The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has approved plans to launch the Pak Awaaz Secure Mobile Communication Ecosystem, a new initiative aimed at providing government officials with a sovereign and cyber-secure communication platform.
The project has received in-principle approval from the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
According to ministry officials, the Pak Awaaz project carries an estimated cost of Rs. 708 million and will provide 10,000 secure mobile devices to government officials.
The devices will:
- Feature a hardware root of trust for enhanced security.
- Be manufactured in Pakistan.
- Run on an indigenously hardened operating system designed to protect against cyberattacks and unauthorized access.
The National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) will implement the project by deploying a private mobile communication network using existing cellular infrastructure.
Unlike conventional mobile services, the network will remain isolated from the public mobile network and will use centralized multi-factor authentication based on the user, SIM card, and device to secure official communications.
The project also includes the development of a dedicated secure communication platform offering:
- End-to-end encrypted voice calls
- Secure video calls
- Encrypted messaging
- Protected file sharing
Officials said the ecosystem will include dedicated application management systems, administrative controls, and a Network Operations Center (NOC). The complete infrastructure will be hosted at the NTC Data Centre.
In addition to secure communications, the Pak Awaaz ecosystem will introduce a sovereign software environment featuring:
- A private government app store
- A secure chat application
- Controlled directory services
- Secure deployment of government applications
Key digital platforms, including the e-Office system, will operate through the new secure mobile ecosystem, enabling protected digital workflows and strengthening the cybersecurity of government communications across Pakistan.
