Category: IT news

Pakistan (Nut Desk) A new ultra-low latency long-haul fiber network is being deployed jointly by One Network, the largest ICT and Intelligent Traffic and Electronic Tolling System operator in Pakistan, and Cybernet, a leading fiber broadband provider. The network will span the entire length of the country and provide much-needed capacity and redundancy to the communications, internet, and media infrastructure in numerous cities, towns, and districts.

The first phase of the project which includes 1800 km of fiber network along motorways and road sections linking Karachi to Hyderabad (M-9 Motorway), Multan to Sukkur (M-5 Motorway), Abdul Hakeem to Lahore (M-3 Motorway), Swat Expressway (M-16), Lahore to Islamabad (M-2 Motorway) and separately from Lahore to Sialkot (M-11 Motorway), Gujranwala, Daska and Wazirabad have been deployed. Both partners are now moving expeditiously to install and test a multi-terabit transport network and attain ready-for-service (RFS).

The second phase which includes Hyderabad to Sukkur, Multan to Pindi Bhattian (M-4 Motorway), Hazara Expressway (E-35), Hakla to D.I.Khan (M-14 Motorway), and Islamabad to Peshawar (M-1 Motorway) has commenced and is expected to go live by Q1 2023.

Based on learnings from disruptions due to infrastructure damages in recent floods, the project has implemented extra measures to withstand natural calamities. All critical components including optical networking equipment, distribution networks, and power systems are deployed in such a manner that they continue to function in a range of disaster scenarios. Furthermore, the network is being enhanced through multiple rings, and swap arrangements with other network providers to provide an unprecedented level of reliability.

Mr. Asif Siddique, CEO of One Network expressed his views that, “This national long-haul project is the backbone to enable One Network to deploy state-of-the-art platforms for electronic toll collection (ETC) and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for our National Motorways – the economic backbone of our country. Built along the national motorways, the fiber transmission network will provide a robust information highway linking many Pakistani cities, towns, and districts. The infrastructure has been built, and will be maintained, by keeping in mind the capacity and communication needs for our nation and its citizens for the next 25 years”. The infrastructure shall also be available for all cellular mobile operators to provide quality of service to their 3G/4G subscribers along the motorway routes. “We are building safe and reliable long-haul fiber infrastructure with an aim to contribute to improving quality of service and digitalization efforts of the government of Pakistan,” added Mr. Asif Siddique.

Danish A. Lakhani, CEO of Cybernet said, “Our goal is to provide a high-capacity fiber network that continues to function in critical times. With careful planning of the fiber plant including ring-based protection and regular, proactive maintenance we aim to construct a robust national fiber backbone for use by everyone – but one which will be owned and managed by local Pakistanis. Such a backbone will not only serve the people, businesses, and institutions of Pakistan but also meet the needs of international customers who require high-capacity, cross-border connectivity.”

The new long-haul network will also provide tremendous benefit to Cybernet’s own broadband service (StormFiber) by enabling the company to provide multi-terabit transmission uplink to its broadband access network. “This transmission network will enable us to further our mission of transforming the Pakistani economy by bringing gigabit fiber broadband service –at an affordable price— to households and businesses in every major city of Pakistan. We are on track to roll out our FTTH-based triple play service to the 25^th city in Pakistan by the end of the year”, added Lakhani.

Pakistan (Nut Desk)

Ericsson ConsumerLab’s 5G: The Next Wave report is the largest consumer 5G research to date.

• Compared to 4G users – 5G users spend an average of one hour per-week more on metaverse-related services, such as gaming in virtual worlds, and augmented reality (AR).
• Half of 5G consumers who already use extended-reality (XR) related services believe AR apps will move from smartphones to XR headsets within two years.

As 5G uptake in many parts of the world bridges the milestone from early adopters to mass adoption, major new Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) research – the industry’s largest global study of its kind to date – underlines consumers’ growing commitment to 5G and their expectations on next-generation uses cases.

Called 5G: The Next Wave, the Ericsson ConsumerLab report addresses the impact 5G has had on early adopter consumers since launching in various countries, as well as gauging the intention of non-5G subscribers to take up the technology – and their related expectations. The report forecasts that at least 30 percent of smartphone users intend to take up a 5G subscription within the next year.

The mix of Ericsson tracking data covering 5G launches since 2019, and the new consumer survey, has enabled Ericsson ConsumerLab to identify six key trends impacting the next wave of 5G adoption.

The report covers the behavioral changes triggered by the bundling of digital services into 5G plans by communications service providers – particularly the increased use of enhanced video and augmented reality (AR) apps. 

The report also addresses the speed of mainstream 5G adoption, whether consumer demands are being met, and 5G-related changes in smartphone behavior – and their impact on network traffic.

More than 49,000 consumers in 37 countries were interviewed in the research – the largest global 5G-related consumer survey in the industry to date and the largest consumer survey conducted by Ericsson on any topic. The survey scope is representative of the opinions of about 1.7 billion consumers worldwide, including 430 million 5G subscribers.

Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab, says: ”The scale of the research gives us an authentic insight into consumers’ views and attitudes to 5G. The report shows that the next wave of potential 5G users have different expectations from the technology compared to early adopters. Overall, consumers see engaging with 5G as an essential part of their future lifestyles.”

He adds: “It is interesting to note that 5G is emerging as an important enabler for early adopters to embrace metaverse-related services, such as socializing, playing and buying digital items in interactive 3D virtual gaming platforms. The amount of time spent on augmented reality apps by 5G users has also doubled over the past two years, compared to 4G users.”

The report forecasts that 5G consumers with experience of using extended reality (XR) functionality are likely to be the first to embrace future devices as they are more positive about the potential of mixed-reality glasses. Half of 5G users who already use XR-related services weekly think that AR apps will move from smartphones to XR headsets within the next two years, compared to one-third of 4G consumer who hold this view.

5G – the Next Wave Report: Six key trends

1. 5G adoption to be inflation resilient: At least 510 million consumers across 37 markets are likely to take up 5G in 2023.
2. The demanding next wave of users: The next wave of 5G users have high expectations on 5G performance, especially network coverage, compared to early adopters — who care about new innovative services enabled by 5G.
3. Perceived 5G availability is emerging as the new satisfaction benchmark among consumers. Geographical coverage, indoor/outdoor coverage, and congregation hot-spot coverage are more important to building a user perception than population coverage.
4. 5G is pushing up usage of enhanced video and augmented reality. Over the past two years, time spent on AR apps by 5G users has doubled to two hours per week.
5. 5G monetization models are expected to evolve: Six in 10 consumers expect 5G offerings to move beyond more data volume and speeds to on-demand tailored network capabilities for specific needs.
6. 5G adoption is setting the path to the metaverse. 5G users on average are already spending one hour more per-week in metaverse-related services than 4G users. They also expect two hours of more video content will be consumed weekly on mobile devices, 1.5 hours of which will be on AR/VR glasses by 2025.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) More than 3,000 industry stakeholders gathered together at HUAWEI CONNECT Dubai, to discuss “Innovative Infrastructure to Unleash Digital”. Representatives from Huawei and other organizations shared their latest digitalization practices, exploring new paths to industrial digital transformation. Ken Hu, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, delivered a keynote outlining three ways the ICT ecosystem can help break through common barriers in digital transformation:  Boost digital infrastructure, including more robust connectivity and stronger, more diverse computing resources.  Help organizations go beyond simple cloud adoption and truly make the most of cloud, focusing on advanced technology services that drive leapfrog development.  Build out local digital ecosystems including partner development, strengthening the digital talent pool, and providing more support for SMEs. Opening the event, Steven Yi, President of Huawei Middle East & Africa expressed gratitude to customers and partners for their ongoing trust and reaffirmed Huawei’s commitment to contributing to local development. He also shared three key initiatives of Huawei, its customers and partners, to unleash digital productivity. Together, they work to build a solid digital foundation for all and reinforce local digital ecosystems to support the future of digital nations. Innovative, scenario-based technologies enhance digital infrastructure to unleash digital productivity Bob Chen, Vice President of Huawei Enterprise BG, discussed how multi-tech synergy is critical for finding the right technology for the right scenario. He explained in his keynote speech “Innovative Digital Infrastructure Accelerates Digital Transformation” that “Data is at the core of digital transformation, and data ingestion, transmission, storage, and analysis are key steps. Huawei provides full-stack products and product portfolios to support end-to-end data processing, accelerating customers’ digital transformation.” In terms of data connectivity, Huawei unveiled NetEngine AR5710, a hyper-converged gateway that is ideal for small and midsize branches, and NetEngine 8000 F8, an ultra-compact universal-service aggregation router. These all-new products are helping lay a solid data foundation to further unleash digital productivity. With regards to data transmission, Huawei has been exploring how to apply the fifth generation fixed network (F5G) evolution across various industries. During the event, Huawei in partnership with a customer, jointly launched a digital pipeline corridor inspection solution based on optical fiber sensing technology, enabling automatic pipeline corridor inspection. Regarding data storage, Huawei and Commvault, a data management software company, jointly launched a data protection solution that provides enterprise customers with secure and reliable data protection from end to end. This helps create a reliable and efficient storage foundation, allowing enterprises to maximize the value of data. Joy Huang, President of Huawei Cloud Strategy & Industry Development, pointed out that Huawei’s approach to digital transformation has three pillars: greener infrastructure, ongoing innovation, and shared experience. Huawei Cloud aims to be the best digitalization partner for customers, and is working with partners and customers to unleash digital with Everything-as-a-Service. Additionally, customers from various industries in the Middle East and Africa also shared their best practices with Huawei in digital transformation at the event. Huawei also launched the Huawei Empower Program, which aims to help develop a thriving digital ecosystem for global partners. Through this program, Huawei will conduct joint innovation with its partners via OpenLabs, empower partners with a new framework, a new plan, and an integrated platform, and create a talent pool through the Huawei ICT Academy and Huawei Authorized Learning Partner (HALP) programs. Huawei also announced an investment of US$300 million into this program over the next three years to support its global partners. 

2nd Annual edition of Huawei Innovation Day discussed how collaboration can unleash innovation for a sustainable digital future in Middle East and Africa

Sustainable development, ICT talent cultivation and empowering women in technology was a key highlight of Huawei MEA Innovation Day 2022 Jawad Abbasi, Head of MENA, GSMA, highlighted how mobile connectivity and technology solutions can enable global savings of around 11 gigatonnes of carbon emissions by 203.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, today held the second annual Huawei Innovation Day with customers, partners and technology experts from the Middle East and Africa. Held in parallel with GITEX GLOBAL 2022, the Huawei MEA Innovation Day 2022 was organized in partnership with the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO) under the theme of “Collaboration to Unleash Innovation for Sustainable Digital Future”. The annual event gathered the region’s government leaders from different sectors, industry analysts, ICT ecosystem partners and international standardization, and Huawei’s senior leadership team. Jeff Wang, Global President of Public Affairs and Communications Huawei, delivered the opening keynote speech to highlight Huawei’s commitment to supporting the MEA digital transformation and ICT sustainability future. “Today, we have heard from customers and partners from the Middle East and Africa who are leveraging our technologies to enable new business models, boost competitiveness and spur sustainable economic growth.” Wang said, adding, “We also heard amazing stories of how technology is being applied to solving some of the greatest challenges facing humanity such as climate change, energy transition, inclusion and women empowerment. Such outcomes inspire us to continue innovating to power a better future for all.” H.E. Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor, Secretary General of the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), the event partner, delivered the keynote speech, highlighting the importance of collaboration between various regional stakeholders and global partners to build an integrated ICT ecosystem for a sustainable digital economy. “We are delighted with this collaboration with Huawei around an insightful topic increasingly becoming the keystone for sustainable technological development,” H.E Ben Amor stated, adding, “If “innovation” was always and will remain the engine of economic and social progress with a profound transformational impact on our lives, technological innovation will be, without any doubt, the compulsory way towards a better digital future. Therefore, we highly trust that technological innovation will help transform challenges into opportunities and shorten the path to achieving our common goals. This requires, in particular, a strong regional and international cooperation framework to strengthen national and regional innovation systems and models leading to innovative and sustainable technological initiatives.” Steven Yi, President of Huawei Middle East & Africa, added: “We are honored with the distinguished audience in our Innovation Day MEA 2022. Our mission remains to bring the broadest ICT ecosystem together to inspire change and deliver socioeconomic growth. We are hopeful the lessons we take from the event today will help bring us closer to an open, intelligent world that has been our mission from Day 1.” Additionally, various keynotes were also delivered by H.E. Zhang Yiming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to UAE, H.E. Dr. Fadia Kiwan, Director General of Arab Women Organization, H.E. Dr. Khaled Wali, Director of the ICT Department at the League of Arab States, H.E. Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor, Secretary General of the Arab ICT Organization, , H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al-Ohali, President of KFU (King Faisal University) and Jawad Abbasi, Head of MENA, GSMA. From his side, Jawad Abbasi, Head of MENA, GSMA, said, “Mobile connectivity is bringing endless potential to all business sectors and also making possible partnerships between sectors. From automotive to aviation, education to entertainment, manufacturing to the metaverse, mobile connectivity has a massive enablement effect. In climate action, last year at COP26, the GSMA called on business leaders and policymakers to start using smart technology to achieve net zero by 2050, and limit global warming to 1.5C. For example, if four main sectors (energy, transport, buildings and manufacturing) expand their use of mobile technology solutions, this would enable global savings of around 11 gigatonnes of carbon emissions by 2030; equivalent to roughly 40% of the total required reduction!”  .

• Huawei marks its largest-ever presence at GITEX GLOBAL 2022 with a focus on digital-led sustainable development.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei welcomed high-level customer visits on Day 1 of GITEX GLOBAL 2022, where they explored the company’s wide range of innovations on 5G, paving the way to 5.5G, cloud-native 2.0 architectures, AI, digital power, cybersecurity, and industry applications, designed to meet the needs of various verticals including government, utilities, oil and gas, transportation and finance. These solutions and technological advances create new economic value by addressing national digital transformation goals and enabling a green and intelligent society toward the net-zero target. Under the theme of “Unleash Digital”, Huawei marks its largest-ever participation at GITEX this year, demonstrating its commitment to the regional and global technology ecosystem. As the Diamond Sponsor of the event, Huawei renews support to the region’s leading ICT showcase. Steven Yi, Huawei Middle East and Africa President, said, “We welcome visitors to our stand to experience our world-leading end-to-end solutions that address diverse ICT needs of our public and private sector customers. As competition heats up, we recognize customers’ challenges as they pursue their business transformation goals. Our technologies and expertise in various domains ease the digital transformation journeys of our customers, allowing them to unleash innovation and business growth.” Huawei believes the biggest value it can bring to advance the green agenda is to use continuous technology innovation to help all industries enhance ICT infrastructure energy efficiency and achieve low-carbon development. Huawei’s vision is to integrate digital and power electronics technologies, develop green power, and enable energy digitalization for a better, greener future. In Cloud, Huawei is showcasing its Everything-as-a-Service model that envisions a future where all infrastructure and applications will be cloud-based. At the booth, guests can also explore how cloud native 2.0 architectures can be incorporated into industry solutions in government and enterprises, boosting the cloud ecosystem in the Middle East through more open collaborations and leading to innovation and digitalization. In cybersecurity, Huawei reiterates the importance of a secure-by-design principle that considers security not as an added-on feature but a fundamental part of the product blueprint, a common challenge that all stakeholders – including governments, industry and standards organizations, enterprises, technology suppliers, and consumers – have a shared responsibility to confront. As a global ICT leader, Huawei will continue supporting economic growth, creating employment opportunities and enabling the digital transformation of industries across the Middle East and the world. Huawei will support local and regional industry ecosystems and SMEs while developing digital talents in all our markets. The company is committed to continuing to create shared value and driving sustainable development for the ICT ecosystem. Huawei is hosting a series of conferences throughout the week that add new value to partners and customers. The annual Huawei Innovation Day returns for the second year, now covering the entire Middle East and Africa. It will take place on October 11th in Al Multaqua Ballroom at the DWTC in collaboration with the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO) under the theme of “Collaboration to Unleash Innovation for Sustainable Digital Future”. The sessions will cover themes such as Green ICT for the sustainable future of sectors and industries and the ICT talent ecosystem, nurturing future digital leaders and empowering women in ICT in the MEA region. The Huawei Middle East and Africa Carrier Enterprise Business Summit will take place on Day 2 of GITEX Global at the Al Multaqua Ballroom under the theme ‘Unleash Digital Services, Grow Enterprise Business.’ During the conference, Huawei will share its strategy for supporting carrier partners invite carriers and Managed Service partners (MSP) to showcase their business achievements and help them make breakthroughs in enterprise business. The Huawei Developer Summit will take place on Day 3 at the Al Multaqua Ballroom, bringing together consumer cloud-related startups, developers, and the Harmony ecosystem to explore the latest in HarmonyOS, smart homes, smart homes, and smart offices, HMS Core, and more. In addition to Huawei’s own events, Huawei executives are participating in various keynotes and panel discussions organized around cybersecurity, smart cities, Edtech, and the future roadmap for 5G technology and mobility. DR TIAN QI, Chief AI Scientist at HUAWEI CLOUD, delivered one of the main keynotes of GITEX today, titled ‘Unleash Digital with EI Technology Innovation’.

The second annual event will host regional government leaders and senior ICT industry players on October 11th at GITEX Global • Empowering women in technology will be a key highlight of Huawei MEA Innovation Day 2022

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, today announced the return of the second annual Huawei Innovation Day, covering the entire Middle East and Africa. Taking place in parallel with GITEX Global on October 11th in Al Multaqua Ballroom at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the Huawei MEA Innovation Day will be held in collaboration with the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO) under the theme of “Collaboration to Unleash Innovation for Sustainable Digital Future”. The annual event will gather the region’s government leaders from different sectors, industry analysts, ICT ecosystem partners from MEA Region, as well as Huawei’s senior leadership team. Jeff Wang, Global President of Public Affairs and Communications, Huawei, will deliver the opening keynote speech to highlight Huawei’s commitment to supporting the MEA digital transformation and ICT sustainability future. Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor, Secretary General of the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), the event partner, will deliver the keynote speech at the conference, highlighting the importance of collaboration between various regional stakeholders and global partners to build an integrated ICT ecosystem for a sustainable digital economy. This will follow by addresses from ministerial and senior leaders from the UAE government, as well as regional and international industry organizations and high-level ICT stakeholders from different verticals and industries. ‘I am pleased that this year’s 2nd Huawei Innovation Day will include even wider areas, bringing industry leaders together to share insights on how ICT as an enabler will help realize digitalization of the Middle East and Africa. ‘ Wang said, ‘We look forward to building a digital sustainable future in Middle East and Africa through open collaboration with public and private entities.” This year’s Huawei MEA Innovation Day covers themes such as green ICT for the sustainable future of sectors and industries, the ICT talent ecosystem, and empowering women in ICT in the MEA region. Huawei will also delve into emerging technologies in the Middle East and Africa, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity and discussing the benefits of integrating technologies like 5G, Cloud, and AI in supporting verticals, key industries, businesses, and public services. Steven Yi, President of Huawei Middle East, added: “At Huawei, we want to create digital technologies that make lives better, businesses more intelligent, and society more inclusive. During this year’s Huawei Innovation Day, we will continue to provide insights into the digital technologies that are transforming organizations across the region as well as discuss some of the pressing issues in the ICT industry, opening the way for a more collaborative approach to drive the ICT ecosystem in the MEA region.” Another key topic Huawei will explore at the Huawei MEA Innovation Day this year is building talent ecosystems to create future ICT leaders and strategies for strengthening the ICT skill development path for key sectors and industries. ICT talent is significant in driving digital transformation and realizing national plans and visions. In a panel discussion with key industry and academic leaders, Huawei will discuss the role of public-private partnerships in fostering innovation and equipping the youth with the right tools to become future ICT leaders. Huawei will also discuss the importance of working with universities and other organizations to improve ICT programs and the need to address the gaps and challenges in the cyber security sector. Another important topic of discussion this year will be the role of women in tech. In the digital era, Huawei strongly believes that more opportunities and support must be given to women to ensure they have access to the education and training they need to be fundamentally competitive in the digital economy. Equipping women with these skills has proven to promote social integration and inclusive and diversified societies. 

12 B2B startups have been enrolled into the program, specifically designed to help innovative entrepreneurs leverage the right technology to drive growth, scale and impact across the Middle East.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Microsoft for Startups Middle East have announced the third cohort of B2B tech startups for its engaging GrowthX Accelerator program today.

Run as part of a strategic partnership between the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Microsoft, the GrowthX Accelerator offers unmatched training opportunities to growth-stage startups ranging primarily from the Seed to Series A spectrum. Launched in 2021, a total of 36 B2B tech startups have graduated from the virtual accelerator program to date, enabling the founders of these companies to bring their innovative ideas to the forefront and drive impact across the region. The third edition of the program is currently underway and will conclude in January 2023.

Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Acting Director General at ADIO said, “As part of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to accelerating digital transformation and maximizing opportunities to enhance the region’s digital economy, we recognize the importance of startups in driving innovation and bringing new, creative solutions to solve industry, business and societal challenges. We are thrilled to continue our support for the region’s startup ecosystem by welcoming a third cohort of startups to the GrowthX Accelerator. Through our ongoing partnership with Microsoft for Startups, we are committed to empowering these innovators with the insights and resources they need to grow, scale and drive impact.”

Naim Yazbeck, General Manager, Microsoft UAE said: “Startups offer outstanding potential to not only accelerate digital transformation across the region, but also unlock incredible innovations that will propel our region forward. The startups participating in this cohort of the GrowthX Accelerator program will be able to access knowledge from industry experts to scale their businesses and drive real impact across the region. Together with ADIO, we look forward to empowering our third cohort of startups to develop their innovative ideas into next-generation solutions that will strengthen the regional ecosystem and develop our digital economy.”

As part of the third cohort, 12 startups will undergo training on enterprise sales, technical readiness, investor-readiness and customer engagement tactics. Participating startups include:

 

• Edraak Systems (Pakistan), which specializes in the optimization of industrial manufacturing workflows.
• Fortyguard (UAE), which uses data track and understand the impact of urban heat on cities.
• Ilmversity (Pakistan), a cost effective one-stop EdTech SaaS platform.
• Klickit (Egypt), which enables educational institutions to deploy custom payment & fees solutions.
• Pay Caps (UAE), a one-stop payment solution designed to meet all online payment requirements of merchants.
• Peyk (Turkey), a cloud-based platform that offers website monitoring solutions.
• Pisano (UAE), an experience management platform that feeds voice of customer and voice of employee programs back into businesses.
• Poilabs (Turkey), which leverages innovative technology to create accessible venues for the visually impaired community.
• Raabtaa (Pakistan), a real-time business collaboration & customer engagement platform.
• Supercommerce (Saudi Arabia), a platform that enables tech teams to build e-commerce.
• Vita Virtues (UAE), which offers transformative digital solutions for insurance companies and brokers.
• Xina AI (Jordan), the world’s first Arabic Interactive Voice Assistant (IVA) and Chatbot.

 Find out more about the Microsoft for Startups GrowthX Accelerator program here.

 

 

Pakistan (Nut Desk) Considering recent developments in technological agreements, Pakistan’s recent interest in developing its technological future is being acknowledged by countries such as China, Korea & Iran. The government’s stance towards technological agreements and exchange of knowledge has been witnessed in the last few months, with a recent Letter of Intent to create a world-class technology ecosystem between Shenyang Economic and Technological Development Area (SEDA) of China and the Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) of Pakistan.

Meanwhile President Dr Arif Alvi has also called for further enhancing the quantum of bilateral trade and investment between Pakistan and the Republic of Korea with ICT-based modern technologies as one of many sectors he had emphasized on.

Furthermore, recently Pakistan Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) talks have been held in Pakistan and Iran has assured promotion of mutual trade between the two countries.. With technology a focus of recent news, we spoke to Sarwar Khan, CEO TPL Trakker (TPLT), a pioneer in tracking systems, GIS Implementation, and ICT Solutions in Pakistan, who stated: “Technological transformations are becoming increasingly important in Pakistan’s socioeconomic and sociotechnical development. We look forward to these innovations making a significant impact on not just our industries but also on the overall infrastructure.” This stance supports the establishment of an internal framework in all sectors requiring digitization. In relative terms of knowledge exchange and investment opportunities the real estate sector, one of the most lucrative avenues of investment is witnessing digital growth. Our correspondent approached Jawad Nayyar, Chief Vision Officer at DAO PropTech, a platform poised to transform the real-estate ecosystem in Pakistan by strengthening the pillars of transparency, accessibility,

who said: “A technology-led transformation is all but ready for takeoff in Pakistan with companies such as ours honing some of the latest technologies available in today’s world. We believe that using such technologies, the industries of Pakistan, especially the real estate industry, can become wholly socioeconomically inclusive, catering to not only the select few, but empowering the masses in general”

Industry experts are optimistic that all these trade interests and exchange of knowledge would eventually bear fruit and that TPLT was focused on adding value to develop a world-class technology ecosystem in Pakistan, creating jobs and eventually empowering our youth based on a technology-led economic transformation.

Google CS First Phase 4 to be Launched in collaboration with the Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) After the successful implementation of Google CS First in selected cities, Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tech Valley Pakistan, a local country partner of Google for Education, to launch CS First Phase 4, with the support of Google and Ministry of IT & Telecom, in Pakistan’s one of the biggest metropolitan cities, Karachi now.

The past three phases of Google CS First were conducted throughout Pakistan in cities like Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Mainwali, Quetta, and trained more than 130 trainers and 600 students on early-age coding.

CS First, a program of Google, empowers teachers to teach computer science to kids between 9 to 14 years with easy-to-use tools and resources. Through this program, students learn through instructors, video tutorials, and block-based coding in Scratch, which helps in enhancing their creative and analytical skills.

Mr. Asif Ikram, Secretary, Information and Science Department, Sindh, while signing the MOU, said, “This partnership would take our mission of making a difference in the lives of citizens through digital interventions. We need such capacity-building programs so that when our kids reach the advanced level, they have sufficient background knowledge and necessary skills such as coding.”

Under Phase 4, Google for Education’s Partner in Pakistan, Tech Valley, will collaborate with the Sindh Information, Science & Technology Department to organize training sessions in different government schools in Sindh and equip kids with basic coding knowledge.

Tech Valley, the local country partner for Google for Education, has localized the global CS First curriculum to suit the Pakistani context and has developed a detailed implementation plan.

CEO Tech Valley Umar Farooq said during the ceremony, “Tech Valley is grateful to Google and its team for supporting this excellent initiative in Pakistan. Apart from teaching kids coding through Art, Storytelling, and Game Design, we have also clubbed the Be Internet Awesome Program in these training sessions so that students can be smart, responsible, safe, and aware while surfing the internet.”

Tech Valley Pakistan is a global innovative consulting firm working with various development organizations, INGOs, and private and government organizations. Its mission is to inculcate a culture of technology and entrepreneurship through digital innovations.