ISLAMABAD: The telecom sector investments, including proceeds from 3G/4G spectrum auction and further contributions from operators in infrastructure, have crossed $ 2.67 billion.
The launch of 3G/4G (mobile broadband services) was a success story as within a short span its commercial launch, broadband subscribers have crossed 26 million and the broadband penetration has gone up from less than 3 % to over 15 %.
Sources at Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoIT) on Tuesday said introduction of 3G/4G (mobile broadband) has not only brought telecom sector at par with developed countries in terms of modern telecom services but also created more avenues of employment. The fields include e-commerce, e-health, e-education, IT applications, content development and home-based businesses etc. across Pakistan.
The sources said as per World Bank studies 10 % increase in high-speed Internet connections boosts annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by 1.38 % point and considering the exponential rise in mobile broadband users (3G/4G), it is expected that the introduction of this technology would have a very positive impact on economic growth in the country.
They said already IT exports have risen by 41% in 2014-15 as compared to previous year, content and software development is also gaining significant momentum and soon will get status of sub-sector within IT sector. The connectivity of broadband through 3G/4G services has resulted in expansion of financial services web and e-commerce related activities particularly in relation to women which constitutes 51 % of the population, the sources said.
