Pakistan Telecommunication Authority seems to have obtained the instruction from Ministry of Information Technology (MOIT) for making planning for auction of third generation (3G) cellular licenses, mentioned bye an announcement from PTA . This news is confirmed after a lots of setbacks and after that positive affirmations.

Announcement declared that PTA has become intending to Auction Frequency Spectrum for Cellular Mobile Broadband Solutions and license is going to be technology basic and the licensees have the ability to set up any technologies including 3G / 4G / LTE / almost every other upcoming technologies.

The information Memorandum (IM) with regard to auctioning procedure has been made by PTA. The auction will probably be organised tentatively in March 2012 in which specific timetable will be released later on.

The auction method is going to be supervised by way of a joint professional group (Auction Supervisory Committee) containing public sector stakeholders, which include reps of Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information Technology, PTA and FAB etc.

PTA has got constituted an exclusive panel in making formulations to carry out the auction within the most possible transparent method.

For the consciousness and knowledge of prospective traders, PTA is additionally preparing to maintain Investors Conferences in Karachi and Islamabad. Worldwide Road Shows may also be arranged. The actual agenda for this auction could be presented in the near future, explained by PTA.

It can be important to say that the release of Cellular Mobile Broadband solutions in Pakistan will start a whole new financial cycle in the country and accumulate wonderful benefits for the nationwide economy. It will likewise usher in new trend for growth of a wide variety of new apps for data intense value added services. This can significantly match the condition and needs of Cellular Mobile Phone users and experts who are excitedly looking forward to this particular service.

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The last we heard on the subject was about the policy approval for 3G. Despite the unstable political situation in the country PTA has decided to have the auctions for the 3G License tentatively in March 2012. It is worth mentioning here that the license will be technology neutral allowing licensee to put up any of the latest technology. Detailed press release from PTA follows:

In pursuance of the policy directive issued by Ministry of Information Technology (MOIT), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is planning to Auction Frequency Spectrum for Cellular Mobile Broadband Services. The license for this service will be technology neutral and the licensees be able to deploy any technology including 3G / 4G / LTE / any other upcoming technologies.

The information Memorandum (IM) for auctioning process is being prepared by PTA. The auction will be held tentatively in March 2012 for which exact schedule will be issued later.  The auction process will be overseen by a joint professional group (Auction Supervisory Committee) comprising of public sector stakeholders, including representatives of Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information Technology, PTA and FAB etc.  PTA has constituted a special committee for making preparations to conduct the auction in the most possible transparent manner.

For the awareness and information of potential investors, PTA is also planning to hold Investors Conferences in Karachi and Islamabad. International Road Shows will also be organized.  The exact schedule for this auction would be made available soon.

It is pertinent to mention that the introduction of Cellular Mobile Broadband services in the country will initiate a new economic cycle in the country and accrue great benefits for the national economy.  It will also usher in new era for proliferation of a number of new applications for data intensive value added services.  This will greatly fulfill the requirement and demands of Cellular Mobile Phone subscribers and professionals who are eagerly waiting for this service.

Exhibit A:

You would think that a country with an information technology sector with revenues in excess of $75 billion would have a government which knows how the internet works. But you would be wrong.

Please check out what Kapil Sibal, India’s Telecom Minister, is demanding of Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft:

About six weeks ago, Mr. Sibal called legal representatives from the top Internet service providers and Facebook into his New Delhi office, said one of the executives who was briefed on the meeting.

At the meeting, Mr. Sibal showed attendees a Facebook page that maligned the Congress Party’s president, Sonia Gandhi.  “This is unacceptable,” he told attendees, the executive said, and he asked them to find a way to monitor what is posted on their sites.

In the second meeting with the same executives in late November, Mr. Sibal told them that he expected them to use human beings to screen content, not technology, the executive said.

The three executives said Mr. Sibal has told these companies that he expects them to set up a proactive prescreening system, with staffers looking for objectionable content and deleting it before it is posted.

Of course, this brings to mind the Lahore High Court’s efforts to ban Facebook because of “blasphemous” material published on it.

LAHORE: Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Lahore High Court on Monday directed the Ministry of Information Technology to submit a report by October 6 on a petition seeking a permanent ban on the access to American social networking website Facebook for hosting a competition featuring blasphemous caricatures.

The judge also directed the ministry to block access to all websites in Pakistan spreading religious hatred on the Internet. The judge made it clear that no search engine, including Google, would be blocked during this process.

The judge was hearing a petition moved by Muhammad and Ahmad, a public interest litigation firm, through chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique.

The petitioner submitted that Islamic values were being derogated in the name of information, which was hurting the feelings of billions of Muslims. He submitted that despite clear direction by the court, the ministry had not blocked websites spreading religious hatred.

I really don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that these people’s teenage children or nephews or nieces would know more about the digital world than they do.

Exhibit B:

With this one, the headline speaks for itself, and I will add no commentary.

“Pakistan arrests Indian monkey for crossing border”

(Presumably, this was a tit-for-tat measure for India holding in detention a pigeon suspected of spying for Pakistan last year. And to this blog’s western readers, no, neither the monkey story nor the pigeon story are from The Onion; they’re very much real).

Zaid Hamid's trusted lieutenant