Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is collaborating with Dell Technologies to introduce the industry-first Azure Cloud Computing Services in Pakistan. The latest service will help PTCL enterprise customers to leverage technology for reaching their full business potential.  

The agreement was signed by Sayyed Muhammad Imran Ali, EVP, Digital Services, PTCL, and Naveed Khan, Director, Data Center Solutions for Asia Emerging Markets, Dell Technologies, during a signing ceremony held at the PTCL Headquarters, Islamabad, in presence of senior executives from both organizations. 

The upcoming Azure Stack Hub is an extension of Microsoft Azure that brings the flexibility and innovation of Cloud Computing to the Cloud Services providers in their on-premises infrastructure. When deployed at PTCL, the Azure Stack Hub will be used to provide Azure consistent services, either connected to the internet and Azure or in disconnected environments with no internet connectivity. Azure Stack Hub uses the same underlying technologies as global Azure, which includes the core components of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) capabilities. 

On the occasion, Sayyed Muhammad Imran Ali, EVP, Digital Services, PTCL, said, “PTCL Azure Stack is a leap towards digitization, Cloud readiness, and innovation. It has the potential of helping SMEs and large enterprises to reinvent their customer experiences and allowing governments and academic institutions to innovate. This partnership will enable us to broaden our enterprise customers’ capabilities and ensure faster growth.” 

Also speaking at the event, Naveed Khan, Director, Data Center Solutions for Asia Emerging Markets, Dell Technologies, said, “We are honored to support PTCL to extend their cloud reach in Pakistan to help businesses innovate and adopt the hybrid cloud with confidence. With the Dell Technologies Azure Stack, PTCL customers can experience Azure Cloud services without moving their applications and data out of the country.”

The Cloud Computing Services will not only bolster PTCL business customers to realize their full potential but also reinforce the national telecom carrier’s long-term drive for fostering digitization in the country in consistence with the vision of the Government of Pakistan for a ‘Digital Pakistan.’

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Gani & Tayub (G&T) Group, the country’s leading group with companies across different sectors including Synthetic & Rayon and Power Generation, has embarked on an enterprise-level digital journey with the implementation of SAP for all areas of their operations including banking and finance.

Accordingly, after a thorough evaluation, Meezan Bank’s Transaction Banking solution eBiz+ has met G&T’s highest standards for host-to-host connectivity with SAP for payments and collections.

An agreement was hence recently signed by the management of respective entities represented by Mr. Rizwan Diwan – Executive Director, G&T Group, Shabbir Diwan – Executive Director – G&T Group and Mr. Muhammad Abdullah Ahmed – Group Head, Corporate & Institutional Banking and Mr. Muhammad Saqib Ashraf – EVP & Head of Transaction Banking from Meezan Bank at G&T Tower, Karachi.

As per the agreement, Meezan Bank will provide its state-of-the-art Transaction Banking Solution (eBiz+) for payments and collections to the subsidiaries of G&T Group including Gatron (Industries) Limited and Novatex Limited. This core suite of integrated solutions will ensure efficient cash flow management and ease of reconciliation providing the G&T Group with operational excellence.

On this occasion, Mr. Rizwan Diwan shared G&T’s ambition for developing G&T as a digital conglomerate signified by the implementation of SAP and appreciated Meezan’s contribution as a banking partner in such an initiative.

Mr. Abdullah Ahmed responded in support, “As one of the major players in the industry, Meezan Bank is focusing largely on producing and delivering innovative cash management solutions to commercial and corporate businesses in Pakistan. The addition of G&T Group to this growing portfolio is a monumental opportunity for us to offer streamlined cash flow processes via eBiz+ effectively automating transactions and thus, reducing the inherent risk of all the companies simultaneously.”

This agreement is expected to strengthen the relationship as Meezan Bank supports G&T through the digitalization of transactions and efficiently manages day-to-day operations.

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The Realme Band 2 has finally arrived and is said to have major improvements in terms of battery, display, and more. This fitness band is similar to the Honor Band 6.

However, it looks more like a smartwatch than a fitness band. The Realme Band 2 features a 1.4-inch color touchscreen with 500 nits peak brightness and 320 x 167 pixels resolution. Moreover, it brings more than 50 pre-installed watch faces however you can also create a custom one by uploading an image through your phone.

In addition, the band will feature over 90 sport modes but will initially track 14 activities including Yoga, Outdoor/Indoor Walk/Run, Cricket, Basketball, pool swimming, and more. The rest of the modes would be eventually be added via updates. Moreover, the Band 2 also has Smart AIoT Control which allows you to control Realme’s AIoT products directly from the watch once it’s paired with the respective products. This further includes music control, camera control, alarm control, weather forecasts, and more.

The Realme Band 2 is packed with a 204 mAh battery which can last up to 12 days and is available in a single Space Grey color with straps of every color.

The Band 2 will cost around $40 when it is released on September 20.

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Despite Apple’s latest iPhone 13 bringing out better updates, Samsung still found ways to mock the Cupertino-based tech giant on their latest release. Samsung took to Twitter regarding Apple for introducing the 120Hz refresh rate for its flagship phones so late.

Samsung introduced the 120Hz refresh rate displays almost two years ago and it came up with the Samsung Galaxy S20 series and now Apple is catching up to Samsung at the near end of 2021 with their iPhone 13 series. Moreover, the 120Hz refresh rate display is available on all S20 smartphones while Apple limited it to only iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max hence making customers spend extra money just for the display.

We’ve been refreshing at 120Hz for a while now…

— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) September 14, 2021

However, Samsung isn’t the only company that introduced the display as OnePlus was the first to introduce in May 2019 with the OnePlus 7 Pro. Moreover, it is to be noted that Samsung’s S20 series can only switch between 60Hz and 120 Hz while the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max can switch between 10Hz and 120Hz at all times depending upon the battery life.

All in all, Apple has its own views regarding introducing features and Samsung has its own.

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If you’ve ever used a Virtual Private Network or more commonly known as a VPN, then either it is to access something that is restricted in your region or to protect your own privacy on the internet. In other words, VPNs are these applications for your devices that let you surf the internet by virtually changing your location. However, there have been reports of how VPNs especially the free ones have not been able to ensure the user’s privacy. So the question here is that are VPNs even trusted applications or is it some other way to store our personal information?

Before getting to that, we need to understand how a VPN works theoretically. So in general the VPN allows connecting to the internet on a wider range which your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can not see. This includes everything you access or surf. Although many VPNs have mentioned that they do not keep logs of user activity but it is to be noted that at least some amount of logging is necessary for the VPN provider to have their services even operate in the first place. This includes keeping tabs on IP addresses in order to determine where the data should be sent to.

This does seem fine and necessary but there is still a chance whether the service provider is using more information than required. This means that the VPN can see everything you are currently viewing that is not encrypted. This not only includes the sites you have visited but overall information about the device you are using and even the contents of your unencrypted messages.

Now, most VPNs do offer encryption features that you could simply turn on with a push of a button, but that will not stop the VPN provider from monitoring your activity. So it just goes to show that even if you have a paid VPN with all the best features the service provides will still utilize your data and by no means you are safe from that even if you don’t use a VPN as even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses your information and keep tracks of your activity on the web.

Then there are free VPNs, now it may seem very generous of these service providers to allow you to protect your so-called privacy and surf things that are region restricted but there is a catch to this as well. As you may know, any application we use that does not take money certain takes our data as payment instead. This is why most of the free VPNs you may use come up with annoying advertisements as such VPNs are ad-supported. Hence, these VPN providers sell your personal data to third parties for advertisement purposes.

There was even a report in 2020 about a huge scandal that included free VPNs which had leaked terabytes of activity logs of users across the globe publicly to the internet. Another scandal included users having their computers mistakenly be a part of a malware botnet due to using so-called free services of the VPN they installed. Hence free VPNs are far from helpful.

So the bottom line is, should you trust and even use VPNs? That depends totally on your requirement, if you need to access sites and applications which are locked geologically then it makes sense to use a VPN but it is advised that you should go through the terms and agreements before signing up. In addition, if you value your internet privacy then avoid free VPNs as everything free comes with a price and that price is your personal information. However, if you’re a casual internet user who doesn’t need to access anything that might be regionally locked then there is absolutely no need for you to even consider installing a VPN. Should you install a VPN then ensure it is well-reviewed by actual users and offers paid services as those are more reliable than the free ones.

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Accoridng to German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce Chief Executive Officer Oliver Oehms, German businesses are keen on exploring joint venture and investment opportunities in various sectors of Pakistan, including automobile and aviation. 

As reported by The Express Tribune, the executive was speaking at a session organized by the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) on Wednesday. He said that a few sectors, inclduing aviation, communication, automobile, dairy and services had drawn the attention of German businessmen. 

Calling the German delegation’s visit promising, he informed the participants that a number of productive business-to-business meetings were held in Karachi and Islamabad. He expressed the hope that the delegation’s visit to Pakistan would strengthen ties between private sectors of the two countries. 

Speaking on the occasion, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that the German businessmen’s trip to Pakistan during Covid-19 displayed their keen interest in forging strong business ties. 

He briefed the delegation about the business potential of Pakistan and highlighted the prospects of joint ventures in different sectors including infrastructure development, housing and construction, aviation, food processing, automotive and information technology. 

He assured German investors of full assistance of the ICCI in connecting them with the Pakistani counterparts. 

PBIT officials gave recommendations for strengthening business and trade ties between the two countries. They showcased a competitive canvas of potential investment opportunities in Punjab and the conducive business environment offered to foreign investors in Pakistan. 

They spoke about the features of investment policy, which had been formulated to create an investor-friendly environment and to ensure equal treatment to foreign and local investors. 

The German delegation comprised representatives of several enterprises, including Lufthansa airline. 

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In a project that is set to benefit 0.16 million people residing in 170 unserved mauzas, Telenor Pakistan is going to provide broadband 4G services in the Chaghi and Nushki districts of Balochistan, courtesy of a Rs1.36 billion contract awarded by Universal Service Fund (USF). 

As reported by The News, the contract was signed by USF CEO Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary and Telenor Pakistan CEO Irfan Wahab Khan. The signing ceremony was held in the USF Office and was witnessed by Federal IT&T Minister Syed Amin-ul-Haque and Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani. 

The IT Minister, while congratulating both Telenor and USF, said that this project was a significant stepping stone to create equality of service all across the nation. 

“The Digital Pakistan vision is all about bringing Pakistan closer together, ensuring that all parts of the country benefit from securing the jobs and opportunities of the future,” he said. 

 “People in Balochistan should not have to choose between their career and the way of life in their hometown,” the minister added. 

Haque stated that the availability of high-speed broadband would ensure that people in Chaghi and Nushki districts were able to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented by the digital economy, from health care to education, rural development and tourism. 

Talking about his resolve to strengthen connectivity throughout the country, Telenor Pakistan CEO Irfan Wahab Khan said  that enabling people to connect was incredibly important. 

“Connecting Pakistanis to what matters the most is the reason why we at Telenor do what we do,” he said. “What once was an inaccessible luxury for the people of Chaghi and Nushki districts will now become the norm.” 

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After all the anticipation and hype, the iPhone 13 is finally here which was released with a ton of other new products i.e. iPads and Apple Watches at Apple’s ‘California Streaming’ event.

This year’s iPhone features a lot of new surprises along with some common similarities from the previous generation. One thing is to be noted that physically the iPhone 13 is pretty similar to the iPhone 12 the only difference here is that the iPhone 13 has a smaller notch and a diagonal camera array.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13

— Telenor Pakistan (@telenorpakistan) September 15, 2021

This year’s range of iPhone is the same as usual i.e. iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Though the storage for these phones has been amped up as their storage options vary from 128 GB up to 512 GB but for the Pro and Pro Max, the storage option goes all the way up to 1 TB.

Although it may look like that the iPhone 13 is just another iPhone 12 with some changes but it’s actually what’s inside the phone and the features that make it a standout. The iPhone 13 is now equipped with the new A15 Bionic chip and this leads to promising battery life than its predecessor. Moreover, as the face ID notch is slimmed down by 20 percent it basically means that the notch will take less space of the screen.

On the other hand, Apple claims that the A15 Bionic chip is more power-efficient than last year’s A14. The A15 is a 5nm chip and offers a 6-core CPU which the company has claimed is the ‘fastest CPU in a smartphone’ and up to 50 percent faster than the competition. Moreover, graphics are also up to 30 percent faster.

Another big upgrade is the screen which now has a higher refresh rate of about 120Hz that can go as bright as 1,000 nits. Moreover, for the Pro and Pro Max, the super retina XDR displays is more prominent supporting refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz.

When it comes to the camera system, the Mini and iPhone 13 have a two-camera system as the iPhone 12 but the iPhone 13 has an all-new three-camera system. However, all models are said to offer better low-light photography due to their respective sensors. When it comes to the software part of the camera system, Apple introduced new photographic styles features which are said to work like traditional camera filters however with a small dose of computational photography. The video features are rather more interesting as Apple introduced ‘cinematic mode’ for all models which basically focuses on each person and scenario in a video automatically and gives that cinema-like feeling when watching the videos. Apple even showed examples by showing short films which were recorded by the iPhone 13’s cinematic mode.

The main factor for all these models has been the battery life which Apple claims lasts 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 models. Moreover, all models feature more bands around the sides of the phone which are said to improve 5G performance.

The iPhone 13 Mini is priced around $729 while the regular iPhone 13 is priced around $829. However, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are rather pricey which cost around $999 and $1,099.

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Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone has been awarded Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as a result of the recently held spectrum auction. The company won the spectrum in a bid to enhance the 4G customer experience across the country.

Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Syed Aminul Haq along with Secretary IT & Telecom, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, Chairman PTA, Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa (Retd.) HI (M), senior officials from the ministry and PTCL Group attended the event. DG Licensing PTA, Brig. Amer Shahzad (Retd.) and President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf signed the contract.

The company plans to use the spectrum to introduce new innovative products and services and enhance its customer experience by providing high-quality internet as well as to expand its existing network to unserved and underserved regions of the country.

Sharing his thoughts on spectrum acquisition, President and Group CEO, PTCL & Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf said: “It is a historic day for Ufone, as we have acquired an additional 4G Spectrum in order to fully optimize our mobile data services. This will enable us to further enhance our users’ experience, expand the existing network to serve the unserved areas. Improved data experience will enable a digital transformation in education, health care, agriculture, banking, and e-commerce ecosystems to name a few.”

“We appreciate the Government of Pakistan for executing the spectrum auction process in a seamless and transparent manner”, he further added.

The additional spectrum will enable Ufone to not only connect Pakistanis living in far-flung areas without cellular services but will also enable people in urban centers and towns to enjoy new sets of innovative products and unmatched experiences.

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With Facebook and Ray-Ban introducing their own version of smart glasses, Xiaomi has picked up the pace by announcing their smart glasses early on before the launch event which is said to take place today. The company has stated that these glasses are a ‘smart wearable device concept’.

Although the glasses are not a finalized product, they come up with a lot of features such as displaying notifications, make calls, provide navigation, take photos, and even translate text in real-time. In addition, these glasses are said to have a teleprompter function and weigh only 51g.

Moreover, the display uses micro-LEDs for backlighting and the display chip is nearly the size of a grain of rice. The overall pixels are sized at around 4 micrometers hence which is why the display can fit between the frame of the glasses in the first place.

These glasses are powered by the XiaoAI assistant which gives the user the most important notifications without disturbing the user as every single notification comes to the user’s phone. The glasses also have built-in microphones and speakers which allow you to take calls. In addition, there is a 5 MP camera which takes care of photos.

All this processing power is packed into a quad-core ARM processor paired with WiFi, Bluetooth, and Android software.

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With more than 500 global auto factories and 90 million cars produced in 2019 alone, efficiently managing vehicle logistics on site is a crucial need. With 5G and automated parking, automakers can save time and reduce costs.

Ericsson and industry 4.0 partner, Unikie, are collaborating to trial automated factory parking with Ericsson’s 5G standalone (SA) private network.

Finnish company Unikie develops software for real-time autonomous operation and process management in automotive and industrial solutions, including automated factory parking and valet parking.

At the test facility in Turku, Finland, vehicles are remotely controlled through a secure and reliable Ericsson 5G private network, utilizing edge computing and Unikie’s Automated Factory Parking (AFP) solution.

As a result, vehicle logistic management at the factory can be fully automated due to reliable connectivity, low latency to meet safety requirements, and the high-security standards of the 5G private network.

As cars roll off the production line, drivers move cars to a parking area before being shipped, which takes approximately 30 minutes. With Unikie’s AFP solution of sensors and software, automakers can control and monitor the car factory route and automate parking.

Automakers benefit from identifying the exact location of parked vehicles which reduces search time and labor costs. With precision parking, the parking space is optimized by up to 20 percent. An additional benefit is increased safety for onsite staff and minimum vehicle parking accidents. Other possible use cases for the technology include airport parking, shopping malls, and logistic hubs.

Vesa Kiviranta, Chief Business Officer, Automotive, Unikie says: “Together with Ericsson, we can support the reliability and performance requirements critical for large automotive manufacturers and other industries with vast logistics areas. Controlled autonomous vehicles onsite are efficient and safe not only for the entire automotive production ecosystem but for all logistic ecosystems.”

Jan Diekmann, Technical Account Manager, Ericsson says: “5G private networks enable automotive manufacturers to increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve worker safety. Combined with Unikie’s automated factory parking solution, vehicle logistics are transformed. It is exciting to be a part of this project.”

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On September 13 at the new smart office product launch event, Huawei released several new products, including the HUAWEI MateBook 13s, MateBook 14s, HUAWEI MateStation X desktop PC, HUAWEI MateView GT 27 monitor, and HUAWEI PixLab X1 printer. It also announced that the number of users who have upgraded their devices to HarmonyOS 2 has passed the 100 million mark.

“This is an exciting milestone and we are grateful to our consumers and partners for their support!” said Richard Yu, Executive Director and CEO of Consumer Business Group. He added, “HarmonyOS brings users a simpler way to connect, superior user experience, and more convenient services with multiple devices for different scenarios. At the same time, HarmonyOS will become the operating system based in the Internet of Everything era as Huawei works with partners to build an open, open-source, and trustworthy smart industry ecosystem for shared success. A spark can start a fire, and millions of stars converge into a vast celestial landscape!”

HarmonyOS 2 was installed at a record-breaking rate after the upgrade being made available on June 2 for over 100 device models including smartphones and tablets. It reached 10 million users just one week after release. That number rose to 30 million on July 8. On September 12, 3 months after launch, the number of users upgraded hit the 100 million mark. No other mobile operating system has ever reached 100 million users in such a short span.

As a cutting-edge operating system for smart devices, HarmonyOS allows different types of devices to connect and communicate with each other through a common language. In the state-of-the-art Control Panel, you can drag an icon of one device to that of another to connect the two, allowing you to use multiple devices as easily as using one. 

Users can customize their home screen with widgets of different sizes to suit their own personal style. Widgets also allow them to easily access atomic services such as news and the calendar without even opening an app. HarmonyOS 2 boasts superior performance and smoother operations and allows users to have longer gaming sessions and always get back to where they were when multiple apps are used. These new features enable users to experience a simple, smooth, continuous, secure, and reliable Seamless AI Life, allowing upgrade satisfaction to reach an all-time high.

Also included in this launch event was a new category of product, the HUAWEI PixLab X1 printer running HarmonyOS. This product is a critical part of Huawei’s smart office series for a Seamless AI Life and provides cutting-edge printing technology. Users can connect the printer via Bluetooth to nearby HUAWEI products including phones, tablets, or PCs through the popup window on the screen. This process takes as little as 20 seconds. The PixLab X1 creates a simple and efficient printing experience that supports Tap to Print, making easy-to-access and smarter technology available to all.

HarmonyOS 2 has been enthusiastically received by users. To meet user demands, Huawei has invested heavily in R&D to adapt HarmonyOS 2 to nearly 100 different device models one quarter ahead of schedule. This will enable more and more old models to enjoy the innovative functions and improved user experience of HarmonyOS. 

HarmonyOS has not only piqued the enthusiasm of consumers but has also attracted a large number of developers and partners to the HarmonyOS ecosystem. The number of HarmonyOS developers has surpassed 1.3 million, a ten-fold increase over last year. More than 1000 hardware vendors, such as Midea and Joyoung, have embraced HarmonyOS Connect to help create a more convenient user experience, which includes simplified connection and interaction, service widgets, and hardware capability sharing. Top platforms such as JD.com, Youku, and Sina News have developed easily accessible HarmonyOS apps and services that have greatly improved user retention and activity.

In the future, Huawei will continue to contribute code to the OpenHarmony open source project to help it grow and improve, allowing developers in diverse industries to build next-generation operating systems based on OpenHarmony, further enabling digitalization and intelligent development.

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K-Electric continues to leverage technology and digitization in its business operations with a focus on enhancing customer experience and offering them greater convenience. Another milestone was achieved in this regard as KE became the first power utility to launch a WhatsApp Service for residential customers in Karachi and adjoining areas.

The 24/7 service has been launched to provide consumers a hassle-free experience with real-time responses. The fully automated service can be used to lodge technical or billing complaints, obtain duplicate bills as well as income tax certificates, and download the forms for new connections along with a checklist of required documents.

Business operations around the world were impacted by the advent of COVID-19, causing a radical shift towards Alternate Delivery Channels (ADC) including internet and mobile banking for payments and e-commerce transactions. Reports estimate that phone ownership increased by as much as 10% during 2020, with some estimates noting that almost 77% of utility bills across Pakistan were being paid online. In the fiscal year FY20-FY21, K-Electric also noted an increase in ADC usage, corresponding to an increase of approximately PKR 7.4 billion in bill payments. With WhatsApp becoming a mainstream communication tool, it provides a substantial opportunity to connect with customers in real-time.

The WhatsApp service has been launched with the support of Infobip, a global leader in omnichannel communication offering a suite of tools for advanced customer engagement and support. KE and Infobip signed an MoU in July of 2021 to roll out the service to consumers.

Commenting on the launch, Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer at K-Electric added, “Leveraging technology is enabling businesses to become more agile and resilient in a post-pandemic world. We prioritize customer convenience and want to provide them with a plethora of services through which they can remain digitally connected with KE for their complaints or queries. We are constantly exploring innovative ways to revolutionize how we interact with our customers and modernize our digital touchpoints to create a richer, simpler, and more engaging customer experience.”

Raza Abbas, Head of Customer Experience at K-Electric, was elated at the launch of the service, stating “K-Electric is proud to be at the cutting edge of technology and digitization. WhatsApp is one of the most widely used services in the world and many businesses are incorporating it in their customer engagement strategy. This addition will strengthen our connection with our consumers and give them the flexibility to reach out to us from anywhere in the world with ease.”

Safder Merchant, Country General Manager for Infobip also stated, “Digital transformation went from being a benefit to a necessity almost overnight, and truly customer-centric companies need to adjust to the new market requirements. That’s why we are proud that K-Electric is one of the market pioneers in their industry; they recognized the needs of their customers and introduced communication over WhatsApp for Business – customers’ preferred communication channel.”

Connecting with KE through the WhatsApp service is as easy as saying hello to a friend. Consumers simply need to add the number +92-348-0000118 on their phones and message to begin their journey. They may be prompted to provide their 13-digit KE account number only once, after which they will be registered in the system. The platform is free however, mobile internet data charges from telecommunication service providers may apply.

The 24/7 WhatsApp service is another addition to the suite of existing services for customers including the call center 118, SMS service 8119, KE Live App, and social media platforms.

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Through the medium of a remote virtual event, Huawei Pakistan, working together with the Higher Education Commission, took part in the official closing ceremony for the Seeds for the Future program, 2021. The event was attended by Executive Director HEC, Dr. Shaista Sohail, Vice President Huawei Middle East, Mr. Space Lee, President National Youth Assembly, Mr. Hanan Ali Abbasi, Assistant Director HEC Mr. Taj Muhammad, Deputy CEO Huawei Pakistan, Mr. Wuhan, and the 40 students who participated in the program.

This is the 7th year Seeds for the Future is happening in Pakistan, just like last year, the whole program was moved online due to the obvious restrictions of COVID-19. Out of a pool of more than 1000 applicants, 40 information communication technology students from universities all across Pakistan were nominated by the Higher Education Commission. The aim of the program, which has been active in over 130 countries & regions since its inception in Thailand, has been to nurture upcoming STEM talent from around the world. As a global ICT market leader, Huawei has taken it upon itself to promote local ICT industries as part of development in their operational regions.

During the one-week online learning, students from Pakistan received technical training from Huawei and industry ICT experts, who shared their expertise on courses covering a wide range of topics like the Chinese language and culture, strategic leadership, 5G, cloud computing, AI, etc. Out of the 40 students, 30 successfully passed the course and got the graduation certificate. The top ten students and Best Team Leader also received awards.

Executive Director HEC stated at the ceremony, “I congratulate the students who have secured distinctions in these courses, from over a thousand students, you are the few who have been selected to be a part of this program. I’m thankful to Huawei and their very strong collaboration with the Higher Education Commission and universities across Pakistan.”

Mr. Hanan Ali Abbasi further stated, “Huawei is helping the upcoming generation’s reach their fullest potential by becoming tomorrow’s technology leaders, innovators, and pioneers. This program is meant to further develop their inclusion in our global digital society.”

Mr. Space Lee, VP Huawei Middle East Region added, “Thanks Dr. Shaista Sohail and HEC Team for organizing such a good program for the training of youth in Pakistan. Huawei is one of the top ICT companies in the world, I am sure through these programs some of the best ICT knowledge can be shared with the students of Pakistan and benefit their future careers.”

The Seeds for the Future program has been a successful addition to Huawei’s social-enterprise partnership goal in Pakistan since the first batch of Pakistani students traveled to China in 2015. So far 117 Pakistani students have been benefited from this program.

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Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Ufone has signed an MoU to launch 2nd batch of Justuju Internship Program in collaboration with Network of Organizations Working with Persons with Disabilities Pakistan (NOWPDP). 

Justuju includes a structured professional development plan for PWDs, focusing on training and enabling them to be part of the country’s mainstream socio-economic system. PTCL Group will induct 20 interns, as identified, and recommended by NOWPDP for internship at PTCL and Ufone offices in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. 

Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, Syed Mazhar Hussain and Executive Director, NOWPDP, Omair Ahmed, signed the MoU in Islamabad at PTCL HQ for building capacity, sensitizing employees, and creating employment opportunities for the PWDs due to be inducted under the program. 

Sharing his thoughts at the MoU signing ceremony, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone said, “We are glad to partner with NOWPDP for Justuju Internship Program through which PTCL Group endeavours to enable PWDs in honing their skills so that they can be well-equipped for today’s competitive work environment. PTCL and Ufone being national organizations, endorse and practice inclusivity, where everyone can contribute towards business growth and the country’s economy.” 

Also speaking at the occasion, Omair Ahmed, Executive Director, NOWPDP, said, “We are glad to join hands with PTCL and Ufone to enable and empower Persons With Disabilities through special training in digital technology. We strongly believe in the strength and ability of these people to make a difference for themselves and the society. We are glad that our collaboration with PTCL and Ufone will provide them the support and encouragement they need to rewrite their destiny. We are eager to carry forward this collaboration to make a significant impact for this marginalized social group.” 

The participants of Justuju program will work alongside PTCL and Ufone team members on various projects and get first-hand work experience and insights about the corporate world. PTCL Group’s robust mentorship system will focus on capacity building and skill enhancement of the participants to prepare them for their career goals. PTCL Group also sensitizes its employees to provide a supportive and friendly working environment to the new team members.

NOWPDP is working for inclusion and empowerment through equal employment opportunities for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), with promise and potential for growth. 

This initiative is an extension of PTCL Group’s long-term commitment for promoting diversity and inclusivity to further strengthen its work culture as well as to create shared value for the society.

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The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has acquired two A320 aircraft; the first aircraft reached Islamabad on Tuesday morning, while the second aircraft is expected to arrive in a couple of weeks, as per a statement realease by the airline. 

As reported by BOL News, PIA had issued a tender for the acquisition of aircraft on lease. These two aircraft have been acquired on dry lease from the Bank of Utah, US. 

The national airline plans to upgrade its fleet with the new versions of fuel-efficient latest technology aircraft. The two aircraft, manufactured in 2017, feature a passenger capacity of 170 seats. 

The process of inducting aircraft was slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and prevailing aircraft industry crisis worldwide. 

PIA chief executive officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik, while sharing his views on the delivery of the first A320 aircraft, said that PIA’s aim is to provide the best services to its customers with fuel efficient aircraft featuring the latest technology. 

He thanked the airline management for inducting the aircraft in such difficult times and congratulated them for this feat.  

The PIA CEO also thanked the government of Pakistan, Ministry of Finance, PIA board of directors and Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan for their support. 

Air Marshal Arshad Malik instructed the PIA engineering and relevant departments to immediately fulfill all the necessary requirements and bring this aircraft into operation as soon as possible. 

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Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that the Ministry of Information Technology would launch 5G technology in the country next year. 

As reported by Geo News, the Minister was briefing the media about decisions taken by the Federal Cabinet in a meeting today chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He explained that multiple companies had already shown interest in launching 5G technology in Pakistan. 

Chaudhry said that PM Imran Khan directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to ensure good telecommunication services in all parts of the country so that everyone could benefit from a revolution in the sector. 

Among other important discussions was the matter of cybersecurity, with Chaudhry explaining that the cabinet allowed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to hire services for making its data more secure following a cyber-attack on August 14 this year. 

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication stated that it was aiming to introduce the country to 5G by 2023. Minister for IT and Telecom Syed Amin-ul-Haque added that the government was looking to increase export of IT services to $5 billion by the end of 2022-23. 

He went on to talk about his vision to provide affordable and high-speed Internet connection to people in small towns, adding that he was sure that the more people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan will be able to excel as freelancers from the comfort of their homes. 

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In the essence of highlighting the significance of road safety, Careem has collaborated with the Sindh Police and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Islamabad to build on its yearly initiative of distributing helmets to motorcyclists. The activity was conducted in two cities, Karachi and Islamabad initially and is expected to be carried out in various other cities in the next phase. 

The initiative is aimed at bringing awareness regarding the importance of safety as well as ensuring the best practices are followed amongst motorcyclists. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, there were a total of 9701 accidents in 2019-20, resulting in 5436 deaths and 12317 injuries. 45% of the total accidents are of motorbike riders, which can potentially be avoided with the use of helmets. 

In Karachi, the event was attended by senior officials from Careem and Sindh Police including; Sagheer Hussain, Senior Superintendent of Police, Afzal Noor Khan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bachal Shah, Police Inspector, Turab Sub-Inspector and the Traffic Safety Awareness Team whereas in Islamabad the guests included; Col Rtd. Muhammad Amjad, Deputy Director and Deputy Head of Security, DHA. 

Zeeshan Baig, Country General Manager, Careem Pakistan commented: “Safety always comes first, be it of our Customers, Captains or Colleagues. Since lives are precious, we should do all in our power to not lose them due to negligence.”  He further added: “We are extremely happy to partner with the authorities to raise awareness regarding the matter and play our part in ensuring that all necessary steps are taken.” 

Muhammad Amjad, Deputy Director and Deputy Head of Security, DHA stated: “We are thankful to Careem Pakistan for not just distributing helmets to motorists but also for emphasizing the significance of road safety and raising awareness about the importance of wearing helmets while riding.”

As per the Motor Vehicle Ordinance of 1965, it is mandatory for both the motorcyclist and the passenger to wear a helmet, however, this is not implemented by many motorists.  

According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), lack or inappropriate use of helmets has shown to increase the risk of casualties and physical impairment resulting from road crashes involving motorized two-wheelers. Careem Pakistan wished to bring a change in those statistics by ensuring that people take all the necessary precautions and observe best safety practices so they keep themselves and others out of harm’s way.

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The concerns between Apple and Epic Games have finally come to an end as Apple was ordered to change the way its App Store operates which overall affected the company’s profits.

As of now, Apple’s stocks have fallen by 3.3% which is said to be its biggest decline since May 4 hence the company losing nearly $85 million. However, the stocks remain up more than 12% as of 2021.

As a result, Epic Games has finally received the injunction it was fighting for. This would allow developers on Apple’s App Store to use their own payment system for their apps hence driving customers away from Apple’s own payment methods.

Moreover, Epic Games has also ordered Apple to pay a few million dollars as a result of the violation of the contract from their end. However, EC has failed to win back Fortnite from Apple as it still remains locked on the Apple Store. In addition, Apple has also banned Epic’s developer account from the App Store and it will remain that way as the court has claimed that Apple has the right to do so.

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In recent news, a Lahore-based digital freight marketplace called BirdgeLinx has raised nearly $10 million in the country’s largest round. The round was led by Harry Stebbings’ 20 VC, Josh Buckley’s Buckley Ventures, and Indus Valley Capital.

According to the startup, the deal was oversubscribed twice and even included the participation of Wavemaker Partners, Quiet Capital, TrueSight Ventures, Soma Capital, Flexport, Untitled, and some of the largest business groups of Pakistan, including Maple Leaf Capital. This included several angel investors as well as founders of Convoy (US-based freight marketplace) and Bazaar (Pakistani B2B marketplace) also joined the round.

BridgeLinx enables businesses to move freight by connecting them with carriers such as truckers, owner-operators, transporters, and private fleets through its online marketplace. The startup was launched nearly nine months ago and already the startup has claimed to have onboarded thousands of carriers who are moving thousands of shipments every week.

Moreover, the platform offers an end-to-end solution for load execution starting from matching payments whereas businesses can use the startup’s mobile app to book different types of vehicles to move their load. In addition, clients can track their shipments in the app and oversee all shipment-related documents.

Salman Gul, co-founder and CEO of BridgeLinx stated the following:
“With logistics averaging at 10% of GDP globally, deploying technology to optimize and create visibility across global supply chains is a trillion-dollar opportunity. At BridgeLinx, we are on a mission to redefine the way in which businesses manage supply chains – from procurement and shipping to warehousing and distribution. Our journey starts with road freight in Pakistan, and the talent-dense team we are building is incredibly privileged to be backed by some of the best investors from around the world.”

According to Harry Stebbings of 20VC:
“For me, the best investments combine incredible, category-defining entrepreneurs with macro headwinds. BridgeLinx is just that – a team of phenomenal entrepreneurs operating in a space with limitless potential.”

Indus Valley Capital’s Managing Partner Aatif Awan also added:
“BridgeLinx has cracked the code for making end-to-end freight work in a hassle-free manner and therefore signed up some of the top businesses in Pakistan. We believe this team is well on its way to bring unprecedented efficiencies to the country’s economy and are really excited to partner with them.”

As of now, BridgeLinx aims to utilize the funds in order to “consolidate its position as a market leader by broadening its product stack and expanding across additional verticals, segments, and lanes” as mentioned by the startup.

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