Pakistan is one of the leading countries in the world with highest per capital mobile phones and its telecom and mobile phone market is growing with the passage of time. The country offers great opportunities for investment and telecom remained the leading sector which attracted billions of dollars investment over the years in the past. This earning sector had been opened up for foreign investors since revolution came in the communication technology and branded devices were introduced in the local market. According to unconfirmed official figures, mobile phone import increased by 4.5 percent to $753 million during 2015-16 as compared to $722 million during the same period of the previous year. The overall imports in telecom sector remained $1.365 billion in 2015-16 as compared to $1.377 billion during the same period of the previous year. The government has adopted very successful telecom policy which has not only expanded the area of connectivity in the country, but also offered business opportunities to foreign investors. However, the government may have missed two basic points in its promising telecom policy.
There is no doubt the telecom sector remained an attractive destination for the foreign investment, but no effort has been made to woo the private sector of the country to launch any indigenous telecom service, which should not only capture the local market, but also countries in the region. Some experts believe the telecom sector has reached a saturation point where there are bleak chances of further investment. However, one cannot make 100 percent prediction how the market will respond to certain situations. The government has already opted for unnecessary delays in allowing 3G/4G services in Pakistan. However, it has attracted 29 million smartphone users in the country. The other point the government has missed in this business is the transfer of technology. The world of technology is ever changing but Pakistan is lagging behind not only in innovation and diversification of products,but also it lacks the user-level knowledge of the new devices.
The world is changing at a fast rate and it is the duty of the Ministry of Science and Technology and other stakeholders to keep themselves abreast of the changing scenario in this field. Pakistan has adopted some of the best business practices during the last few years and it is hoped that efforts will be made to persuade the multinational companies to ensure that transfer of technology is attached with their investment plan. So far, the country is struggling to keep up pace with the countries in the region, but the development is fast and a fast track national programme is required to continue its journey towards business and technological development.
