Pakistan is a leader in freelance software development, Telenor CEO

In an online discussion, Telenor Pakistan CEO Irfan Khan expressed optimism regarding the country’s digital vision while recognizing the country’s talent. “There are 100 million people aged under 30 years old, a highly educated population and the nation is a leader in freelance software development.”, he said.

However, he stressed that Pakistan lags in identifying the spectrum as a ‘lifeline’ to fulfill the government’s Digital Pakistan initiative while acknowledging an upcoming auction as a step in the right direction.

Currently, Pakistan has around a third of Thailand and Malaysia’s spectrum and a quarter of New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the US.

Khan acknowledged that the government recognized Pakistan as one of the most heavily taxed nations for telecoms services, adding Telenor was assured it would be handed some incentives in a finance bill due to be submitted next week to kickstart the sector.

More than 90 percent of people access the internet through a mobile device because of a lack of fixed infrastructure. “That is not going to change, which puts a huge responsibility on the shoulders” of operators, he added.

Source: Mobile World Live