payments over the past six years, but the pandemic has really served as a catalyst – condensing five years of growth into a matter of months,” Yusuf told Computer Weekly.

“While there has been a sudden surge in e-commerce and digital payments this year due to the impact of Covid-19, what we are seeing today is more than a temporary change in consumer behaviour.”

Yusuf said that despite a big uptake in digital payments across the Middle East in the last few years, cash on delivery still occupies a significant proportion of share of wallet for consumers.

“This presents a market with huge potential for continued growth over the next decade,” he pointed out.

Preference for digital payments over cash on delivery or bank transfers rises significantly as consumers shop online more frequently, according to the report. Among those who shop online at least once a month, 62% usually pay by card or digital wallet, compared with 44% among the less frequent online shoppers.

“Robust digital payment options have become an integral part of what consumers expect from merchants, especially as e-commerce is more widely embraced in the region,” said Yusuf.

According to Khalid Dannish, CEO of Bahrain Fintech Bay, the island’s fintech accelerator hub, the region is seeing a flood of new digital payments activity in the wake of Covid-19.

“The infrastructure and accessibility is now there for merchants and consumers,” he said. “The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour in a lasting way.

“Given the young nature of regional demographics, the preference is to move towards digital payment strategies not just for convenience but also for user experience. We are seeing digital payments being used for everything from meals to clothing to groceries and utilities.”

[Riaz Haq]

#Zoom Videoconferencing Filters Playing Tricks: #ZoomCat filter lawyer passes torch to upside-down congressman. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota appeared as an upside-down floating head in a committee meeting. #COVID19 #lockdown https://cnet.co/3d6KnEm via @CNET

Technology for virtual meetings is having its revenge on humans. A day after attorney Rod Ponton went viral for getting stuck with a kitten filter on during a Zoom hearing, we got a new tech fumble. In a meeting of the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, showed up as an upside-down floating head.

"I don't know what happened," Emmer said when Waters asked if he was OK. "It just came out this way. I turned it off and turned it back on and I'm still..."

The kitten incident was obviously still fresh in viewers minds, as numerous lawmakers shouted variations on "at least he's not a cat." Said one, "You're going viral, Tom."

Emmer was able to fix his flipped image and continue speaking. He later tweeted a photo of his upside-down face with the knowing caption "I am not a cat."

One Twitter user responded, "Sounds exactly like what a cat would say."

----------

Viral Zoom cat filter: How to copy that lawyer and turn yourself into a cat, too
Feeling inspired by the lawyer who accidentally appeared as a kitten in a Zoom legal proceeding? We'll show you how to spice up your next video call, too.

If you've been anywhere near the internet this week, you've probably seen the viral video of a virtual legal proceeding in Texas that wouldn't have been very noteworthy -- except for the fact that a lawyer accidentally switched on a filter that turned his face into an adorable kitten, and couldn't figure out how to turn it off.

"I'm here live. I'm not a cat," the lawyer said, identified on his Zoom screen as Rod Ponton. "I can see that," the judge responds before trying to walk the lawyer through fixing the filter issue.

[Riaz Haq]

#Unilever’s #Pakistan #Delivery Service Partner blueEX Plans #IPO on #KSE to Expand Network. #Karachi-based courier service plans to sell new shares equal to 25% of the company within the next two months. #ecommerce #economy #tech https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-19/unilever-s-pakis...

Universal Network System Ltd., a Pakistan courier service that counts the local units of Unilever Plc and Nestle SA as clients, is planning an initial public offering to expand its network and bolster its technology backbone.

The Karachi-based company, which operates the blueEX courier service, plans to sell new shares equal to 25% of the company within the next two months, said Chief Executive Officer Imran Baxamoosa. He didn’t disclose financial details.

The initial share sale will make it the first logistics company to list in Pakistan and lure investors to a business that’s crucial for the nation’s booming e-commerce industry, according to Topline Securities Pakistan Ltd., financial adviser for the IPO.

“There is some crazy exponential growth that is being foreseen right now,” Baxamoosa said in a phone interview. “We have grown organically so far but now it’s about time that we get aggressive.”


The courier company that started by handling cargo in 2005 entered the e-commerce business six years later by going door-to-door and convincing companies to start online sales. It even made websites, back-end software and set up a call center for its clients.

It now has about 1,000 employees and over 350 vehicles. The company will use the proceeds to boost its network fourfold. It will also add servers and other IT equipment.

The nation’s e-commerce industry is in its infancy but is growing rapidly as internet and smartphone penetration jump, according to Ruchir Desai, fund manager at Hong Kong-based Asia Frontier Capital Ltd. The pandemic could be a big trigger for the market, he said.

The company handled 2.1 million shipments and 4.5 billion rupees in cash deliveries in the year ended June. It has grown annually by about 70% on average since 2012. The company forecasts revenue will rise more than three times to 4.3 billion rupees in fiscal 2023, according to Baxamoosa.

[Riaz Haq]

Spotify launches in #Pakistan. It's available free thru iOS & Android apps. Users can upgrade to Spotify Premium to have ad-free access, and the ability to download #music and skip unlimited songs. It's priced at PKR 299 (~$1.9) per month. https://www.menabytes.com/spotify-launches-pakistan/ via @MENAbytes

Spotify, the world’s leading music streaming service has launched in Pakistan, it announced in a statement today to MENAbytes. It is one of the over 80 new markets where Spotify is launching its service this month. The rumors of company’s expansion to Pakistan had first surfaced online in November 2020 after it had created a verified Instagram page.

The newly launched service is available for free through iOS and Android apps, and the users have the option to upgrade to to Spotify Premium to have ad-free access, and other features including the ability to download music and skip unlimited songs. It is priced at PKR 299 (~$1.9) per month. Spotify is also offering a premium family subscription plan for PKR 479 ($3) per month that can be used by six family members “living under one roof” and another plan priced at PKR 390 ($2.45) for two people living at the same address. At PKR 149 per month (about 95 cents), the cheapest subscription option is avaialble only for university students.

In addition to cards, the users that have Telenor or Zong as their mobile operator can also pay for the subscription using their mobile credit (or bill).

In a statement, the company said that its catalog includes over 70 million tracks of local and international music. The app already features different playlists made for Pakistan (that will be regularly updated) including Hot Hits Pakistan, Pakistani Rock Hits, Pakistani Indie 101, Drama OSTs, Loadshedding Longing, and more.

Claudius Boller, the Managing Direct for Spotify Middle East & Africa is leading the team of music and audio experts for the newly launched South Asian markets inlcuding Pakistan. Commenting on the launch, he said, “We want to share the gift of music with as many people as possible to enrich the lives of not only our listeners, but the local artists who will now have access to a global audience. We always want to be where our fans are, and with this expansion we are furthering our mission of sharing the sounds of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the rest of the world.”

Unlike the Middle East, music streaming hasn’t taken off in Pakistan yet. Patari is the only notable local player in the space. Its CEO Zarlasht Faisal labeled Spotify’s arrival in Pakistan ‘exciting’.

“We’ve always believed that Pakistani music streaming has huge potential. Spotify entering the market is a validation of that. Music streaming as a vertical has been underfunded in Pakistan. With an endorsement of its potential by a player like Spotify, we believe it will mean more risk appetite and investment in this sector and continuous development of an ecosystem that will streamline music distribution, monetization, and opportunities for local music and audio,” stated Zarlasht in a conversation with MENAbytes.

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan’s Mobile Broadband subscribers cross 100mn mark....mobile broadband is provided over 3G/4G networks with an average download speed of 17.7 Mbps and upload speed of 11.3 Mbps (mobile) which is above the speed levels in other regional countries.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/40080636


As per the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the achievement comes on the back of government policies, effective competition among telecom operators.

PTA stated that in 2012, there were less than 2 million subscriptions but after the introduction of 3G services, the figure jumped to 16 million in 2014 and 100 million in 2021. The telecom regulator informed that presently 87 percent of the country's population has access to internet/broadband services at one of the lowest rates in the region.

It informed that broadband is provided over 3G/4G networks with an average download speed of 17.7 Mbps and upload speed of 11.3 Mbps (mobile) which is above the speed levels in other regional countries.

It was learned that mobile data prices declined to only 0.70pc of the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita which is well below the UN Broadband Commission’s recommendation of less than 2pc.

PTA said that all four national Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs), SCO, and fixed-line broadband operators including PTCL collectively have broadband subscriptions of over 100 million.

Back in 2010, the Pakistan telecom sector reached 100 million mobile subscriptions, it launched the first-ever biometrically verified SIMs across the country in 2009 and implemented the world’s first open-source DIRBS in 2019.

[Riaz Haq]

Smartphone manufacturing get a boost

https://www.brecorder.com/news/40076064


Smartphone manufacturing policy was unveiled in March 2020. And by now there are commitments from a few players to assemble 1.5 million units a month – 18 million units per annum in a year’s time. Last week, Airlink did a launching ceremony of its factory situated in Lahore. The factory is following international standards and has a capacity to produce 500,000 units a month with a plan to ramp up the assembly to make 800,000 units each month by April 2021 in full three shifts. Based on seasonality and other demand factors, the company is geared up to produce 6 million units a year.

Apart of Airlink, another factory in Karachi has a capacity to produce 6 million units a year. These two factories are functional. Airlink was into the mobile phone distribution business and is now vertically integrated from assembling to retailing. The other company - Transsion Tecno has a long experience of manufacturing in automobile parts. Another player, Vivo has also bought land for factory in Faisalabad and is panning to produce 300,000 units a month. Yet another company Inovi Telecom’s claim is to assemble 200,000 units a month.

Combining all these, around 18 million units a year (1.5mn units a month) will be produced in Pakistan by 2022. Right now, the market size of smartphone is around 36 million units a year – mainly relying on imports. This market size has a potential to grow as a good chunk of consumers are on feature phones and these may slowly transit to smartphones. Plus, every year, there are around 2 million youth coming of age for smartphone use.

That is why Samsung and other players are thinking about starting to assemble in Pakistan. Samsung is big in Pakistan and is catering to high, middle, and low-end smartphones. In the low and medium size, the company must come in local assembling to remain viable – as per new policy, the smartphones under $200 price would not be viable to sell as imported units.

The existing two players (Airlink and Tecno) are contract manufacturers. Samsung is eying a partnership with a contract manufacturer in Pakistan. It is in talks with a few select groups in Pakistan for partnership including biggies like Nishat and Lucky. Samsung is also considering Airlink for partnership – the edge Airlink would have is its expertise in selling.

Smartphone assembling is a low capex and high working capital business. Airlink’s capex is around Rs600-700 million; but its working capital requirement is much bigger. If it sells at an average price of $60 per unit, for 500,000 units, it will be selling around Rs5 billion worth of phones a month. The WC need would be somewhere around Rs20 billion (considering three cycles a year). The company has arranged the working capital from bank credit lines; but is also planning to list on the stock exchange. This will be first of its kind listing on the PSX.