Asfand Yar
The popular social media platform TikTok is willing to open offices in Islamabad with negotiations having been successfully concluded, according to Federal Information Technology (IT) Minister Syed Aminul Haque.
He has also hinted that another significant social media platform was also open to coming to the nation. This was said by him on Wednesday in Islamabad during a ceremony.
He noted the government’s desire for social media companies to establish offices in the nation and said TikTok was one with which talks had gone well; the platform might soon establish offices in Islamabad.
TikTok is not a member of a group of regional social media sites that have resisted attempts by the government to exert more direct control over what is posted on the site in recent years.
He implied that a significant social media platform that is a part of the group has stated that it is willing to establish offices in Pakistan.
Smartphone manufacturing
Haque took credit for passing the necessary legislation that allowed several large smartphone manufacturing companies to invest in Pakistan and begin domestic assembly of phones, if not their outright manufacture, as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was a part of the ruling coalitions of the three most recent governments in the nation.
“17.9 million mobile phones were produced locally in 12 years,” he said.
Haque said that investments have been made to provide better broadband connectivity in response to an increase in phone demand that was accompanied by a demand for greater connectivity.
According to him, approximately Rs65 billion has been spent over the past four years to bring the unserved and underserved areas of the nation online.
Maj General Amir Azeem Bajwa, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), said that customers of the JSM (Global System for Mobile communication) can purchase smartphones with simple instalments.
According to him, 55% of people use mobile internet globally, compared to 57% in Pakistan.
“The GSM reported that 50% of people in Bangladesh are using smartphones,” he said.
He continued by saying that between 2018 and today, approximately six million new broadband subscribers have joined Pakistan’s network, bringing the country’s total to 10 million.
According to the minister, the DIRBS system from PTA has changed the game because it prevents phones with fake or stolen IMEIs from working and gives mobile manufacturers a level playing field.
Google to open its offices in Pakistan
Senator Afnan Ullah disclosed on Wednesday that a Google team would be travelling to Islamabad in December to start operations in the nation, which is good news for the tech industry and opens up new opportunities.
Senator from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stated that 15,000 Pakistani citizens will receive scholarships once it occurs.
On December 11, he said, a Google delegation would be in the nation.
The senator added that the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) gave its approval to all required paperwork last week.
Google launched Career Certifications at the beginning of September to assist Pakistanis in gaining the knowledge and digital skills necessary to thrive in the modern economy.
As part of its mission to Unlock Pakistan’s Digital Potential, Google has promised to provide 15,000 scholarships by the end of the year through local partners IRM and Ignite, which are made up of educational institutions, business partners, and nonprofits.
