‘Improvement in telecom sector seen as silver lining of Covid-19’

Islamabad: Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, has said that great things are coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and digitisation in the country and improvement of the telecom sector are seen as a silver lining.

Dr. Suleri was addressing a webinar on “Future of telecom industry amid Covid-19 with special focus on Pakistan” organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). Dr. Suleri said that Covid-19 is not only a warning in the context of biological pandemic and Climate Change, but also a catalyst for increased dependency on digital connectivity.

We must remove digital inequality and advance the agenda of transparency and accountability, Dr. Suleri said while sharing his dismay that no work was done for data storage which is imperative to start a journey towards digital revolution in the country.

Muhammad Arif Sargana, Director-General, Commercial Affairs, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, said there are more than 83 million users in Pakistan while revenue stands at Rs468 million with investment more than Rs 500 million.