January 15, - February 15, 2009

Editor s
Note Every cloud has a
silver lining!
The sun of 2009 has finally dawn upon us following a
series of economic heart attacks. Businessmen are always
ready for benefits at the cost of losses. A financial crunch Zubair Ahmed Kasuri Editor-in-Chief
is nothing new in this world of flux, however, it is quite
Fatima Batool Editor
severe. The changing circumstances have exploited the
foreign direct investments (FDIs) in emerging markets Usman Yaqoob
Marketing Manager (Lhr)
like Pakistan. However, the New Year has brought with M. Farooq Malik
it hopes of better financial and investment friendly Marketing Executive (Lhr)
Rashid Hussain Mughal
circumstances. Marketing Executive (Khi)
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has taken
several initiatives in improving the infrastructure of our
spoiled telecom sector, however, there is still much to Zafar Khan Afridi
Senior Graphic Designer
amend. PTA has issued many deadlines and notices to CreativeZone
cellular and Internet service providers (ISPs) for
improvements and violations; we are waiting to see what Khawar Shahzad
measures will be taken by the authority against those Manager Islamabad Office
Asmat Ullah
who won’t meet the deadlines and notices. Content Coordinator
Cellular density has reached to saturation level and Azhar Javed
there is nothing much for the mobile service providers Production Manager
Taimur Shafiq
in cities; they are either moving to rural areas or looking Web Developer
forward to 3G, which is expected to hit in 2009 as per Muhammad Saeed
Chief Photographer
PTA statement. Dial up Internet will be made pre-paid- Mobile: 0321 - 8404389
many changes are lurking for the users this year.
Lahore Office
With the increase in taxes, many operators have raised Ph: 042-5750732- Fax: + 92-042-5750804
grey telephony, especially in international calls to Islamabad Office
Phone: + 92-51-2890054
abridge the financial loss and interestingly PTA is ready Fax: + 92-51-2891339
to monitor and to register such traffic. Notices have been Karachi Office
Phone: + 92-21-4602620
sent to the culprits, especially Mobilink, to stop the
illegal business or strict action (and heavy fine) will be Registration No
PCPB/105
taken against the companies and the higher authorities;
but when? We can only wait to see what PTA can do (Vol. 5 Issue:5)
Price Rs: 300
against these giants.
The punishment of e-crimes is expected to extend to URL: www.flare.com.pk
Email: flare.mag@gmail.com
seven years. It is good for national integrity, but the
punishment is only fruitful if the criminals are caught
red handed. Keen eyes are required to monitor the
Zubair Ahmed Kasuri, publisher of FLARE
movements of external anti-Pakistan forces and internal
leading telecom magazine, printed it from
secret agents.
Akkaz Printers, Shama Plaza, Lahore and
The situation of crimes is changing in Pakistan: Security
published from 46 J, Gulberg III, Lahore.
forces are tightening their premises, keen eyes are kept
on suspects, bombs are diffused, suicide bombers are
identified, e-crimes are stopped on the spot. Betterment
is required and will be made soon; all that is required is
determination and loyalty to the nation.

8
Letters
to the
Editor
So much to see…
I still remember the time when branded
computers were phenomena to see. Rare In-
ternet cafes were bound to hide due to their
suspicious activities. Boys were going in
where girls wondering what’s inside? Par-
ents condemned the use of Internet on the
bases of lurking gossip. An odd situation for
parents and society to watch what their chil-
dren and mates were indulged in on their
personal computer (PC) and much more.
Now, if not everything, much has been
changed. There is online shopping, email
subscriptions, e-paper, official contacts on
Internet, foreign settle families and friends
and a new window to the world at large not
only for the youngsters, but also for their
parents.
I cannot stop myself from smiling at my
grand father when he daily comes into my
room and ask me to either open Khaleej or
Hindutan Times. Sometimes, he ask me to
open the official website of our family
graveyard, so he may comfortably sit and
watch the last dwelling of his loved ones.
My mother is interested in jotting down
new recipes and to re-watch her favourite
television shows online. My grand mother
is still against the technology and calls it
Satan’s tool to misguide.
My father has his own laptop as he is a
business man. I cannot stay away from the
computer as many friends of mine are pres-
ent at different communities and we are
used to send scraps to each other. Besides,
there is so much to do and to learn online. I
don’t know about the world but life is con-
tinually changing in our third world. We are
still far behind them, but we will very soon
abridge the gap-Adnan Mohsin, Lahore.
Can’t drive without
device!
Besides all that our government has done in
upgrading the traffic police infrastructure,
there are so many things that are missing.
There is everything except employment –
there is law closed in books. People are
freely talking on their cell phones while
driving in the third (extreme right) lane.
You can also witness people busy in
sending SMS or talking on their phones,
and also watching films or songs on their
car’s LCDs. Where are the wardens? Why
they are so insensitive towards issuing
challans to those who disgrace law?
We know that wardens issue challans to
those who break the signal or to those who
drive rashly, but is it not enough? I also
suffered a near miss at several times as the
other driver is engage with the cell phone
without bothering where his or her car is
leading. This is an awful situation. I hope
that the higher officials will soon oblige the
new traffic police to enforce challans on the
violators–Muhammad Shakeel, Satellite
Town, Rawalpindi.
Ad-war!!!
Initially I appreciated Zong’s ad
campaign, but now I wonder how they go on
taunting others-is there no morality left in
the opponents? Aren’t there any rules for the
war? Why so much fuss?
Almost all cellular service providers give
comparable rates, there is a difference but
very minor (in paisas) and still they manage
to fuss. On the contrary all of them are
indulged in presenting misleading ads.
There 50 paisa or aath aaney package is of 30
second and they pretend otherwise.
Even Ufone with its all the same Teen
Bata Teen group has finally come up with a
no doubt good campaign, but once again it
ended in a taunting punch line by Faisal
Qureshi :Ik naya connection chahiye, Ufone
ka!
I am sick of all repeated ideas and
strategy. When you have nothing new or
better to present then you start to spoil
other’s image. Why doesn’t PTA take some
steps to implement fair policies in
advertisement so both, telephone companies
and viewers, can benefit from the campaign–
Zeeshan Ali, Taj Pora Scheme, Lahore.
PTCL shut off half rates
Pakistan Telecommunication Company
Limited has once again deceived its innocent
customers. The half rate package of Sunday is
dismissed without any prior public notice on
December 31, 2008. those who don’t know the
cancellation are still busy in making calls as
per the old package which was most probably
introduced in October (I’m not sure about the
date). The authority states that the package
was offered for limited time and the duration
has finally ended on December 31.
I think the beginning and the cancellation
date of any package is decided before its in-
troduction to public. Why not service
provider companies made the closing dates
public, while publishing the advertisement?
In a huge ad is there no place for a small, one
line, notification? Why there is always a foot
or side not? PTCL is paving way for other op-
erators, especially mobile phone service
providers to publish ambiguous advertise-
ment in order to deceive the customers.
PTCL is the biggest telecom operator and
it must be just and clear in its foot marks-
Wasim Ahmad, Johar Town, Lahore.
Internet millionaire from
Pakistan
I still can’t believe that Raja Khan, Pak-
istan’s first Internet millionaire, has really
won on www.freelotto.com. We never heard
anything like this before. It is a real news.
Internet is a part of my office work and I
often confront websites claiming that you
have got this or that prize money. The only
way to get your prize is the subscription
which can be got at the expense of few dol-
lars.
I’m really happy for Raja Khan, a name
that sounds a little ambiguous, but I think that
this news will mislead many Pakistanis. Peo-
ple will blindly spent on such websites spe-
cially www.freelotto.com to become
millionare in a blink. Such news must be
blocked by the publishers or the authorities
concerned to keep the reader’s end safe.-Ali
Bangash Islamabad.
CSS Web site waiting for
updates
A majority of youngsters are busy in
preparing for CSS examination which is ex-
pected in March. It is good to see that thou-
sands of forums are submitted till the closing
date.
I am myself a graduate and looking for-
ward to appear in the Competitive Examina-
tion this year. Initially, I tried to explore the
Internet to get direct access to the official Web
site but unexpectedly the site,
www.css.com.pk is not yet updated. It is Jan-
uary 9, 2009 when I am sending this email
and still the Web pages are showing the head-
ings of 2008, e.g., submission date 15 January,
2008, expected date of CSS 2008 papers, etc.
CSS is the most auspicious examination in
Pakistan and it is deplorable to see the negli-
gence practised by the authorities in issuing
orders to update the official Web site for the
convenience of the applicants.
I encourage your efforts in revealing the
truth of many telecom and Internet service
providers; I hope that the authorities will
soon overcome the bridge that is widening
day by day by upgrading the official Internet
link, as students are not provided with any al-
ternative–Waqas Ahmad Shahbaz, Johar
Town, Lahore.
Crank calls!
Dear Editor,
I am a post-graduate student. Being a social
sciences student, I have my contacts in
many NGOs and other societies. Due to my
negligence, my number was misplaced few
months back and after so many days I am
still receiving crank calls and SMS. I am a
social person and I can’t change my mobile
number. I register my complaints against
the perturbers but of no avail. Franchisers
were not ready to block or warn the num-
ber at just one compliant.
I don’t know what service centres and fran-
chisers are doing to help out poor users.
They can’t warn those who tease others.
They can’t provide me with the personal in-
formation of the other number. Where
should I go? I can do nothing because of
lack of contribution between the service
providers and the service users. The first
priority of all companies is to grab cos-
tumers and to show least responsible atti-
tude-Amara Majeed, Islamabad.
Send us your letters at
flare.mag@gmail.com or at our
postal address.
Flare reserves the right to edit
letters for clarity & space. 9
 InsighT Flare Report
ome years ago, the importance of Internet
S was limited to merely watch movies, chat to
friends and families and browsing.
Approximately 740 million people used
Internet daily.
The Internet has made such a huge impact on
society that people can't remember how it was to
work without it. Nothing has had such a great
impact on the people throughout the world. The
Internet is so popular that it has touched every
aspect of human life, changing how we keep in
touch, share information, conduct business and
even earning income.
With the help of Internet, we can now
communicate with each other almost instantly
anywhere in the world. We no longer have to
Most business to business traffic between Eu-
rope and Asia was being rerouted through the
United States but regular communications be-
tween Europe and several Asian countries has
been disrupted. Sixty-five per cent of traffic to
India was down, while services to Singapore,
Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Taiwan and Pak-
istan were also severely affected
depend on our snail mails and wait for days to
communicate to our friends and relatives.
Recently, the two Internet fibre optic cables,
SMW-III and SWM-IV, connected Pakistan with rest
of the world, got damaged in Alexandria, Egypt.
Due to damage of cables, Pakistan's Internet
connectivity with North America, European and
other countries has severely affected. Slow
browsing, poor throughput and high latency
problems were being experienced by Internet users.
Internet service between Europe and the Middle
East was badly disrupted after undersea cables
failed in the Mediterranean Sea, which manages the
10 cables. Three cables linking Italy and Egypt failed
Free download | flare.com.pk
The two Internet fibre optic cables, SMW-III and SWM-IV,
connected Pakistan with rest of the world, got damaged in
Alexandria, Egypt. Due to damage of cables, Pakistan's
Internet connectivity with North America, European and
other countries has severely affected. Slow browsing, poor
throughput and high latency problems are being
experienced by Internet users
for as yet unknown reasons, Shaheed al-Sateeh, a Most business to business traffic between
manager with Reliance GlobalCom, told from Europe and Asia was being rerouted through the
Dubai. United States but regular communications between
Sateeh, Middle East sales director for Reliance Europe and several Asian countries has been
GlobalCom, said: disrupted. Sixty-five per cent of traffic to India was
"We know three down, while services to Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi
cables have been cut. Arabia, Egypt, Taiwan and Pakistan were also
We still don't know severely affected.
why or where. They The cables are jointly owned by several dozen
When two cables were cut off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, about a 100 million
internet users were affected, mainly in India and Egypt.
cover all the Middle different countries. One of the cables is 40,000
East and India and kilometres (25,000 miles) long and links 33 different
other countries." countries while the second is 20,000 kilometres long
"We have no more and serves 14 states.
information. A ship
has been sent out to
"If there was just one cable down we could have
used the other two," said France Telecom
locate the place where spokesman Louis-Michel Aymard. "But all three are
the cables were cut." down so this puts us in a very difficult situation."
The agency The cables might have got caught up in trawlers'
reported that services
were being rerouted
nets or there may have been an underwater
landslide, said Aymard. One appeared to be fully
to backup cables and severed, while the other two seemed to be only
satellite
compensate for the
to partially cut. Each cable has a "leader" country, he
said. Egypt is In-charge of the main cable and in this
failures. The services capacity commissioned France Telecom Marine, a
were restored within a subsidiary of the communications giant, to handle
week but it caused a lot of distortion. France the repairs.
Telecom said the breach happened "between Italy A 64-crew maintenance boat arrived on site, off
and Tunisia on sections linking Sicily to Egypt." the coast of Sicily, following a two-day journey from
"Traffic from Europe towards Algeria and southern France, said a spokesman for the telecoms
Tunisia was not affected but from Europe towards operator. An underwater robot was sent down to
the Middle East and Asia is more or less locate the cables, which may have been dragged
interrupted," the French national telecoms operator several kilometres off site in the incident, and lift
said. The company said it had alerted the Raymond them to the surface where they were repaired fibre
Croze, one of its two maintenance ships present in by fibre.
the Mediterranean zone. The damage was restored after an unexpected
In January last year, five cables in the Middle interruption in Internet traffic. Such situation has
East and Europe were cut, causing Internet failures not happened for the first time. But there must be
in the region. Cut cables bring down phone lines some remedy or an ever-ready substitute so the
between Europe, Asia, and Middle East global village may go on in such circumstances.

 Exclusive Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

fter the demise of Father of the Nation which carried their own people along

A Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jin-

nah, newly-created country on the
world map, Pakistan suffered many
problems. One main problem was the lack of po-
litical leadership to build a strong, united, inte-
were the Bhuttos: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
and Benazir Bhutto, illustrious father
and the daughter whose names have
gone down in the annals of the history
as the brave, courageous and bold
grated Pakistan as envisioned by the father of the leaders of the masses.
nation. Both served the country as the duly
In all fairness, the country was ruled by a elected Prime Minister embraced mar-
number of civilian and military rulers during the tyrdom during the regimes of military
last more than six decades of its existence. Out of rulers General Muhammad Ziaul Haq
these, only two civilian rulers were blessed by and General Pervez Musharraf.
Allah with international recognition, respect, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto founded the
love, affection and reverence by the downtrod- Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) which set
den masses of Pakistan. new political trends in the country and PPP workers offering Fateha for the departed soul of Shaheed Mo-
It was a mere coin- came to be known as the party of the htarma Benazir Bhutto during a function to pay tribute to Shaheed
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
cidence, to say the poor masses for its services and contri-
least that both butions and making the downtrodden people and pay rich tributes to Mohtarama Benazir
these leaders conscious of their rights as well as courage to Bhutto, her services and contributions for the
cause of democracy, rights of the downtrodden
people were duly recog-
nised by the United Na-
tions by conferring the UN
Human Rights Award on
her posthumously. The
award was received by her
son and young PPP Chair-
man Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari.
No doubt, the investi-
gation into BB's cruel and
tragic demise has been en-
trusted to the United Na-
Her physical removal from our midst in a tions at the instance of her
tragic manner has created great vacuum hubby President Asif Ali
Zardari and Prime Minis-
in the country's political leadership which ter Syed Yousuf Raza Gi-
is not easy to be filled in the near future lani. But, what further
progress has been in this
speak for the selves. respect so far. The people are very much con-
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto not only became the cerned about this while they remember Shaheed
Muslim Ummah's first woman Prime Minister, BB and are paying rich tributes to her on her first
but also served twice as the Prime Minister of death anniversary.
Pakistan. It is a painful and shameful story how More than two million grieving devotee party
her government twice was summarily dismissed workers, office-bearers and supporters from
in the midst of five years tenure. every nook and corner of the country have
Both Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto thronged the tomb of Benazir Bhutto. A sea of
had breathed their last in Rawalpindi under mourners, some wailing and beating their chests,
mysterious circumstances. Z. A. Bhutto was flooded through security checkpoints into the
hanged to death on the charge of abetment in graveyard in rural southern Garhi Khuda Bakhsh
the murder of father of a political adversary on December 27, 2008. Quran Khawani for the
in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. Benazir departed soul of Shaheed-e-Jamhoriat will be
Bhutto was brutally assassinated in Li- was held in all cities and towns across the coun-
aquat Bagh, Rawalpindi on the fateful try. Special programmes, walks, declamation
evening of December 27, 2007, when she contests and seminars have been planned to
was leaving after addressing a public highlight the services of the Daughter of the East.
meeting which turned out to be her last In a message to the nation, Prime Minister
one. Yousaf Raza Gilani said Bhutto gave her life to
Daughter of the East, as she was brighten the light of democracy and freedom and
known after she had written a book with illuminate new ways for progress and prosperity
the same title carried forward the incom- of people and stability of the country.
plete mission of her illustrious father and 2008 President Asif Ali Zardari said in his na-
bluntly and repeatedly declined to bow be- tional address that Benazir Bhutto would always
fore the military dictators, General Ziaul be remembered as the leader who gave voice to
Haq and General Pervez Musharraf, and the muted turbulence of the spirit of a van-
stood firm, determined and willing to serve quished people. Zardari said Benazir Bhutto
the masses, to restore real democracy in the gave voice to the voiceless, strength to the weak
country and thus lived and died with her and motivation to the people to strive for a goal
people, who observed her first death anniver- higher than life. "It is a measure of her greatness
sary on December 27 by paying her rich trib- that ordinary people who came in contact with
utes all over Pakistan as well as in many her became extraordinary."

countries around the world.

12 While the PPP's fourth present govern-
ment has taken a number of steps to honour
Free download | flare.com.pk Flare Report InsighT

oungsters are treasure of any country, per cent on population

Y but for developing countries the

significance of upcoming generation
multiplies. Young professionals can
boost up not only the system but also the quality
and economy of the country. Steps have been
basis and 60 per cent on
backwardness of areas
basis. The opportunities
were equal and there was
no quota or gender
taken all over the world to equip youngsters with discrimination.
all modes of IT programmes in an already The trainees would
shrinking global village. provide stipend ranging
Besides providing a number of facilities to the from Rs 4000 to Rs 6000
schools, colleges and universities, steps have been per month. He added that
taken to start independent programmes to train the department would
the jobless volunteers so they may better serve bear all training costs,
their country. Recently, the Ministry of certification costs and

BBSYDP through its Microsoft Innovation

The Ministry will offer high quality IT education to 7000
jobless youths under the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth
Development Programme (BBSYDP). Jobless youth aging
from 18 to 35 years are eligible for the programme: Sindh
Minister of Information Technology
boarding and lodging costs of
trainees. "I invite all the IT
corporations and institutions
working in the country to
come to the training centres
and interview these
candidates and hire them after
assessing their ability."
The MoU will cover areas
of cooperation between Sindh
IT Department and Microsoft
for conducting quality
assurance and supervision
activities during ongoing
training in various institutes
across 23 districts of Sindh and
carrying out tests and
certifications for top
qualifying candidates. The IT
Information Technology, Government of Sindh, Department is thankful to Microsoft for choosing
has announced that it would provide training in and offering their technical and professional
the filed of information technology to 7000 jobless
youth of the province and in this regard a The trainees would provide
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was
inked between the Sindh Ministry of Information
stipend ranging from Rs 4000
Technology and Microsoft Pakistan. to Rs 6000 per month. He
The Ministry would offer high quality IT
education to 7000 jobless youths under the Benazir added that the department
Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme would bear all training costs,
(BBSYDP), said Muhammad Raza Haroon, Sindh
Minister of Information Technology. certification costs and
This programme is a unique initiative to
develop skills of unemployed youth of Sindh by
boarding and lodging costs of
providing trainings and certifications relating to trainees.
Information Technology in order to improve their
socioeconomic conditions. The Minister said that a support in the programme.
sufficient amount has been spent on the "Actively integrating technology into the
programme and it will start soon. He added that classroom takes more than just PCs; it requires the
jobless youth aging from 18 to 35 years were cooperation and input of those with expertise,
eligible for the programme. vision and strong experience in all aspects of the
He said that candidates were selected through educational process."
a particular method giving opportunities to all: 40 He added, "Microsoft's involvement in
Centre in Karachi, will play a key role in the
success of this programme to deliver good
quality IT education to our youth and in forming
talents for a competitive economy."
"Merit should be top priority in this program.
There should be another phase of this
programme as we have received more 56000
applications against only 7000 seats which
means we are leaving behind 49000 potential
youths, who are willing to acquire the
marketable training we are offering."
Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Ahmed,
Country Manager Microsoft Pakistan said,
"Microsoft has always believed that education is
the cornerstone of opportunity, and that
investing in education is the best way to help
young people achieve their potential. We are in
this programme, hands in hands with the IT
Department, Government of Sindh to ensure the
students receive practical education of
Information Technology that can help them get
jobs in the market.
The Microsoft Innovation Centre in Karachi
will provide technical proficiency as well as expert
guidance to IT Department during all phases of
programme execution including selection of
training institutes, designing of curriculum,
supervision delivery of trainings, conducting tests
for students and certifying select top students
graduating out of the programme, he said. Sindh
IT Department has been rigorously involved in
generating awareness has identified IT literacy as
mandatory feature for all future employments in
professional organizations.
Secretary IT Rauf Akhtar Farooque said Sindh
IT Department while providing these trainings is
also engaged in providing better IT-based
solutions; for creating a paper-less environment
through "E-Government Pilot Project" which has
been launched in five departments of the Sindh
Government.
He said they are also working to bridge the
digital divide between rural and urban Sindh by
providing computers and internet facilities to the
rural community through "Establishment of
Internet Centre for Rural Community in Sindh".
Sindh IT Department is very keen to develop and
Internet Media City which is a mega project and
will be gift for every Pakistani being first of its
kind in the country which will attract millions of
dollars investment in the country and on the other
hand will generate thousands of employment
opportunities for the province. The ceremony was
also attended by senior officials from IT
Department, Microsoft Pakistan and the Microsoft
Innovation Centre.

13
 Telepedia Flare Report
NTC to held accountable
for the injustice
last nine years. Prime
Minister directed to
increase the salaries of
daily wages from Rs 4,000
to Rs 6,000 but NTC
terminated the 22 daily
wages workers without
any reason. There was also
no increament in the
salaries of the employees.
After December 15, their
services were terminated;
moreover their November
2008 salaries were due.
NTC started its
operations in 1996 with
only five local exchanges
all over Pakistan and an
analogue microwave link
not capable of supporting
the digital transmission.
The main challenge for
NTC at that time was to
reduce this dependency on
other operators to
On the contrary to the directive of Prime
Minister, the management of NTC has
terminated daily wagers who have been
working in the company for the last nine
years. PM directed to increase the salaries
of daily wages from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000
but Shakir Allah terminated the 22 daily
wagers without any reason PM Yousaf Raza Gillani
akistan is a developing country which
P
minimum as soon as possible to fulfil its
started its journey more than 60 years ago
obligations and to sustain itself in the deregulated
with massive resources but poor
environment in which PTC was to be privatised.
management. This lack of management
It is pertinent to mention that the high officials,
caused exceptional delay in the settlement of a
for example Chairman NTC, care least about the
newly born country. Many things, including the
directive of the government even if they are issued
geography, changed with the passage of
time. The country also showed healthy
signs of improvement, but somehow or
the other the overall scenario remained all
the same. On one hand the upper class
was marching to the horizons of progress;
on the other the lower middle class was
suppressed as much as possible. The
social divide gave rise to the intensity of
middle-class troubles.
Efforts made by the employees of
Pakistan Telecommunication Company
Limited (PTCL) are not an old story. After
a long span of financial crisis and contrary
mental torture they finally secured their relative
by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. After
positions, but there is still a majority of wagers
government’s assurance to permanent the daily
that is fighting for its rights.
wages workers, the Chairman NTC terminated
To directives of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
the poor employees.
Gilani, the management of National Telecom
The NTC Labour Union lamented Chairman
Corporation (NTC) has terminated daily wagers
NTC and said steps are against workers.
14 who have been working in the company for the
Free download | flare.com.pk
Unsatisfactory
Audit report of
NTC
What kind of financial
management is this and what
kind of governance is going
on in the Ministry of
Information Technology”
Recently, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the
National Assembly formed a sub-committee to look
into a special audit report of the National
Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) involving
objections of more than Rs 7.82 billion.
The committee met with Nisar Ali Khan in chair
to take up audit reports of the telecommunication
sector for the year 2005-06 including a special report
on the accounts of the NTC that points out
misappropriations and non-adjustments worth Rs 7.82
billion. The four-member sub-committee – headed by
Khawaja Muhammad Asif – will go through the
report and furnish recommendations for the PAC.
Other members of the committee are Hamid Yar
Hiraj, Mehreen Anwar Bhutto and Asia Nasir. Auditor
General of Pakistan Tanvir Ali Agha backed
Chaudhry Nisar’s decision to form the committee.
Audit officials told the committee there had been an
abnormal delay in the finalisation of financial
statements by the NTC management, and statements
for the year 2004-05 and 2005-06 had not audited or
approved until the finalisation of the April 2007 report.
The report said trade debts of the corporation
increased by 173 per cent, from Rs 586.97 million in
2001-02 to Rs 1.60 billion in 2005-06. The auditor
general also highlighted a non-transparent award of
contracts.
The PAC was told that the NTC had been set up to
provide telecommunication services only to
designated customers within Pakistan, in an effort to
segregate government and defence
telecommunication networks to ensure
communication security after the privatisation of the
PTCL. But the audit showed the NTC and its gateway
contractors did not implement the agreed security
measures.
Moreover, the corporation did not clarify media
secrecy arrangements prior to the 2002 commissioning
of international connectivity by M/s CATCOM which
was found involved in a case of illegal termination of
international traffic in September 2001.
Audit authorities told the PAC the NTC
management invested Rs 3.37 billion of working
capital and surplus of receipts in 15 private commercial
or foreign banks as six-month short-term deposits
during 2004-05 and 2005-06, in violation of rules. "What
kind of financial management is this and what kind of
governance is going on in the Ministry of Information
Technology?" Nisar asked when he was told the
ministry received a supplementary grant,
although it later surrendered a huge sum of
Rs. 1.184 billion. The committee directed IT
Secretary Hifzur Rehman to ensure optimum
use of development funds and told him
supplementary grants should only be asked for
if the ministry has the capacity to utilise them.

 Telepedia Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

phone snatching
comes under the
On average 13,152 handsets per
purview of the police month were blocked during the
and concerned laws. year and on the contrary ratio for
But for complaints like
fraudulent balance unblocking the handsets is low
transfer, obnoxious but significant. Since IMEI
calls and messages the blocking was introduced 16,220
consumers may lodge
a complaint with unblocking request were
concerned mobile received from the consumers
company and can also
and on an average about 921
approach the PTA’s
consumer protection handsets per month were
cell at its toll-free unblocked on request
number.
The telecom sector cell phones and law and enforcing agencies were
over the past few unable to trace the user due to improper or false
years has shown a documentation of the subscribers’ details.
phenomenal growth. Criminal activities and cheating people
Although mobile through various tricks and false messages have
services have augmented with the growth of mobile sector.
Furthermore, unsolicited messages and
obnoxious calls have
added to grievances of
the subscribers. The PTA
stated that to deal with
this threat PTA
introduced an
IMEI system in
October 2006.
The PTA made
After selling the SIM, a call centre operator of the mobile company will make a this system available with the help of
call to the customer and will ask few questions to verify his particulars. If the an- CPLC and the industry. The system
swers are correct, the SIM will be activated. The system will be deployed all registers complaints for both blocking
and unblocking of the mobile handsets.
over the country by 31st January 2009 Authority takes action against the
complaint after the verification of the
akistan Telecommunication Authority complaint. Consumers can register their

P (PTA) has decided to enforce a system

for activation of new mobile SIMs after
verification of customers’ antecedents
from January 31, 2009. This decision was taken
unanimously in a meeting of all mobile
benefited the people in
terms of mobility, ease,
affordability, yet there are
anti-social activities related
to it, which cannot be
complaints through a toll free number,
via e-mail or through web.
After introducing the IMEI system,
2,54,084
for
complaints have been received
blocking of the handsets and all of
denied. these complaints were catered. On
companies’ chief executives officers (CEOs) and
The growing demand average 13,152 handsets per month
the regulatory affairs officials held at Pakistan
for mobile services, Cellular were blocked during the year and on
Telecommunication Authority, Headquarters in
Mobile Telephony the contrary ratio for unblocking the
Islamabad. The meeting was chaired by
Operators (CMTOs) have handsets is low but significant. Since
Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication
significantly expanded their IMEI blocking was introduced 16,220
Authority (PTA) Dr Muhammad Yaseen and
distribution channels to unblocking request were received from
attended by senior PTA officials. Dr. Mohammad Yaseen,
increase their sales without the consumers and on an average about
The Chairman said that from January 31, 2009 Chairman PTA
much focus on verification of 921 handsets per month were unblocked
onwards non-active mobile SIMs would be sold
subscribers’ antecedents which resulted in on request. The registered complaints are sent to
which will be activated only after the verification
increased concerns law enforcement agencies. mobile companies on regular basis for evaluation
of consumer data from NADRA, subsequently
There have been many reports of crimes by using followed by warning SMS to the harasser
sale of pre-activated SIMs will be stopped. The
meeting discussed the proposed model for followed by closure of numbers and/or blocking
activation of new SIMs after verification of of cell phones if the harassment does not stop.
customer data. Companies were earlier asked to Furthermore, according to the policy 10
present proposed model in line with the Ministry mobile connections could be issued on one CNIC.
of IT & T Policy Directive on Online Verification On this account 2.6 million SIMs have already
and PTA Standing Operating Procedures (SoP). been blocked and remaining will be either
Sale outlets like, franchises, retailers and regularised or blocked by October 21. Similarly,
cellular companies’ customer service centres will unverified connections sold up till August 31,
sell inactive SIMs. After selling the SIM, a call 2008 will also be blocked by October 21, 2008.
centre operator of the mobile company will make If any violation is observed, the Authority will
a call to the customer and will ask few questions issue Show Cause Notice and impose fines on the
to verify his particulars. If the answers are mobile companies. Authority has also decided to
correct, the SIM will be activated. The system will educate the subscribers to have SIMs registered
be deployed all over the country by early 2009. in their names, media awareness campaign will
Verification of the person using the cellular be run by PTA and the mobile operators.

16 connection is imperative in crime control. Cell
 Telepedia Flare Report
PTA survey reveals
poor services of ISPs
The survey was conducted in Quetta, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad,
Hyderabad, Karachi, Sukkur, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Islamabad, Rawalpindi,
Jehlum, Attock, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot during November
and October 2008
akistan Telecommunication Authority
P (PTA) has the mandate to look after the
telecom sector and performance of all the
companies and firms. To maintain
certain level of performance and services
provided by these companies, PTA has to
conduct survey of quality of services after a
definite period i.e. after at least every 3 months.
It is unfortunate to note that PTA has done a
quality of service (QoS) survey of mobile
operators once in last 8 years or so. The authority
has only once fined Mobilink for its poor services
in 2004 and since then no action has been taken
against any company for its poor services,
overcharging or on sale of illegal SIMs. Its
websites has the reports often older then 9
months. As a vibrant and active institution of
Pakistan, it is the prime obligation of the PTA to
check the services standard of all the companies.
Recently, PTA has announced the results of
quality of service survey (QoS) of dialup Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) which revealed that
some big brands have poor services in major
cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and
Faisalabad.
A total of 50 marks were allocated to test and
on the basis of obtained marks. ISPs were
categorised as Good, Average and Poor ISPs as
per following:
The survey was conducted in seventeen (17)
major and small cities throughout the country in
October – November 2008.
Parameters checked are given below:
• The availability of service;
• Connection setup time;
• Download speed;
A total of 50 marks were
allocated to test and on the
basis of obtained marks.
ISPs were categorised as
Good, Average and Poor
18
ISPs
• Download time; and
• Connection stability during peak hours.
PTA Zonal Offices, Quetta, Peshawar,
Mardan, Abbottabad, Karachi, Hyderabad,
Sukkur, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Islamabad,
Rawalpindi, Jehlum, Attock, Lahore, Faisalabad,
Multan and Sialkot were busy in their respective
areas during the QoS.
Surprisingly, big giants like Nayatel,
Worldcall, Wateen, Infinity, Maxcom stands no
where in three major cities Islamabad, Karachi
and Lahore. In Islamabad Cyber Internet Service
scored number one position and in other two
major cities Karachi and Lahore, COMSATS
scored top brass.
Islamabad
Karachi
Lahore
It is very important to note that the
responsibility of PTA is not just to conduct such
survey and publish them in the media to give
masses a general view and help them in making
Free download | flare.com.pk
an informed decision while selecting the Internet
Service Provider in their area. PTA must give the
public a glimpse of action how PTA wants to
improve the services of ISPs. PTA should take
the following measures to improve the quality of
services of ISPs.

Issue warning to all poor service providers.

Give show cause notice to explain why their
services are poor and what they are doing to
ensure their good services.

Technical help and guidelines for good
services.

Solve their problems regarding the service
quality

Give relief to customers if they complaint
about any ISP.

Give time frame to improve their services.
As a protector and patron of telecom sector,
As a vibrant and active
institution of Pakistan, it is
the prime obligation of the
PTA to check the services
standard of all the
companies.
PTA should devise a strategy to conduct such
surveys after every 3 months to continuously
monitor the performance of all the telecom
players. In our country, this is a fashion to launch
big services and then over claim the standard of
services. However, such services are mostly so
poor that these are not even used by the ISPs
itself. Once PRO of SCO (Special
Communications Organization) has accepted the
fact that even we are claiming fastest services but
we still have big problems of connectivity and
speed. He was of the view that these claims are
just tactics of marketing. This may be the case of
renowned ISPs whose services are poor. They
have over soled their connections and their
system can’t support them accordingly.
We, at Flare believe that PTA should act
strictly and in transparent way to harness the
telecom market in such an exemplary way so
other sectors could follow them. As a leading
telecom and IT magazine, we will safeguard the
interest of the public especially the customers as
we believe that we are the voice of customers.

 Exclusive Raja Ikram Ul Haq
Grey traffic in black & white
Apart from illegal/unlicensed operators, the licensed ones can
also indulge in grey traffic activities especially when the
approved settlement rates are much higher than the market
rates. This form of grey traffic is called the concealment or
misreporting of traffic and is done by long distance and
international operators
he definition of grey traffic is specific to
T
the regulations of a given country and
there is no single unified definition
available.
In general, the grey telephony is defined as the
use of illegal gateway exchanges to bypass the
legal gateways and terminate or originate
international traffic, through VoIP gateways, GSM
gateways, WLL phones, mobile SIMs or other
related equipment. This traffic may then be
distributed onwards using WLL and mobile
numbers. Alternatively, it is also defined as the
calls with missing CLI, fake CLI and fake operator
code.
The traffic carried by the licensed operators but
terminated illegally, to avoid payments, also falls
in the grey traffic category. As mentioned above,
illegal or grey traffic at a given place may be legal
in other parts of world, e.g. the VOIP is not
allowed in some of the countries, whereas others
follow the technology neutral licensing regime.
Mainly there are two factors that cause the
grey traffic to happen:
a. Difference between International and
Domestic termination rates(TR):
20
If the international TR is higher than the
domestic TR, there is an incentive for the operator
to make the international call as the national call
and thus pay less for domestic termination. This
can occur if the termination rates are not cost
based. The cost based termination would avoid
this thing.
b. Difference between International
settlement rates for mobile and retail mobile
tariff:
If the retail tariff is low as compared to
international settlement rate for mobile, the
operator has an incentive to forward international
call as a national call using the devices capable of
supporting the local SIMs.
The areas affected by the grey telephony are as
follows:
a. Revenue loss to the government
exchequer;
b. Disturbs revenue streams of telecom
operators who have invested millions of dollars as
license fees, deployment of infrastructure and
other government charges;
c. Foreign investment in telecom sector is
reduced as a result of lack of investor confidence
in the market.
The most common techniques used to
terminate the grey traffic include:
a. Collection of international traffic from
Free download | flare.com.pk
various VoIP operators across the globe and
terminating it on VoIP gateways using broadband
connections such as DSL, VSATs, etc. This traffic is
then distributed to the destination numbers using
GSM SIMs and WLL sets.
b. Another possible form of grey traffic is
termed as transit service. For example, if call tariffs
for a particular destination B from origin A are
expensive, traffic transit is done by transporting
the traffic to a third place say C whose VoIP
termination is cheaper and then the calls are
distributed to destination B using cheap
international mobile tariffs.
c. Apart from illegal/unlicensed operators,
the licensed ones can also indulge in grey traffic
activities especially when the approved settlement
rates are much higher than the market rates. This
form of grey traffic is called the concealment or
misreporting of traffic and is done by long
distance and international operators. Under these
circumstances, the operator terminates large
volume of international traffic at a much lower
rate than approved one, reports a smaller portion
to the regulator and distributes the remaining
major chunk to access providers also involved in
the grey activity. Hence it avoids charges and
taxes associated with international incoming
traffic. General indication of such activities is the
presence of international traffic on national trunk
groups of the access provider, non-consistent
behaviour of international incoming minutes
terminated by the operator and presence of
illogical A-party numbers in CDRs.
Now we come to the main area of this study
question. The measures to counter this menace
needs to be multidimensional due to its
multifaceted nature. These measures can be
technical as well as regulatory. Moreover, these
measures should be taken at every level, i.e. in
addition to regulator each telecom operator
should safeguard its network from illegal
termination or distribution of traffic. Only in this
way, reduction in grey telephony is possible.
There are certain measures which can be taken
to avoid such traffic.
Another possible form of
grey traffic is termed as
transit service. For example,
if call tariffs for a particular
destination B from origin A
are expensive, traffic transit
is done by directing the
traffic to a third place say C
whose VoIP termination is
cheaper and then the calls
are distributed to
destination B using cheap
international mobile tariffs
Free download | flare.com.pk
a. IP Bandwidth Monitoring
As telecommunications companies gear up to
deploy services over IP, they are faced with
revenue pressure from two emerging areas: Toll
bypass and revenue leakage from unmanaged
VoIP services. There are solutions available which
are capable in detecting VoIP and Skype traffic as
well as rogue gateways, while providing the
insight essential to develop and enforce policy.
Since most of the illegal traffic is
terminated/originated using VoIP, it is very
important to scrutinise IP backbone of the country.
This solution is installed at international
bandwidth links. The facility would analyse 100
per cent IP traffic for voice content and classify it
according to any desired criteria. It would then
generate reports indicating the IP addresses
suspected to be involved in illegal transportation
of voice. These IP addresses along with details
provided such as B telephone numbers are then
used to locate illegal gateway exchanges for
consequent necessary action. It would also
generate noise in RTP stream of those suspected
IP addresses so that the conversations are not
possible and hence the traffic of grey operators is
degraded thus eliminating their business.
Additional benefits of this facility could be parsing
of QoS parameters of Long Distance and
International operators’ traffic for its scrutiny.
Moreover, the facility could be used for generating
CDRs of international incoming traffic terminated
using VoIP, hence helping in reconciliation with
reported one. Pakistan is currently pursuing to
acquire such technical facility.
The system allows to detect/monitor/disturb
and analyses the IP traffic over the country’s
international bandwidth links. There is carrier-
class IP traffic processing systems that allow
managing IP traffic by providing deep-packet
inspection from layer two to layer seven and
complete correlation across every link and
element on the network — all passively at core
carrier speeds.
A typical solution will consist of the following
three devices:
• Collection device (High Speed Analyzer):
To collect the data;
• Messenger: To spool the collected data so
that it can be resent in the event of a device or
network problem;
• LogicServer: To process the data and
deliver it to the backend database.
How to detect the Grey traffic?
Data collection devices passively collect real-
time data from international bandwidth links at
high speed. These devices do not interfere with
network traffic and guarantee virtually loss-less
collection of network data, and operate without
needing prior knowledge of network variables.
The data collection devices are called high speed
analysers (HSAs) and the software processes
running on them are called STAs. HSAs collect all
seven layers of networking traffic and provide
protocol-specific information.
The HSAs are pre-configured with the
appropriate Network Interface Cards for the
various international links that are to be
monitored. Typical HSAs provide support for the
following network interfaces:
– 100-Base-T
– Gigabit Ethernet (1000-Base-SX, 1000-
Base-LX)
– ATM OC-3 (STM-1) and OC-12 (STM-4)
Data collection devices
passively collect real-time
data from international
bandwidth links at high
speed. These devices do
not interfere with network
traffic and guarantee
virtually loss-less collection
of network data, and
operate without needing
prior knowledge of network
variables
– POS OC-3 (STM-1), OC-12 (STM-4), and
OC-48 (STM-12)
– DS3
HSAs not only collect all IP and non-IP data
streams, they also can collect the full contents of
the network packets, as well as the semantics of
the data stream, including:
– VoIP (SIP, H.323, MGCP, RTP, RTCP)
– Skype
– Streaming media (RTP, RTSP)
– Peer to peer (Gnutella, BitTorrent, KaZaa,
eDonkey/eMule, etc.)
– Web (HTTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP)
– Messaging (MSN IM, Yahoo IM, MMS)
– Push to talk (PTT)
– Other protocols (AIM/ICQ, DHCP, DNS,
Fasttrack, FTP, IRC, JABBER, MIP, NNTP,
RADIUS, RSVP, RTSP, MPLS, WSP, WTP)
For the VoIP Detection component, the High
Speed Analysers (HSAs) are deployed on pre-
determined points, collecting live traffic. Regular
vectors are produced by the HSA and supplied to
the processing layer for consumption by VoIP
detection RuleSet. The HSAs semantic traffic
analyser (STA) is configured to auto detect
protocols, using the port independent protocol
detection (PIPD) capability to detect the different
VoIP and other IP protocols. HSAs are connected
to the network passively through network taps
and through port mirroring as appropriate.
HSAs continuously monitor and analyse user
sessions across all seven layers of the OSI Model
and can provide the detailed information about
application level context and content. At the Layer
four, the HSA can generate a number of unique
parameters. For example, connection-oriented
streams generate independent flows in both
directions, which appear as unrelated,
unidirectional flows. The HSA keeps the two
directions of a connection-oriented stream
associated and tracks them as part of the same
Exclusive
session.
Additionally, the HSAs can also selectively
and transparently capture and deliver specific
intercept related information and content of
communication to a database, file structure or
other non-carrier storage mechanism. The HSA is
configured with targeting rules (either
dynamically based on thresholds/activities or
manually based on analysis) by a separate system
component.
The LogicServer processes the input data
collected from the International bandwidth links
in real time according to the algorithm provided
by the VoIP RuleSet. This RuleSet consists of a
number of filters that filter, aggregate, and further
manipulate the input data to support VoIP
detection requirements. Each RuleSet is created to
produce a specific data output that meets the
input requirements of a consuming application.
For the VoIP Detection component, the
standard VoIP RuleSet processes the regular STA
vectors produced by the collection layer. Event
records are produced showing how information
can be filtered and aggregated per client IP
address, server IP address, protocol etc.
Standard VoIP SIP, MGCP and H323 protocol
activity (based auto-detected protocols mapped to
RFC based standard protocol signatures) is
detected by the STA. If H323, MGCP or SIP based
VoIP occurs on a different port on the monitored
link, then the STA can easily detect the standard
VoIP protocol activity through the PIPD
capability. The VoIP session vectors are passed to
the LogicServer by the STA. The standard VoIP
RuleSet is deployed on the LogicServer backend
process. This standard RuleSet reconstructs the
session and produces summary records to indicate
the completed VoIP session.
Because the IP Platform collects and analyses
the IP packets in real time and in memory, it can
support threshold enforcement, for example, in a
pre-paid system by inspecting the payloads of
sessions on a packet-by-packet basis within a
session. Thresholds can be used to drive any type
of event, such as alarms for downstream
enforcement or mitigation solutions. All analysis
is done in real time in memory.
The solution includes a small set of extensions
to the platform for disturbing VoIP calls. In order
to introduce noise in illegal VoIP conversations to
disturb the conversations the
solution will inject RTP packets that
mimic the real RTP stream to be
blocked, but with garbage payload.
The receiving CODEC will either
decode the garbage as noise, or fail
to decode the garbage payload and
simply produce silence. The injected
packets are created with RTP
sequence numbers slightly higher
than the real RTP packets, which
means the receiver will accept these
packets and discard the real ones.
Directing the enforcement at the RTP stream
means the same system will work for any VoIP
protocol that uses RTP for the media channel.
The RTP packets to be injected are created by
monitoring the control channels for media set up
messages, initiating full packet capture on the
media streams, and modifying the resultant
captured RTP packets. In this way the sequence
numbers are in the proper range, and the
timestamp and synchronisation source identifier
is correct.
21
 Telepedia Flare Report
rey Market Telephony (GMT) is a menace
G that not only affects rightful revenue of
telecom operators but also deprives the
national exchequer of handsome amount
of Rs3 billion every year. It is a dilemma of all
developing countries and telecom regulators around
the globe who are striving to find a solution to this
problem.
Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority (PTA) is fully aware of the
situation and has adopted appropriate
measures in collaboration with all stake-
holders to win the war against grey
telephony.
Just to inform the people what is
GMT, what are the prevalent reasons of
its growth and why it is a source of
concern for all of us we should know the
basics of Grey Market Telephony. The
main ingredient of grey market
It is noted with concern that a large number
of mobile numbers have been detected to be
terminating international calls into the local
networks
22
Free download | flare.com.pk
telephony which offers a high financial incentive for experience shows that the trends of grey market have
illegal operators is grey call following a grey route. A
call which does not follow a prescribed or authorised
route is said to be Grey and the path it follows is
called Grey Route.
The question usually arises why GMT is done?
changed from last few years. Instead of termination
on satellite links, VoIP is mostly used these days via
DSL.
The other challenge is non-availability of the
technical solution for automated detection and hence
The answer to this query is that GMT is done to avail elimination of grey traffic needs to be tackled. When
unfair financial advantage and in order to contacted, sources at PTA said the Authority is fully
understand aware of the gravity of the situation and has
the situation, established Vigilance Cell to deal exclusively with
first we will issues of grey market telephony. As discussed earlier,
have to know high settlement rates provide incentive to illegal
about operators to bypass legal gateways. PTA has reduced
accounting accounting settlement rates (ASR) by 38.6 per cent
rate regime. during last one year to lessen financial advantage to
PTA’s grey operators and discourage such practices. PTA
has issued Policy Guidelines to
telecom operators, enabling
them to evolve their
procedures for arresting the
menace at their own level.
Certain directives have also
been given to operators which
can help in eliminating grey
market. PTA has also
evaluated several proposals of
technical solutions and steps
are being taken to acquire
technical facility. The
Authority has conducted 31
raids during last three years
against illegal operators
thereby saving millions of
rupees. During the raids
around 27 illegal operators
were arrested. Two cases have
been decided while rest are in
courts for trial.
The sources said
comprehensive measures
would be taken with the help of all
concerned agencies to eliminate
the grey traffic business from the country.
The question usually Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
arises why GMT is has issued a letter to the Mobilink GSM to take
done? The answer to immediately steps to stop misuse local and
international grey telephoney and take effective
this query is that measures in this regard. It is noted with concern that
GMT is done to avail a large number of mobile numbers have been
detected to be terminating international calls into the
unfair financial local networks.
advantage and in PTA Chairman, Mohammad Yasin issued this
letter the other day in which he directed this practice
order to understand cannot be allowed to continue, as it is contrary to the
the situation, first we interests of the stakeholders and causes heavy
financial loss to the national exchequer. International
will have to know Traffic Monitoring System installed at PTA has
about accounting detected grey networks, which are employing mobile
numbers for illegal termination of international calls.
rate regime. PTA’s Authority warned the company to identify,
experience shows investigate and close down the connection of those
heavy callers who fall under the criteria of a high
that the trends of outgoing to incoming call ration, calling different
grey market have numbers consistently and do no change their call Ids.
PTA has taken serious view of the ongoing
changed from last misuse of mobile numbers for grey telephone and
few years. Instead of urges to put in place preventive mechanism by
January 20, 2009 to eliminate the use of mobile
termination on connections of the company for terminating
satellite links, VoIP is international traffic.
If any operator found guilty the Authority will be
mostly used these initiate legal action and recover the estimated loss
days via DSL incurred to the national exchequer and the
stakeholders from the company.

 Free download | flare.com.pk
Satyam's $1 billion
fraud shakes India
Satyam shares plummeted 77.69 per cent, or
139.15 rupees, to 39.95 rupees on the Mumbai
Stock Exchange, as investors dumped the
company. The broader benchmark 30-share
Sensex plunged 7.25 per cent to 9,586.88
he head of one of India's biggest outsourcing
T
firms, Satyam Computer, resigned amid a
scandal over a billion dollar fraud that sent
company stocks into freefall.
The company overstated its cash and bank
balances to the tune of more than 50 billion rupees
(more than a billion dollars) in its September-end
balance sheet, "purely on account of inflated profit
over a period of several years," Raju said in a
statement.
Satyam shares plummeted 77.69 per cent, or
139.15 rupees, to 39.95 rupees on the Mumbai Stock
Exchange, as investors dumped the company. The
broader benchmark 30-share Sensex plunged 7.25 per
cent to 9,586.88.
Satyam - a leading software consultancy, system
integration and outsourcing firm with clients across
65 countries -- had announced the 1.6-billion-dollar
buyout of the Maytas infrastructure firm earlier this
month, but abruptly reversed its decision after
investors rejected the plan.
Raju admitted in the statement that the Maytas
acquisition plan was "the last attempt to fill fictitious
Chairman and Founder of India's Satyam Computer Services Limited Hyderabad: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Satyam Computer Services Vadlamani Srinivas (C) Employees of Indian software company Satyam - their hands
Ramalinga Raju announces quarterly results during a press conference in is escorted by Police.
Hyderabad.
assets with real ones." Analysts and the stock market
regulator have reacted with shock at the fraud and
major brokerages have suspended ratings for the
stock.
The investment bank had already placed a "sell"
rating for the stock because of the global economic
slowdown. "The Satyam management's continuance
seems to be untenable regardless of the new board
composition. What this sorry episode has done is
leave a huge hole in corporate governance at Satyam,"
said Viju George, analyst at Edelweiss Securities, in a
report to clients.
A company's books of accounts signed by the
board, is approved by auditors before being sent to
financial regulators and tax authorities.
A spokesman for India's second largest
software exporter Infosys, which rivals Satyam for
outsourcing deals, said it was "shocked and
dismayed." "The whole incident is deplorable... the
government and regulators must make necessary
changes to regulations so that such incidents do not
happen in future."
The Satyam chief apologised "to all Satyamites
and stakeholders, who have made Satyam a special
organisation, for the current situation."
"I am now prepared to subject myself to the laws
of the land and face consequences thereof," Raju
added.
Indian police arrested B. Ramalinga Raju, the
founder and former chairman of beleaguered
outsourcing giant Satyam Computer, days after he
admitted he doctored the company's accounts to the
tune of $ one billion.
Satyam's balance sheets were riddled with
"fictitious" assets and "nonexistent" cash that could no
longer be concealed after a deal intended to save the
struggling company was abandoned, Raju admitted
in a letter to the company's board.
Raju and his brother, former managing director B.
Rama Raju were arrested in the southern city of
Hyderabad, according to S.S. Yadav, the top police
official of Andhra Pradesh state where the company
is headquartered. Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra
Pradesh. The brothers have resigned their posts in the
company.
Yadav said the men were being investigated for
cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and
falsifying documents. They may face up to 10 years
in prison. Several investors in Satyam were
considering suing PricewaterhouseCoopers, the
auditor of the company's doctored accounts, an
attorney said.
Satyam shares fell another 45.5 per cent to 21.75
Flare Report Business
rupees in Mumbai, following an 80 per cent plunge.
The auditing firm said in the statement that they
had worked "in accordance with applicable auditing
standards and were supported by appropriate audit
evidence."
"Given our obligations for client confidentiality, it
is not possible for us to comment upon the alleged
irregularities. Price Waterhouse will fully meet its
obligations to cooperate with the regulators and
others," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Archana Uttapa, a company
spokeswoman, denied Indian media reports that
Satyam was considering firing 10,000 of its 53,000
employees. "There is no such move," she said.
The scandal comes at a delicate time for India's
information technology companies, which are
struggling against a global slowdown and waning
economic growth at home. India's IT firms derive 40
percent of their global revenues from financial
services clients.
They replaced Satyam's own interim board of
directors who took charge after founder and chairman
coloured after making a handprint banner - shout supportive
slogans in Hyderabad.
B. Ramalinga Raju admitted the company's accounts
and assets had been falsified for several years.
The new members are Deepak Parekh, the
chairman of private sector housing firm HDFC; C.
Achuthan, a former member of regulator Securities
and Exchange Board of India; and Kiran Karnik,
former president of an IT lobby group."We will
provide strategic direction to Satyam, not run it on
daily basis. We are looking to induct fresh blood like
the chief executive and chief financial officer into the
company, but it will take time."
He said restating the accounts would be critical, as
"people do not have faith in the numbers at this stage."
The directors also said they had decided to appoint
23
new auditors for the company.

 Interview Flare Panel Free download | flare.com.pk

Flare Panel: When was Urbansole introduced

in the Pakistani market?
Kashif J. Zorain is a confident, creative and dynamic
Kashif J. Zorain: We launched Urbansole in
1996 as a truly national brand and since then, we marketing professional with distinguished performances
are renowned not only in Pakistan, but also in
Middle East, Russia and South Africa. in footwear and FMCG industries. Broad based
Nationally, Urban Sole enjoys the value of its
premium products that are known as “Genuine background encompasses exceptional work ethic and
Leather” Products with 12 COCO outlets nation
wide. Thus quality is our prime focus to meet the commitment to organisational objectives within a highly
ultimate customer satisfaction under ISO 9001:
2001, UKAS, CAA and SATRA standards. competitive and rapidly changing market. Now
Flare Panel: Please brief us about your
production setup? accelerates to make Urbansole the first choice of users
Zorain: From smart ergonomic design
concepts to the highest quality materials and
focused to increase our mindshare to 30 per cent of brands for our value consumers in Pakistan, so
workmanship, Urbansole has its own designs,
the annual growth in the next 5 years. they can locally enjoy the international label at
development, marketing, and distribution
Flare Panel: Do you have any foreign very competitive price.
departments that ensure quality at every step.
collaboration? Flare Panel: Your brand has remained
Urbansole footwear is hand-stitched as well as
Zorain: Yes, we have signed an agreement confined to gents’ wears. Why don’t you bring out
made on state of the art technology imported from
with an international brand Pierre Cardin and something in ladies’ wear?
Germany and Italy, allowing it to maintain the
have rights to sale and merchandise the brand for Zorain: Well, feeling the need of growing
premium quality that Urbansole footwear is
local market. The objective is to bring international women requirements for having comfortable
known for.
casual shoes, we have recently launched our vast
Flare Panel: How your shoes are different from
the other brands available in Pakistan? Urban club is the need of range of ladies foot wear. Our designs are unique
and user friendly so working ladies and female
Zorain: Our shoe making process starts from
our R&D department which conceptualises hour to provide youngsters students can easily move to fulfil their routine
commitments. Ladies can go to any outlet of
keeping in view the local and international fashion
trends. To bring our product closer to the a healthy platform, where Urbansole and get the latest comparatively
durable pair at an economical price.
expectations of our consumers, our R&D
department has the expertise of foreign foot wear we will offer career Flare Panel: What are you keeping in reserve
for near future?
fashion designers from Italy and Spain to produce
the finest fashion label for our consumers.
counselling, professional Zorain: We have launched a loyalty
programme named Urbanclub. We are targeting
Flare Panel: How do you see the shoe market study tracks and route youth, so we have an objective to provide our
in Pakistan and the growth potential for
Urbansole in the near future? maps, executives forums, young generation a healthy platform to explore
their potential and to provide them promotional
Zorain: Shoe industry in Pakistan is one of the
oldest manufacturing sectors of the economy. discussion forums, & sports and fashion related information from the globe.
This is a dire need of time as I discussed to
Now, customers have the multiple choices in
shoes and have developed good aesthetics and other events by making provide our youngsters a healthy platform. This
will be a kind of young’s club where we will offer
through media and other source of information.
Casual segment contributes 70 – 75 per cent of the our contribution in them career counselling, professional study tracks
and route maps, executives forums, discussion
total shoe market that people use to wear and we
have expertise in casual segment. In relation with
promoting a healthy and forums, sports and other events by making our
contribution in a healthy and peaceful society
24
the market size estimated at Rs. 7 billion locally
(other than SME’s and imported market), we have
peaceful society under the banner of Urbanclub.

Free download | flare.com.pk Azhar Javed InsighT

fter ducking a pair of shoes hurled at

A him during a farewell news conference

in Baghdad, US President George W.
Bush's "skills" are being put to test in a
new on line 'Bushgame' that has made gamers go
crazy. Mostly individuals visited
http://play.sockandawe.com to play the game.
Within 24 hours of the infamous press
conference addressed by Bush, online game lovers
have hooked on to the game on websites - a couple
of them among many - that were launched within
hours of that news conference. At last count, over
1 million shoes had hit the "target" in each of the
online games that replicated the press meet scene
telecast on television news channel all day long
the world over.
Bush had ducked a pair of shoes hurled at him
- one shoe after the other - as he began addressing
the news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki. Though the shoes hurled by
television correspondent Muntadar al-Zeidi had
narrowly missed his target, the online game
allows for the gamers' to hit the "target" by setting
the computer mouse at the mark.
Of course, Bush in the online game keeps
ducking - quite successfully at that -- and
challenges the gamers' deftness in getting him.
The Bushgame on
http://kroma.no/2008/bushgame opens with a
question to the player: "Can you throw a shoe at
Bush?" And when a shoe flung at Bush, behind a
microphone mounted on a rostrum, hits the target,
the player has scored. And if the gamer has hit
several times, the window closes with the slogan:
"Yes, you can!" But, the game ends with a rider:
"Remember, this is just for fun."
The 'Shoe Bushgame' is the latest in the
'Bushgame' genre that spawned on the net after
Bush won the presidency in 2000, delighting
The Iraqi journalist who tossed his shoes at President
online gamers this decade. Among the most George W. Bush missed the commander in chief, but he
popular Bushgames are the ‘Bush Shoot Out,’
‘Boneless Bush,’ ‘Punch Bush’ and ‘Dancing Bush.’ scored a direct hit on the web zeitgeist. The incident, in
As if in response to the fun poked at the US
President, a rival Bushgame - this time to test the which reporter Muntadar al-Zeidi flung his footwear at Bush
gamers’ skills to protect Bush from the flying
shoes - called the "Bush Boot Camp" too is
during a Baghdad press conference has turned into a fast-
growing in popularity. moving internet meme, spawning dozens of games and
video mash ups
real hero! God bless you mate." Chaos erupted in world. Followers of anti-American Shia cleric
Iraq's parliament over the jailing of al-Zeidia with Muqtada Al Sadr as well as other Shia and Sunni
lawmakers loyal to a radical anti-American cleric groups have staged demonstrations for the last
demanding his freedom. The parliament speaker three days demanding Zeidi's release.Bush, who
responded by threatening to resign. likened al-Zaidi's actions to flipping the bird at an
He could face two years imprisonment if found irritating motorist, "harbours no hard feelings
guilty of insulting a foreign leader. Zeidi's bizarre about the incident," said White House press
act of defiance won the obscure television reporter secretary Dana Perino. The journalist's
hero status in Iraq and throughout the Arab punishment, if any, will be left to Iraqi authorities,
according to the White House.
Among the most popular
Bushgames are the ‘Bush
Comedic video cut-ups like b3ta.com user
printmeister have already filtered the great Shoot Out,’ ‘Boneless
presidential shoe-toss of 2009 through the lens of
The Matrix. See more animated shoe-toss GIFs Bush,’ ‘Punch Bush’ and
inspired by World of Warcraft, perpetually meme-
compliant cats and other pop culture favourites
‘Dancing Bush.’ As if in
after the jump. response to the fun poked
Documentary footage of al-Zeidi's infamous
shoe-toss has proven popular online as well, with at the US President, a rival
various clips showing the incident in raw form
and slow motion quickly racking up millions of Bushgame - this time to test
views.
Meanwhile, al-Zeidi, a journalist based in
the gamers’ skills to protect A man playing an Internet video game, which consists
Cairo, Egypt, is well on his way to becoming the Bush from the flying shoes - in throwing a virtual shoe at US President George W.
Bush.
international hero of Bush haters. A Facebook
group dedicated to al-Zaidi — who capped his called the "Bush Boot In the Sock and Awe browser game players
shoe-toss with the soon-to-be-immortal words,
"This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" — already Camp" too is growing in toss shoes at the bobbing-and-weaving president.
The Flying Babush and Bush's Boot Camp games
shows hundreds of fans. "Great job!" wrote
Facebook user Khan Zada on the fan page. "The
popularity offer similar action.
25
 Telepedia Flare Report
The companies including Worldcard, Telecard, Dancom, WiTribe and others claimed that the
USF established by the PTA was a sort of tax and they were not bound to pay. Their
counsels argued that under Article 77 of the Constitution, no tax could be levied without the
authorisation of the Parliament. They also referred to APR 2004 rules
he goals of Universal Service are to promote
T the availability of quality services at just,
reasonable, and affordable rates; increase
access to advanced telecommunications
services throughout the nation; advance the
availability of such services to all consumers, including
those in low income, rural, insular, and high cost areas
at rates that are reasonably comparable to those
charged in urban areas.
In addition, the 1996 Act of America states that all
providers of telecommunications services should
contribute to Federal universal service in some
equitable and non-discriminatory manner; there
should be specific, predictable, and sufficient Federal
and State mechanisms to preserve and advance
universal service; all schools, classrooms, health care
providers, and libraries should, generally, have access
to advanced telecommunications services; and finally,
that the Federal-State Joint Board and the Commission
should determine those other principles that,
consistent with the 1996 Act, are necessary to protect
the public interest.
Since telephones provide a vital link to emergency
services, government services and to surrounding
communities, it is a part of America’s policy to
promote telephone service to all households since this
service began in the 1930s. The USF helps to make
phone service affordable and available to all
Americans. Although not required to do so by the
government, many carriers choose to pass their
contribution costs on to their customers in the form of
a line item, often called the “Federal Universal Service
Fee” or “Universal Connectivity Fee”.
The USF (Universal Service Fund) is a tax imposed
on long distance carriers, to fund telecommunications
PTCL, ISPs signs for postpaid internet Dial-up
The users will only be charged local call tariffs for 20-minutes pulse by PTCL, revenue will be
shared between PTCL and ISPs. It is expected that Internet will now proliferate to every nook and
corner of the country
TCL has signed revenue sharing
P agreements with three major Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) including Link
Dot Net, Sky Net and Comsats.
The agreement signing ceremony was held in
PTA HQs, Islamabad under the chairmanship of
Chairman PTA, Dr Mohammed Yaseen, where
representatives of PTA, PTCL and ISPs were also
present. It may be mentioned that ISP industry,
over the past few years is not making headway
and is facing difficulties in expanding its user-
base in spite of low tariffs. With the signing of
26
expansion in rural areas, among other things. USF
usually appears on phone bill as a small percentage (4
per cent) of as long distance charges, or sometimes
(AT&T) a flat rate, regardless of charges.
In order to spread the benefits of the telecom
revolution to all corners of Pakistan, Universal Service
Fund Company was established in 2006 by Ministry of
IT.
USF aims to promote
development of
telecommunication services in
un-served and under-served
areas throughout the length
and breadth of the country, to
make available affordable
voice telephony and basic
data services to progressively
greater proportions of the
country’s population at their
home locations
USF aims to promote development of
telecommunication services in un-served and under-
served areas throughout the length and breadth of the
country, to make available affordable voice telephony
and basic data services to progressively greater
proportions of the country’s population at their home
locations.
Through effective and fair utilisation of USF, the
Islamabad: Senior officers of PTCL and an ISP exchange
documents for Revenue Sharing. Chairman PTA Dr Muhammad
Yaseen and other officers were also present.
Free download | flare.com.pk
level of telecom penetration will increase significantly
in the rural areas. In case, of broadband the target areas
will be whole of Pakistan, not just rural. To bring
significant advances towards enhancement of e-
services, both in rural as well as urban areas of the
country.
The challenge before USF is to achieve all these
targets objectives through a transparent and efficient
process. The USFCo finances the spread of network
coverage and service to previously un-served or
under-served areas and makes it possible for operators
to supply individual service on normal commercial
terms to reach defined teledensity and broadband
penetration targets.
The single bench of Islamabad High Court
reserved its judgement over the outstanding amount
of Universal Service Fund (USF) amounting to about
one billion rupees which was claimed by Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority against telecom
companies.
The companies including Worldcard, Telecard,
Dancom, WiTribe and others claimed that the USF
established by the PTA was a sort of tax and they were
not bound to pay. Their counsels argued that under
Article 77 of the Constitution, no tax could be levied
without the authorisation of the Parliament. They also
referred to APR 2004 rules.
Standing Counsel Akhtar Awan apprised the
bench that a contributory fund (USF) was established
by PTA for those LDI companies licensed by it. He said
it was neither a tax nor a fee, rather the fund would be
utilised for IT industry and would be used for
establishing telecom facilities in the far flung areas of
the country.

this agreement with PTCL, ISPs will now offer
internet services at zero tariffs to general public
on postpaid mechanism.
The users will only be charged local call tariffs
for 20-minutes pulse by PTCL, revenue will be
shared between PTCL and ISPs. It is expected
that Internet will now proliferate to every nook
and corner of the country as internet users can be
able to avail free internet services of any ISP of
their choice without the hassle of buying prepaid
cards.

Free download | flare.com.pk
AMR collects the data remotely through dedicated web portal for various analysis and
report generation. Its unique anti tempering feature restricts power thefts and provides an
interface for viewing different readings of any desired date and time
HL (Konnect Holden pvt. Ltd) is, an ISO
K 9001:2000 certified associated company
of Akbar Associates Group, based in
Pakistan with offices in China and UAE
supporting Group activities and providing
customers with value added services for network
infrastructure development as well as providing
Solution under one roof for supply, maintenance
and optimised network performances.
KHL in continuation to its national agenda of
self reliance took another step by launching GSM
based automatic meter reading (AMR) Solution.
AMR is the state of art GSM/GPRS based
technology which has been designed, developed
and manufactured 100 per cent locally as a joint
venture between KHL and Micro tech Labs
according to international IEC 62053 and WAPDA
quality standards. AMR Solution is in particular
designed for use in telecom industry however it
can also facilitate a common home based user who
can now get the bill details any, where any time
on his or her mobile.
AMR meters are launched in Multan by
installing for the first time in the history of
Pakistan on Telenor Pakistan BTS sites. The
inaugural ceremony was attended by Senior
officials from Telenor Pakistan and KHL including
Hasnain Akhtar, National Manager, Telenor
Pakistan who grace the occasion with his presence
and applauded the performance of this highly
advanced metric system which will benefit the
telecom industry in minimising the losses and
helps in planning, he also appraised the role of
KHL being one of the largest service provider to
the fastest growing telecom industry of Pakistan.
KHL AMR is the technology of automatically
collecting data from metering devices (electric,
gas, water) and transferring that data to a central
database for billing and consumption analysis.
This means that billing can be based on actual
consumption rather than on estimate based on
previous consumption, giving customers’ better
control of their use of electric energy, gas usage or
water consumption. AMR helps the power utility
companies to analyse the real time data against
technical losses and tampering. This system
prevents human intervention in meter reading
process besides providing a host of value added
features. This phenomenon consequently results
in better data management and reduction in cost
of meter reading.
Features of AMR
• Fully Automated Bidirectional Remote
Metering System
• Supports both manual and customized
automatic reading for billing
• Collection of Instantaneous Data on demand
• Customized Event Alert Generation for Start
and End Events.
• Comprehensive Event Data Display.
• Provision of Meter Parameterization for
Events, Billing Data and security PIN change.
• Provision of separate user login for
administrators and normal users based on
predefined access rights.
• Provides easy interface for viewing power
consumption and instantaneous data.
• Easy to use graphical interface for viewing
and managing meter connection information and
hierarchy.
GSM network is being used
for the transmission or
telemetry or communication
of data between the AMR
enabled meters and
Automatic Metering System
(AMS). GSM modem will be
used for communication
between Meters and AMS. In
electricity supply network of
WAPDA, all energy meters are
connected through GSM
network with AMR server
(AMS)
• Customized Tabular and Graphical Reports
for Energy Counters.
• Manages and generates system logs reports
• Integrated user management system
This technology has brought revolutionary
changes in the field of meter reading and data
analysis and replaced the old metering system in
the developed countries of the world. KHL owns
complete intellectual assets and state of the art in
house facilities for design, development and
production of AMR enabled static energy meters.
Our AMR enabled energy meters are based on
GSM/GPRS technology. Server based Automatic
Flare Report InsighT
Metering System (AMS) is used to collect data
from remote energy meters for detailed analysis
and billing. AMR system provides the electric
utility companies the opportunity to increase
operational efficiency, improve customer services
and reduce data collection costs.
Real world benefits of KHL’s intelligent
AMR Solutions
• Information, Intelligence & vigilance: By
monitoring, sensing and transmitting variety of
information like Load profile, Peak time/Off Peak
time usage, Active power, Reactive power, Power
Fail / Restore, Phase Fail/Restore, Security breach
alert, Consumption threshold, Tampered Energy
and Power Consumption at any instant, our
Solution empowers the GSM and other network
operators like Fixed Local Loop, Wireless Local
Loop etc, to have total control over their remote
BTS sites. All of these high tech features have
remarkable field applications and yields amazing
results on Theft control, loss control, efficient
resource utilization and network optimization,
fool proof billing comparison and ultimately
increased (ARPU) Average revenue per user.
• Global Compatibility & Accessibility: As
stated earlier, rather than complex and error prone
network technologies like ZiGbee, WiFi, RF and
PLC, “due to non standard and different
environmental factors in Pakistan, all these
technologies are not successful in this
environment, and they are relatively complex to
implement and operate. Whereas our AMR
Solution uses mature GSM technology for WAN
communication, which is a stable, third party
managed, reliable and widely accessible, uses
legally guarded frequencies and is extremely
feasible in Pakistan. Hence this design implies
lesser point of failures.
• Centralised Network Management:
Technologies often mutate into monsters, when
they become unmanageable. Our AMR Solution is
based on efficient centralized network
management which gives peace of mind to the
technical staff by providing them easy network
management capability.
• Direct Command and Control Capability
(DCCC): AMR meter can communicates
directionally, i.e. it can trigger events itself or can
be remotely queried by the technical staff for
configuration, troubleshooting or to get billing
data forcefully. This feature offers a great
flexibility and control over the field units.

27
 Telepedia Adil Najam
Those making them might think they are free. But they are
not free to the citizens who have to pay for the people and
time used in answering and responding to these calls. Most
importantly, they are not free to the other real emergencies
that might be missed because either those calls did not go
through, or the folks taking the calls got so frustrated that
they failed respond to real emergencies
ccording to the 1998 census, the
A population of Lahore was 6,319,000 (6
million) inhabitants. According to
Daily Times, these inhabitants
managed to make 9,580,902 (9.5 million) crank
(prank or hoax) calls to the emergency 15 number
in 2008 (how many crank calls were made to other
numbers remains unknown, but is likely to also
be an obnoxiously large number). No matter what
the current population of Lahore might be, if these
numbers are true it means that on average each
Lahori man, woman and child made more than
one crank call of Emergency 15 in 2008.
We are, in fact, an emergency-prone people, as
evidenced by the fact that there were an
(additional) 52,486 calls that were in fact
legitimate calls to Emergency 15. This means that
only about one-half a per cent (of 1 in every 200) of
calls received by Emergency 15 were legitimate.
In case you are wondering, the Mujahid Squad
police did register some cases against these stupid
pranksters. How many, you ask? As many as 23.
That means only 0.0002 of the pranksters were
charged (or 2 out of every one million). And how
many were actually arrested or prosecuted. None!
Some of these pranksters are sitting
somewhere smirking and patting themselves at
how smart and funny they are. Although I hope
28 this is not so, statistically one would assume that
some would also be reading this. Unless they are
5-year olds, here I am to let them know that what
they have been doing is not funny. It’s stupid!
I am a proud Lahori. I believe 'Lahore, Lahore
Aye.' I love Lahore, Lahoris and fabled Lahori
humor. But there is nothing funny about these
numbers if they are true. As I tell my 11-year old,
if the other person isn't laughing with you, then it
is not funny, just mean. I doubt if those at the
The emergency number 15
received a total of 9,633,388
calls in 2008, adding that
only 52,486 of these were
true emergencies. They
said the Mujahid Squad had
identified about 650 prank
callers, who kept the
system busy and created
trouble for the police as well
as the people
Free download | flare.com.pk
receiving end of these calls were laughing.
They are also not free to the people making the
calls themselves. Assuming that each call takes
only one minute (in thinking about, making, and
then idiotically laughing at the call) of the caller's
time, that would mean 9,580,902 minutes or
159,682 hours, or nearly 20,000 work days (at 8
hours per day) of Lahori time. Please tell me what
is either so smart or so funny about wasting 20,000
work days of time!
The relevant details from the Daily Times story
are:
1. Those playing pranks have kept the
police busy by recording 9,580,902 fake
emergency calls in the city. The Mujahid Squad
police registered 23 cases with Civil Lines Police
Station against these prank callers; however, not a
single caller was arrested in 2008.
2. Meanwhile, the Mujahid Squad has
dismissed 71 officers and has punished their
juniors 2,176 times for showing negligence in duty
in 2008.
3. Prank callers: Sources said the emergency
number 15 received a total of 9,633,388 calls in
2008, adding that only 52,486 of these were true
emergencies. They said the Mujahid Squad had
identified about 650 prank callers, who kept the
system busy and created trouble for the police as
well as the people. However, the Investigations
Wing failed to arrest any prank caller against the
Mujahid Squad registered cases.
4. Sources said the prank callers capitalised
on widespread suicide attacks in 2009, and
disseminated wrong information about planting
of explosive material at various important sites in
the city to create panic.
Mujahid Squad Superintendent of Police Syed
Nasir Ali Rizvi said he had taken charge of the
Mujahid Squad recently and had thought of
several steps to improve the squad's working. He
said they would try their best to trace the prank
callers. He said they would find crime pockets in
every division, and would set up a response
squad for them. He said the response squad
would include an upper subordinate and seven
constables. He said he would order the patrolling
Mujahid Squad vehicles to select a point for
checking of all passing vehicles.
He said he had already ordered the Mujahid
Squad to keep a vigilant eye on robbers, especially
at weddings, which continued until late night.
Although the precision of the number suggests
that it is a real one, even if it were off by a full
order of magnitude this would be a really
disturbing number; and one possibly pointing to
a disturbed state of mind amongst too many.
I may be over-reacting here, but my reaction is
not just to this artifact, it is to an attitude of
wastefulness and callousness that seems to have
become acceptable. As if our institutions, our
society, and even this country is not our own, but
itself a big joke to laugh off in frivolousness.
Ultimately, we are the only ones who pay for
these things-one way or the other. And the fact
that they would make calls that would increase
public panic and find that funny is a harrowing
thought.
The more I think about this the more I think
that by putting the headline I have I am not being
too harsh, but not harsh enough on those who
would do this.

Free download | flare.com.pk Flare Report Exclusive

page is a node of a Lahore-based ISP said. "We feel that the cri-
from buz- teria of blocking should be clearly defined and
zvines.com. should not side with any political party."
Law is not impartial: It varies from one person to Most of the "This is a very repressive step and ISPAK con-
another. PTA has ordered to block links of those blocked Web demns this act," Micronet Broadband CEO and
sites on which exclusive pictures of Governor Pun- pages con-
tained articles
Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan
(ISPAK) convener Wahaj us Siraj told. "The IMC
jab Salman Taseer and his family were uploaded which claimed has no mandate to block political Web sites. The
where hundreds of thousands of nationals are un- to provide in- PTA apparently has less say in it and just con-
able to unplug the relevant Online data formation
about Punjab
veyed the directive of the IMC to the ISPs."

nternet is a world where nothing is veiled: Governor

Politicians making
I Everything is open and accessible. Internet Salman Taseer's "history"; others had pictures of
has improved the connectivity a lot; there is members of Taseer's family at lavish parties
so much to share and to learn. People in- thrown recently at the Punjab Governor House.
stantly grab significant files, photos, videos and None had blasphemous material, or anything
other materials of public interest and upload which could even remotely be construed as "anti-
propaganda of pictures
them on various social networks. The files are Pakistan," unless criticism of one person is con- Leader of Punjab Pakistan Muslim League
thereby downloaded by and forwarded to nu- sidered an act of treason. The PTA circular, issued Nawaz Rana Sanaullah has accused Punjab Gov-
merous people. It is impossible to count the num- on December 26 by Enforcement Coordination ernor Salmaan Taseer of being involved in ‘un-
ber of people who have attained a certain file. Director Yawar Yasin, however, called for the im- ethical and un-Islamic activities’ and said the
It is nothing new to listen that certain Web mediate blockage of these pages. An email was provincial government would take a strict notice
sites have been ordered to block by the authorities sent out on December 29 to ISPs by Muhammad of it. He said if a poor man was found involved in
on the ground that the placed material is blasphe- Shafiq, PTA Zonal Director (Enforcement) at the an un-Islamic activity, he was caught by police
mous or anti-Pakistan. Few months ago, Pakistan Authority's Rawalpindi zonal office. The ISPs in but the governor was left scot-free. Then similar
Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued or- question were directed to comply with these or- blames were hurled at the Rana Sana from the
ders to internet operators for blocking two links ders immediately and send a report to Shafiq by PPP ranks.
of Youtube (along with seven other web sites) 3pm the same day. Senior Minister Raja Riaz has protested
containing the footage of a private TV channel Meanwhile, the move to block political Web against PML-N and said he would lodge a formal
highlighting the illegal occupation of land in out- sites and Web pages has been lambasted by ISPs protest with Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif
skirts of Islamabad by the Chief of Naval Staff as well as Internet users, many of whom have, on in this regard on his return. Addressing the media
Admiral Afzal Tahir. various online discussion forums, compared this at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday, he
The PTA has now issued directives in the last act with those under the military dictatorship of added the scandalous allegations levelled against
week of December to Internet service providers Gen (retd) Musharraf. Taseer were immoral.
(ISPs), ordering them to block a list of six Web The minister was flanked by PPP’s local lead-
pages on the grounds that they were "harmful for
"While these Web pages have ership, brought to support to Governor Salman
the integrity of the country." been classified as 'harmful for the Taseer. He said that none of the pictures that
The directive came on the orders of the Inter- integrity of the country,' I don't formed the basis of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah
Ministerial Committee (IMC) for the Evaluation Khan’s allegations against Taseer were taken in
believe this is the correct the Governor’s House.
of Web sites. The IMC constitutes representatives
of the Ministry of IT, PTA, Ministry of Interior classification. PTA as a regulator He said the timeframe was also wrongly at-
and Cabinet Division. Its charter is to monitor and should not be involved in pushing tributed. He explained that one of the pictures
was taken two years back while others were from
block blasphemous, pornographic, and anti-state or blocking political agendas and a family wedding function. The pictures of
or anti-Pakistan sites.
Three of the six Web pages on the list issued should clearly rise above political Taseer’s son were taken during his trip to Europe
by the PTA, however, are from dictatorship- party favours and bias" with his friends, he said.
watch.com, a website set up after November 3, He said that if someone has political ill will,
2007, when then-President Gen (retd) Pervez "While these Web pages have been classified there were other ways to settle things. The minis-
Musharraf implemented a state of emergency in as 'harmful for the integrity of the country,' I don't ter said that the governor had complete support
the country. One Web page is from makepak- believe this is the correct classification. PTA as a of PPP Punjab. Referring to the letters written by
istanbetter.com, a social and political discussion regulator should not be involved in pushing or Taseer to the Punjab government, Raja Riaz said
forum. The fifth page is from friendskorner.com, blocking political agendas and should clearly rise it was his constitutional right to give directions to
a general discussion forum, while the sixth Web above political party favours and bias," the CEO the government.
29
 Telepedia Mark Ward
Smartphones drive mobile markets
Fans of high-end phones were spoiled for choice in 2008
T
here is no doubt that 2008 was the year
of the smartphone. The last 12 months
has seen the launch of iconic devices
such as the iPhone 3G, Google G1,
Blackberry Storm and Nokia N97. It also saw the
emergence of the electronic ecosystems needed
to get the most out of such handsets. But, all is
not rosy in the smartphone garden. The
popularity of these devices has brought to light
several problems that look set to become acute
in 2009.
Customer control
"It was a goodish year," said Andrew Bud,
chairman of mobile firm Mblox and director of
the Mobile Entertainment Forum. One of the
high spots, he said, was the knock-on effect the
launch of innovative smartphones had on the
mobile market. Many were using them to get at
popular social networking sites such as
Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, said Mr Bud.
"We've also seen the emergence of
applications as a whole new content category."
Alongside the launch of the Apple and
Google, smartphones went shops that gave
away and sold applications to run on the high-
end handsets. Apple said more than 100 million
applications had been downloaded from its App
Store between July and September.
For Steven Hartley, senior analyst at Ovum,
the popularity of the smartphone was a signal
that older technologies were coming of age. "3G
has really started to deliver on its promise," he
said. "That's again something that has been
talked about for a long time."
The success of 3G has been attributed to the
use of a technology known as high speed packet
access (HSPA). Dan Warren, director of
technology at the GSM (Global System for
Mobile communications) Association, described
30 HSPA as "the original 3G service on steroids".
Mr Warren said data rates looked set to get a
further boost in 2009 thanks to a follow-up
technology known as HSPA+. He added,
"HSPA+ will start to become prevalent in 2009.
It takes you up to 42Mbps, but the maximum at
the moment is 7.2Mbps in the UK."
Switch off
Despite the good news for the mobile world,
2009 is unlikely to see that success continue. For
a start, said mobile analysts CCS Insight, 2009
will see sales of handsets shrink. "This will be
In the summer of 2008 one
unlucky Vodafone customer
returned home from a
holiday in Portugal to a
phone bill in excess of
£31,000. He racked up the
bill by using his phone to
download an episode of
Prison Break and several
music tracks while on
holiday abroad
the first time the market has contracted since
2001," said an end of year report from CCS. The
firm said this slowdown could be blamed on the
global economic downturn that will hit every
part of the mobile industry.
The only place to buck these trends will be
markets in developing nations, said the report.
In particular, it said, India, sub-Saharan Africa
and China still have low penetration rates by the
standards of mature economies such as the UK.
But, said Mr Hartley from Ovum, more
Free download | flare.com.pk
customers in some markets will be a mixed
blessing. "As more and more people get a
mobile you are going down the value pyramid,"
he said. "You get a lot of people but every single
one is not going to be generating a lot of
revenue." The important thing that mobile
operators have to get right in 2009 is increasing
the numbers of people paying for data traffic, he
said. But, the problem with pushing people
towards using more data on the move is the
knock-on effect it has on the infrastructure
operators need to support those customers. The
global downturn could mean operators will find
it hard to raise the capital needed to cope with
significant growth, he said.
For Mr. Bud from Mblox, the growth of
mobile broadband highlights another pressing
issue for operators - how they price data plans.
Research by Mblox showed a huge discrepancy
between the amounts people using different
operators in different countries will pay when
downloading or browsing the web. In the UK, it
found, some folk will pay about £10 to
download a two megabyte music track. By
contrast, in Germany, on some tariffs, customers
will only pay 24 cents (22p) a megabyte.
The confusion that results was holding back
the growth of mobile data services, said Mr Bud.
Few people were willing to risk downloading as
they were worried about racking up huge
charges. In some cases, he said, their fears were
being justified.
In the summer of 2008 one unlucky
Vodafone customer returned home from a
holiday in Portugal to a phone bill in excess of
£31,000. He racked up the bill by using his
phone to download an episode of Prison Break
and several music tracks while on holiday
abroad. "The price consumers see should be the
price they pay," said Mr Bud.

 Telepedia Luke McKinney Free download | flare.com.pk

0- what does the double-future hold? What advances

are en-route for our always-on electronics?
1. Full Home Control
The Jetsotem promises third-party WiFi
connection to their home gateway device, which can
be accessed from any Web browser - meaning you
do not even need a Nokia phone to run it. Turn on
the lights if you are going to be out late, or get the
oven going for that roast you wanted to make for
dinner. With time becoming more and more
valuable, few of us have the time to sit around
waiting for things to happen and remote home access
systems are going to grow in demand as they become
more available.
2. Green Monitor
Just controlling your own software will use
accelerometer and cell phone tower signals to track
your motion and whether you are walking, biking or
bussing where you are going.
You phone’s wallpaper will change as you act

The Nokia sysns image of

controlling your entire
cyber-house from your
hand is closer than you
think, and this time without
the risk of causing your
robot to malfunction
hilariously/shrink you/send
you back in time to meet a
Your phone’s wallpaper will change as you act greener, lighting guy called ‘Fred,’ consoles
up achievements when you reach target scores. As anyone who is so nineties - if we have
has used Wii Fit or knows a World of War crafter will attest, an learned anything from
impartial electronic number assigned to your activities has a utopian future fictions, it is
ridiculously disproportionately motivating effect. For those more that humanity must work
concerned with their person than the planet, UbiFit will offer the together
same information on your exercise schedule - so for the very first greener, lighting up achievements when you reach
time, you can go for a high score and a fit body simultaneously target scores. As anyone who ha used Wii Fit or
knows a World of War crafter will attest, an impartial
f Alexander Bell could see the phones we have better, all tracked by your mobile phone. The kind electronic number assigned to your activities has a

I now, he would be amazed. He would be

astonished. He would be asking “Why is this
miraculous piece of engineering singing about
its ‘Lady Lumps’, and what are those, anyway?”
The telecom sector today is far different from the
defeated the point - either your entire house looked
like an ad for a single company or you could not
actually control it. The Nokia sysns image of
controlling your entire cyber-house from your hand
is closer than you think, and this time without the risk
ridiculously disproportionately motivating effect. If
we told you to sit in your current position for four
hours in return for us saying, “Lv. 70″, you would
laugh at us. People playing Wrath of the Lich King
are doing exactly that, except for forty hours instead
one that existed a decade ago. There is so much of causing your robot to malfunction of four.
novelty and technology. With the latest cellular hilariously/shrink you/send you back in time to For those more concerned with their person than
handsets the innovation has not yet stopped. It has meet a guy called ‘Fred,’ consoles is so nineties - if we the planet, UbiFit will offer the same information on
to move forward in the dimension that is far ahead have learned anything from utopian future fictions it your exercise schedule - so for the very first time, you
third is that can go for a high score and a fit body simultaneously.
generation humanity 3. Sound Powered Cell phones
(3G). The must work A sound-powered phone might seem like pizza
people who together. (And that makes you thinner, but that is just because you
are young that do not appreciate the awesome power of SCIENCE.
today cannot Romulans Texas A & M University professor Tahir Cagin has
imagine the cannot be made a nano-piezoelectric breakthrough which
tools which trusted it will could revolutionise phone power, as well as acting
their hook up your as the mother of all spelling bee tiebreakers.
upcoming home to a Piezoelectric materials can convert between
generation Webpage movement and electricity, and are already used in
will be accessible various speakers, microphones and even a Japanese
enjoying. anywhere in train station to produce power. Cagin’s breakthrough
But since the world. was to find a magic mini-size for such systems (only
we live in the Including twenty-one nano-meters across) which doubles their
future already your couch, if energy output. This could revolutionise portable
Nokia have you do not power harvesting technology - while large piezo-cells
announced feel like need major mechanical movement, the tiny
the “Z Wave” control center wh. UbiGreen is a standing up.) generators could by fuelled by sound waves.
programme by Intel and the University of Such home control solutions have been attempted Just think: In the future your phone will never run
34 Washington which could alter your behaviour for the before, but they all depended on a proprietary system out when you are using it, because you are using it.

 SITE ACQUISTION

CIVIL
MECHANICAL

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TELECOM

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TOWERS

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HR OUTSOURCING

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

3G COMTECH(PVT)LTD.
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PH: +92-42-5296429,5296529,5296212
FAX: +92-42-5296329
E-MAIL:khurram.mushtaq@comtech.net.pk
 Insight Farook Malik
he networking and telecommunication
T world has seen something of a
transformation in 2008, and we can
expect more profound changes in 2009 as
our reliance on being constantly connected
continues to grow. Over the course of the year
there has been a huge rise in the
amount of network and Internet
traffic from social networks and
media sharing sites such as
YouTube and the BBC iPlayer.
Demand is so high that some
ISPs started demanding that the
BBC should help pay for the
infrastructure upgrades required
to cope with the increased stress
on their networks.
People prefer to remain
connected via Web sites like
FaceBook, MySpace, Hi5, Orkut
and others. Communities on these
sites provide people a platform to
sort out old friends and to re-
union online. It is interesting to
see that people are concerned to
abridge the gap between different
people and societies. Seventy-four
per cent of office workers use their
work computer for personal tasks,
the survey of nearly 530
information technology (IT)
managers and end users at
companies in North America,
Britain and Europe found.
Fifteen per cent do not use
their work computers for personal Being connected is now more important
than ever
purposes while 11 per cent of the
respondents preferred not to
answer the question. The survey
was conducted by NewDiligence, an independent
market research firm, for Belmont, California-
based FaceTime Communications, a provider of
Internet security solutions.
The most frequent personal use of a work PC
was to send email to friends and family, followed
by looking at Web sites (84 per cent), banking and
personal finance (68 per cent) and shopping on
the Web (57 per cent), the survey found. Fifty-
seven per cent use their work computer to listen
to music or look at pictures and video while 44
per cent use it for instant messaging (IM) chat
with friends and family.
Thirty-two per cent connect with friends
through social network sites from their work
computer and 20 per cent update their social
network profiles with photos and videos while at
work. Eight per cent use their work computer to
update their personal blog or comment on other
blogs. But, if employees are using their work
computers for personal activities, they are also
using their home computers for work, according
to the study.
The use of cell phone is so extensive that it will
very soon over take computer. Internet will no
more limited to cell phones and people can easily
remain in touch on the go. There are so many
handsets that are coming in our way nowadays.
The year 2009 is expected to enlarge the range of
handsets.
Businesses have also become increasingly
reliant on broadband Internet connections due to
36 the growth in hosted applications and software-
Free download | flare.com.pk
as-a-service. These have grown to encompass Similarly, there has been a noticeable uptake
every facet of the business, from end-user
applications such as email, office tools and
customer relationship management, to back-end
systems such as security, backup and Web
hosting.
of technologies such as VoIP, unified
communications and video conferencing. As the
economic situation worsened over the course of
the year, companies sought ways of maintaining
close communications with branches and
customers, while minimising the
cost of travel and phone bills. To
cope up with the rise in demand
for capacity and reliability, service
providers and telecoms
companies invested heavily in
next-generation networks,
including wired and wireless
services.
Virgin Media announced the
roll-out of its 50Mbit/s fibre-
based broadband service, and
several announcements were
made regarding the progression
of BT's 21CN project. Despite
some issues around access, the
adoption of mobile broadband
exploded in 2008 in terms of
access from smartphones and
laptops using USB mobile
broadband dongles.
This has mainly been spurred
by the release of flat-rate data
plans, as well as pay-as-you-go
models giving users almost
unfettered access to the Internet
while on the move.
Following several successful
pilots, the first commercial WiMax
deployments were seen in select
locations around the world, and
hardware vendors started to
release devices capable of
Such services can provide a wealth of benefits supporting the technology.
to an organisation by offering enterprise-class Interestingly, LTE technology, which many
software and management without the need for consider to be superior to WiMax, did not see
major capital outlay. However, by delivering nearly the same level of coverage in 2008, despite
these systems over the network, the quality of the significant progress over the year.
connection becomes of paramount importance. Overall it seems that, much like differing
mobile communication protocols, the battle
between the various 4G technologies may have no
Such services can decisive winner, with various regions adopting
provide a wealth of their own preferred choice, leaving manufacturers
to develop hardware that caters to all users.
benefits to an From a regulatory standpoint, 2008 saw its fair
share of excitement. With the switchover to digital
organisation by offering TV well underway the question of how to allocate
the sections of the frequency spectrum freed up
enterprise-class software by the move has been debated vigorously.
This year has also seen some major changes to
and management the internet landscape with the roll-out of several
new top-level domains including .asia and .tel,
without the need for and more importantly the proposals for generic
major capital outlay.
top level domains, which would give anyone the
ability to create a top-level domain.
However, by delivering Some organisations have expressed concern
over the impact this move may have on the way
these systems over the people access the internet and the potential for
abuse by cyber squatters, online fraudsters and
network, the quality of other cyber-criminals.
It looks like every section of the networking
the connection becomes and telecoms arena has experienced turmoil and
innovation over the course of 2008. But with many
of paramount aspects still undergoing change and progression,
importance
it looks like 2009 could be as interesting, and
possibly even more so.

Free download | flare.com.pk
From a broadband perspective it has been an
eventful year – one that was good, bad and
ugly. Here is a rundown of 10 stories that best
defined the sector in 2008:
1. Optical cable cuts bookend the year
In 2008, we saw undersea optical cables cut
on two separate occasions, resulting in limited
Internet and voice access in countries in Europe,
Middle East and Asia. In January, 2008 two ca-
bles went out in the Mediterranean Sea and then
two more went on the blink in February. To-
wards the end of 2008, similar cable cuts near
Malta led to wide-scale problems.
2. Peering troubles disrupt the Internet
Cogent Communications, a wholesale band-
width provider, got into fracas with two sepa-
rate carriers -– Telia and Sprint — and shut off
its connections with them which resulted in
many of their customers losing access to the In-
ternet. Regardless of whose fault it was, the
brouhaha brought home the fact that the Inter-
net is really a network where many parties
agree to remain interconnected to each other
and any party can cause the whole thing to fall
apart (or slow down).
3. The unwelcome rise of metered broadband
In the U.S., we started to see the asphyxia-
tion of unlimited broadband. Limited by imag-
ination and slowing growth prospects, and with
their video franchises threatened, newly inde-
pendent Time Warner Cable and Comcast em-
braced the concept of metered broadband.
Phone companies joined in, and now we are
faced with a rather bleak-broadband future in
this country. Of course, everyone is blaming
P2P, Hulu and the growing demand for online
video. But, once ISPs started to block P2P traffic,
they soon found themselves in trouble with the
FCC. We issued our own GigaOM white paper
that looked at the facts and fiction of bandwidth
caps.
4. Wireless broadband takes wings
Apple released the 3G version of its popular
Flare Report InsighT
iPhone, leading to a 7. Broadband capacity keeps growing
sharp increase in The growth of global commerce and online
the demand for video will be enough to fill up all the optical
wireless Internet ac- pipes, according to Level 3 CEO Jim Crowe. The
cess. As predicted, increasing number of mobile subscribers glob-
it has tested the ca- ally is causing an exponential rise in the de-
pabilities of AT&T's mand for bandwidth, which is why despite
wireless network, declining prices there were several new cables
while at the same installed, notably those connecting Africa and
time lifting demand Asia to the rest of the planet. Meanwhile,
for more capacity Google took stakes in pan-Asian cables as it
on mobile backhaul tried to expand its reach eastward; it also
networks. AT&T bought a piece of satellite-based wholesale
had to buy Way- bandwidth provider, O3B Networks.
port, a Wi-Fi opera-
tor, to supplement
its 3G networks as
consumers turned
to cheaper Wi-Fi for
Internet access on
their phones. Other
wireless carriers are
responding with
their own devices
and wireless data, 8. Clearwire and the divergent fortunes of
turning it into a WiMAX
massive (and lucra- Sprint and Clearwire teamed up to form a
tive) business. Most new company, Clearwire that will offer
notably, T-Mobile WiMAX-based broadband service in many U.S.
cities. The company received more than US$ 3
USA launched its
much-awaited 3G billion from backers like Google, Intel and cable
network and a operators such as Time Warner Cable and Com-
cast, but it needs still more, and the current
Google Phone to go
along with it. credit crisis is giving company management
5. Planet Broad- some sleepless nights. In sharp comparison to
band the U.S., WiMAX technologies are taking off in
There are now emerging telecom economies such as India, a
more than 400 million broadband users around trend that is predicted to gather momentum in
the planet, many of them using faster (and 2009 and 2010.
somewhat more expensive) DSL connections. In
leading broadband nations like Japan, Korea
and parts of Europe, fibre-based Internet access
became even more popular. In the U.S., Verizon
is leading the fibre charge with its FiOS service.
9. Troubles return to telecom land
It was arguably the worst year on record for
U.S. phone companies. Millions decided to cut
the cord and switch entirely mobile plans in
order to save money. The demand for DSL serv-
ices slowed to a crawl. Their expansion into
video is going slower than previously pre-
dicted. In order to deal with slow consumer de-
mand, phone companies are saving cash by not
spending on infrastructure. But their attempts
The U.S. remains the largest, if not the fastest (in to hoard cash and not to spend on new equip-
terms of speed), broadband market. ment are in turn sending telecom gear makers
6. Outages become commonplace swirling down the drain. The cable operators
In 2008, our reliance on the Internet — and are starting to feel the heat as well. 2009 is not
Web services in particular — increased, and going to be easy for many of these companies.
more than once, we were made acutely away of 10. Good-bye, Mr Martin
the fragile nature of Web infrastructure. So, what is it I am looking forward to in
Google's popular Gmail service went on the 2009? For starters, the back of Kevin Martin, the
blink, Amazon's fast-growing, cloud-based stor- FCC chairman who in my opinion has done the
ageS3 service nosedived in July and more re- most harm to broadband competition with his
cently, DNS problems hit Yahoo and customers backward-looking, telecom-friendly policies. I
of its email service. And let's not forget when a hope President-elect Barack Obama looks out-
simple routing change by Pakistan Telecom to side the beltway to find the next FCC leader,
block YouTube took down the video service for someone who puts the people before special in-
hours, leading to a sharp increase in productiv- terest groups.
37
ity around the world.
 InsighT Priyanka Chowdhury
he rental market for IT
T products, which had
been on an upswing over
the past few years, is
witnessing a major deceleration
due to the slowdown in the
economy. In 2007, the rental
business was estimated to be in
the range of Rs 130 crore to 140
crore, but in 2008 it is expected to
register a negative growth of 30
per cent.
Kshitij Puranik, Corporate
Business Head, Ralco Synergy
says, “Our quarterly average was
around Rs 2.5 crore at the
beginning of the year. However,
with the slowdown, we have
seen a drop of 30 per cent. This is
mainly because of the business
slowdown experienced by small
and mid-sized IT and ITES
companies. These companies
usually rent IT products for new
short-term projects, but they
have suffered due to the crisis in
the US economy. As a result, they
have lain off several employees,
and hence they have many PCs
lying around which they can use
instead of renting. We are afraid
that if the slowdown continues
we will not be able to sustain our
business.” Ralco has been in the The Indian IT rental trade is witnessing a
hiring business for over eight
years. It rents out not only PCs major deceleration due to slowdown in the
but also routers and switches.
Bangalore-based Sogo
Computers has also seen its
rental business adversely affected due to the
slowing down of the IT sector. “The IT and ITES
segment has been the worst hit due to the
recessionary trends in the US and European
economies. This is one reason why rental markets
in technology hubs such as Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Gurgaon, which
are significantly larger than those in the rest of the
country, have been most affected by the
slowdown,” explains Dinesh Nair, General
Manager, Sogo Commercial Services, the IT rental
wing of Sogo Computers. Sogo has been in the
rental industry since 1994, and provides laptops,
desktops, peripheral products, LCD projectors,
plasma TVs and UPS solutions.
Another big consumer of rented IT products
is the financial sector, which has taken a big hit
due to the global economic uncertainty. Hired
products are in demand by financial entities such
as banks, brokers and distributors during IPO of
companies, and by mutual funds for managing
IPO applications and processing. The IPO market,
which was at its peak last year, has seen very few
IPOs this year because the stock markets have
been reeling under heavy losses.
Sharp fall in prices
Due to the drop in demand, hiring charges
have also taken a big hit, thus eroding the
margins of the players. According to Nair, “There
has been a fall of around 30 per ent in hire prices
of almost all IT products. For instance, the rentals
of desktops used to be around Rs 2,500 per
month; it now has come down to about Rs 1,700.
Similarly, the prices of routers, laptops and other
IT products have also come down. Rates could
38
Free download | flare.com.pk
reselling. Usually you recovered
the cost of the product within the
first four to six months,” reveals
Kumar.
SMBs or software firms often
prefer to hire products because
capital is saved by hiring
equipment instead of buying it,
and the saved funds can be
deployed for other purposes.
Further, rentals give enterprises
which are heavily dependent on
technology the flexibility to scale
up or upgrade every time a new
technology is launched. There
are also certain companies whose
IT needs are project-driven, or
they take up contractual work.
“Since these organizations take
on short-term projects, they
prefer hiring equipment to
purchasing it,” says Kumar.
Adds Nair, “For many
customers, asset control is the
main reason for hiring products.
Some companies, especially
MNCs, go by stringent
government rules which insist
that they cull away their
computer hardware by following
strict environment guidelines.
This forces them not to resell the
hardware. Hence, from both a
financial and environmental
point of view, rentals make sense
to these organizations.”
economy Many event management
companies rely heavily on rental
solutions because they have to
fall by another 15 percent in the coming months.” provide IT equipment such as notebooks,
Complains Arun Kumar, CEO of Compulease projectors and touch screens for various events
Networks, which hires out networking and server including exhibitions, road shows, seminars and
products,“We have seen a drop of 60 percent in conferences. “On the whole, hiring IT products
the rental prices of routers and servers. At this make sense for many organizations as it not only
rate, we will not be able to recover even the cost turns out to be economical in the long run but also
of the product.” saves the organization the hassle of appointing
more people for maintaining the product and
Our quarterly average then disposing off the equipment at the end of its
life-cycle,” explains Puranik.
was around Rs 2.5 crore Combating slowdown
As a way out, IT rental companies are looking
at the beginning of the at opportunities other than software companies.
They are now turning to organizations providing
year. However, with the corporate training, and event and exhibition
firms.
slowdown, we have seen “At the moment corporate training is growing
faster than the retail training market,” points out
a drop of 30 per cent. Nair. “Less than five percent of companies have
This is mainly because the infrastructure for training. Events are another
segment that has opened up. Almost all events
of the business and conferences are being automated for the
benefit of delegates, so event managers end up
slowdown experienced hiring number of computers, and this gives quick
and substantial returns. We are also trying to
by small and mid-sized push our services into the SMB segment.”
Concludes Kumar of Compulease says, “It’s
IT and ITES companies not just about pushing your equipment to a
different segment. Now that the market has
reached such a state, one has to be innovative and
Rationale of rentals look at value addition. One can look at other
Prior to the slowdown in the rental market, the smaller segments such as cyber cafes, web
business was considered lucrative. “Hiring has development and design firms, and computer
been a very profitable business. You could make training institutes, where there is a constant need
twice the margins you made on hardware for IT products.”

Free download | flare.com.pk
NADRA Seven years
to ensure CNIC imprisonment
within 30 days proposed for
Talking to media men chair-
man committee senator Talha
E-crimes
Mehmood said committee Hate crimes, telemarketing
had urged NADRA to settle
their matters with mobile theft, and credit card account
companies and evolve coor- thefts are considered to be
dinated system to block un- cyber crimes when the illegal
verified SIMs issued on fake
CNIC
nterior secretary Kamal Shah told committee
I FIR in regard to 5908 fake CNICs had been
registered. Senate standing committee on in-
terior has directed National Data Base and
Registration Authority (NADRA) to ensure is-
suance of National Identity Card (CNIC) within
30 days and urgent card within seven days to
every citizen besides conducting inquiry into is-
suance of fake NIC to Afghan nationals and citi-
zens of other countries and submission of report
thereof by 10 January to the committee.
Senator Talha Mahmood addressing a press conference
Committee met under its chairman senator
Talha Mehmood in NADRA Headquarters. Inte-
rior secretary Syed Kamal and Chairman
NADRA also attended the meeting. Committee
directed NADRA to expose the employees who
were behind issuance of fake CNIC besides
bringing them to book.
Committee stressed NADRA to resolve the
issue of 2400 employees of registration depart-
ment through golden shake hand scheme or their
adjustment in NADRA. Committee stressed inte-
rior ministry and NADRA to monitor the process
of entry and exit of the vehicles from Islamabad
and install E-type on motorway pattern in the
city to do this job.
Talking to media men chairman committee
said committee had urged NADRA to settle their
matters with mobile companies and evolve coor-
dinated system to block unverified SIMs issued
on fake CNIC. Interior secretary Kamal Shah told
committee FIR in regard to 5908 fake CNICs had
been registered.
Everyone is ready to see what measures sen-
ate standing committee on interior will take if
NADRA remains unable to meet the deadline.

Flare Report Telepedia
and Internet fraud, identity
activities are committed
through the use of a com-
puter and the Internet
N
ational Assembly's Standing Commit-
tee on Information Technology and
Telecommunications suggested that
the punishment for cyber crimes be
raised from three years imprisonment to seven
years imprisonment with fine.
The committee which met with Muhammad
Berjees Tahir, MNA in the chair discussed Pre-
vention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2008
(Ordinance N. IV of 2008).
Criminal intimidation and sexual harassment
is common via Internet and SMS. It was also in-
formed that financial frauds and Identity thefts
are increasing, and hackers are earning bad name
for the country. Terrorists are using Internet and
computer as a tool. The committee was further
informed that highly sensitive data and electronic
systems do not have proper legal protection from
perpetrators of electronic crimes.
Cyber crime encompasses any criminal act
dealing with computers and networks (called
hacking). Additionally, cyber crime also includes
traditional crimes conducted through the Inter-
net.
A generalised definition of cyber crime may
be “unlawful acts wherein the computer is either
a tool or target or both”. The computer may be
used as a tool in the following kinds of activity-
financial crimes, sale of illegal articles, pornogra-
phy, online gambling, intellectual property
crime, e-mail spoofing, forgery, cyber defama-
tion, cyber stalking. The computer may however
be target for unlawful acts in the following cases-
unauthorized access to computer/ computer sys-
tem/ computer networks, theft of information
contained in the electronic form, e-mail bombing,
data dawdling, attacks, logic bombs, Trojan at-
tacks, internet time thefts, web jacking, theft of
computer system, physically damaging the com-
puter system.
39
 Technobabble Usman Yaqoob
Unlike a curved screen television, a flat screen television
display produces fewer reflections, thus you enjoy
distraction-free viewing, no matter where you are seated in
the room. A flat screen television need not necessarily have
a flat panel display. Common CRT televisions can also have
flat screens
T
elevision is now considered to be the
best source of entertainment and a
powerful source of information. It has
become such a powerful medium
that, without it, we would be deprived of
much information, as well as entertainment.
The idea of a plasma display is to illuminate
tiny coloured fluorescent lights to form an
image. The plasma display varies the
intensities of the different lights to produce a
full range of colours.
Unlike a curved screen television, a flat
screen television display produces fewer
reflections, thus you enjoy distraction-free
The picture elements
(pixels) are controlled
individually. Each pixel in a
colour image is made up of
a red, green, and blue
component, or "sub pixel"
that works together to
create images
viewing, no matter where you are seated in
the room. A flat screen television need not
necessarily have a flat panel display. Common
42 CRT televisions can also have flat screens.
The basic idea of display in plasma
television is to illuminate tiny coloured
fluorescent lights to form an image. The very
first prototype for a plasma display monitor
was invented in July 1964 at the University of
Illinois by professors Donald Bitzer and Gene
Slottow, and then graduate student Robert
Willson. Bulky Cathode Ray Tube televisions
were the standard for over fifty years. A flat
panel television is even thinner than a photo
album. A flat panel television struggles in the
confusion of selecting one of the two
technologies: LCD (liquid crystal display)
versus Plasma Television. The picture
elements (pixels) are controlled individually.
Each pixel in a colour image is made up of a
red, green, and blue component, or "sub pixel"
that works together to create images.
Plasma is a highly ionized gas-like
substance that is an excellent conductor of
electricity. A Plasma Display consists of
thousands (and sometimes millions) of tiny,
glass, plasma-filled chambers, which are
layered between two wired glass panels. The
wires are arranged in rows and columns on
either panel, creating a grid. A charge is
directed to the desired wire intersection,
which activates individual pixels. Behind each
of the glass chambers are three phosphors that
emit red, green, or blue light, and combine to
create the images on the screen. A digitally
controlled electric current excites the plasma,
Free download | flare.com.pk
causing it to give off invisible ultraviolet light.
This ultraviolet light strikes the phosphors on
the back of the display and makes them
display the appropriate color. Plasma
Displays eliminate the need for a back light
source because they produce their own light.
The result of plasma technology is an
evenly focused, realistic picture with a wide
viewing angle. Plasma displays perform well
regardless of lighting conditions and are not
affected by magnetic fields. But the phosphors
and gases deteriorate over time, causing
brightness to fade. The life span of a plasma
display averages 30,000 hours (compared to
20,000 hours for a CRT).
LCDs became popular in the 1970s. Today,
LCDs are used in a variety of digital devices,
including calculators, watches, microwave
ovens, computers, and front projection TVs.
They use a gas-like substance known as
Liquid Crystals to create a display.
Liquid crystal is a substance that shares
characteristics of both a liquid and a solid. An
electric current is used to manipulate them to
allow light to pass through or be blocked out,
like the shutter of a camera. In a rear-
projection TV, this light source is at the back
of the television, behind the layer of liquid
crystals. In a front-projection TV, a panel of
mirrors is positioned at back of the crystals to
reflect the light projected from the front of the
TV. Applying voltage, which changes the
properties of each liquid crystal cell (LCC) in
the display, forms images. This in turn alters
the pixel's light absorption properties.
There are basically two different types of
LCD screens: Passive matrix and active
matrix, (otherwise known as thin film
Plasma perform well
regardless of lighting
conditions and are not
affected by magnetic fields.
But the phosphors and
gases deteriorate over time,
causing brightness to fade.
The life span of a plasma
display averages 30,000
hours
transistor or TFT). Passive matrix screens have
been around a long time and have improved
a lot over the years. They are still used in
laptop computers. To get the best out of a
passive matrix screen, view the screen straight
on. It can get a bit washed out on a bright day
outdoors, but they are proven and reliable
and inexpensive. TFT screens produce a
higher quality image that's brighter and
sharper than those produced by a passive
matrix display. You do not have to view the
screen from a particular angle to see clearly.

Free download | flare.com.pk Flare Report Event

Lahore: Group photograph of Wateen family with Pervaz Shahid, Member of Board of Directors, Abu Dhabi Group and Tariq Malik, CEO Wateen Telecom.

Lahore: The group Photograph of participants of Bank Alfalah Limited (The Learning Group) Lahore: Dr Usman Bashir, Head of Al Razi Health Care, a project of Abu Dhabi Group
after the Graduation Ceremony. photographed in a group with Dr Kamran.

Lahore: The group photograph of Wateen Telecom members with Col. Shahid after the Mr Arifa Malik gives away shield and certificate to the participant of Graduation Ceremony of Bank
training session, held in a local hotel. Alfalah Limited. Mr Talib Rizvi is also standing.

After awarding shield, Mr Arifa Malik shakes hands with Mr Khawaja Bakhtiyar. Mr Talib
Rizvi is also present on the occasion. 43
 BusinesS Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

"A severance package is going to provide

that CEO with some incentive to say, 'I am
willing to sell out the firm and get fired,
because there is a golden parachute that
I will get”
public compa- sumer demand changed. Investment banks and
nies. mortgage lenders soaked up profits on high-risk
"The failure loans and securities tied to mortgages, ignoring
of so many the damage that must eventually come when the
firms can partly home-price bubble burst.
be attributed to General Motors executives and directors, for
structural fac- example, can be faulted for misunderstanding the
tors beyond implications of a gasoline-starved and environ-
anyone's con- mentally threatened world, Useem says, while
trol, but not en- Wall Street is "dominated and driven by investors
tirely," says and equity analysts" with a short term outlook.
Wharton man- Wharton management professor Thomas P. Ger-
agement pro- rity describes the run up to the collapse as "a clas-
fessor Michael sic delusion, a madness of crowds. We've lived
Useem. "One through it over and over again."
has to infer that Washington is already addressing governance
we also have a issues, and most experts think more will come.
combination of Banks that take federal rescue money have to
leadership and agree to executive-pay restrictions, such as a loss
governance of tax deduction on pay exceeding $500,000 a year
"The recent volatility, we have seen, shows that the problems that
can explain
and a ban on big paydays for departing execu-
tives, called "golden parachutes."
need for better corporate governance has never why so many For the moment, pay restrictions may be neces-
companies sary to get support for rescue measures from an
been clearer or more pressing" went south so angry public and Congress who resent big pay for
quickly." With those who presided over disaster, says Wayne R.
rom Wall Street to Detroit, chief executives

F
are losing their bonuses, agreeing to work
for a dollar a year and in many cases losing
their jobs. Congress is invading the execu-
tive suite, demanding veto power over manage-
ment decisions as a price for tax-funded rescues.
And, of course, stock prices have plummeted. It
all looks like a sweeping vote of no confidence, as
if the world thinks America's executives and
boards of directors are beset with an epidemic of
incompetence, self-dealing or both.
Many shareholder advocates see the financial
collapse and economic woes as stunning proof of
their long-held claim that too often the wrong peo-
ple are in charge - and that attacking this problem
demands an overhaul in corporate governance
regulations. They propose a range of measures to
encourage chief executives to focus on the long
term rather than the next quarter, to give share-
holders a "say on pay" and to make it easier for
them to field their own candidates for director-
ships.
"The recent volatility, we have seen, shows that
the need for better corporate governance has
never been clearer or more pressing," writes Nell
Minow, editor and co-founder of The Corporate
Library, a research firm that presses for better go
variance practices. She adds that "this latest mess
is so pervasive and so - apparently - legal that it
has called into question the most fundamental no-
tions of trust in Wall Street and in the American
economy."
Not everyone sees governance as the culprit,
and some warn that a knee jerk attack on estab-
lished corporate practices could backfire. But
many experts expect that regulators, Congress and
the incoming Obama administration will take a
hard look at whether rule changes could improve
the management of
44
hindsight, he notes, it is clear that many corporate
directors and executives failed to appreciate the
"risks lurking in what they were doing, and the
risks lurking in the economy at large."
The main exhibits for reform advocates: First,
the near collapse of the three U.S. automakers,
while foreign competitors thrived in the same
market conditions; and, second, the extraordinary
The car makers promoted
profitable SUVs and trucks,
failing to develop enough fuel-
efficient vehicles or upgrade
plants so they could swiftly
produce different vehicles as
consumer demand changed.
Investment banks and
mortgage lenders soaked up
profits on high-risk loans and
securities tied to mortgages,
ignoring the damage that
must eventually come when
the home-price bubble burst
level of borrowing and risk-taking that sank major
investment banks.
For many experts, the common thread was a
focus on short-term results that endangered firms'
long-term health. The car makers promoted prof-
itable SUVs and trucks, failing to develop enough
fuel-efficient vehicles or upgrade plants so they
could swiftly produce different vehicles as con-
Guay, a Wharton accounting professor. But he
questions whether making such restrictions per-
manent would be wise, arguing that big firms "are
not going to survive long-term by paying their ex-
ecutives $500,000. They're just not going to attract
the talent."
Even severance payments can make sense, he
says, citing cases of CEOs faced with losing their
jobs by selling their firms, which is often the best
move for shareholders. "A severance package is
going to provide that CEO with some incentive to
say, 'I am willing to sell out the firm and get fired,
because there is a golden parachute that I will
get,'" he suggests.
To critics, however, this reasoning underscores
the corporate culture's hazardous fixation on self-
interest. A top executive who is already wealthy
by any ordinary standard should not need to be
paid extra to do right by his shareholders, accord-
ing to this view.
Minow says Corporate Library studies show
that executives receive outsized pay because they
exert excessive influence over their boards of di-
Free download | flare.com.pk
rectors - influence that also can help a poor-per-
forming executive hold on to his job. She says her
organization's proprietary studies, which are sold
to subscribers, show a correlation between exces-
sive pay and poor shareholder returns.
While Minow argues that the widespread fail-
ures among financial firms show how pervasive
bad management has become, others say the
breadth of the problems shows the crisis was un-
predictable, noting that not many regulators or ac-
ademics saw it coming either. "This was not
something that was missed by a bunch of dum-
mies. They just didn't get it," says Gerrity. "The
few voices that were expressing scepticism were
drowned out by the fact that the market was
booming." Executives felt compelled to jump into
the sub-prime mortgage and other risky markets
to compete. "Everyone was playing the roulette
wheel."
Guay, too, feels it is too easy to blame corpo-
rate governance for the whole mess. "It is just hard
to tell a story about why these firms would choose
executives who weren't trying to maximise share-
holder value," he says. Hence, executives striving
to match competitors' use of lucrative mortgage
securities were doing what their shareholders
wanted - and shareholders were not complaining
at the time. "Most of these executives held a vast
majority of their own wealth in their companies'
stock or stock options, so they had the greatest
possible incentives to maximise profits," he says,
noting that many Wall Street executives not only
lost their jobs after the business soured but much
of their fortunes as well. "It's hard to say that all
the banks hired bad executives."
Some critics argue that stock and stock options
give top executives an incentive to manipulate re-
sults or take excessive risks to boost stock prices
over the short term, and they suggest that execu-
tive performance should be judged according to
different gauges, such as revenue growth, earn-
ings measures or other data calculated by corpo-
rate accountants. But Guay notes that many types
of data produced in-house are more easily manip-
ulated than share price, which is governed by the
market's judgment.
Shareholder groups have been pushing "say on
pay" initiatives that would require companies to
put executive-pay issues to shareholder votes.
While such votes probably would be non-binding,
the idea is that the prospect of an embarrassing
"no" vote would prod directors out of paying too
much and compel them to justify pay packages
publicly. But Guay and Gerrity question whether
many shareholders are equipped to make such de-
cisions. "These [decisions] are complex," Guay
says. "They require a lot of detailed information....
If we move the decision-making that has tradition-
ally been in the hands of the boards back to share-
holders, we sort of move away from the reason we
have boards of directors in the first place."
That begs another question raised by the crisis:
If directors are there to make tough decisions and
oversee executives, why did they allow so much
risk taking?
Minow and other critics say directors are too
cozy with the executives to oversee them ade-
quately. In many cases, the CEO is the chairman of
the board, giving him significant say over who is
offered a board seat, which can be worth hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars a year at a major cor-
poration. Although directors must be elected by
shareholders, critics note that traditionally a can-
didate needs only a plurality of votes to win an
election. Reformers want to require that candi-
dates receive at least 50% of votes cast to win. In-
"These [decisions] are
complex," Guay says. "They
require a lot of detailed
information.... If we move the
decision-making that has
traditionally been in the hands
of the boards back to
shareholders, we sort of move
away from the reason we have
boards of directors in the first
place"
deed, this requirement has been adopted fairly
widely in the past few years. "More and more
firms are starting to move in that direction and I
don't think it's a bad idea," Guay says.
Lucian A. Bebchuck, a law professor at Har-
vard who specialises in governance, says such re-
forms would strengthen U.S. corporations,
arguing they would serve shareholders better if
they adopted some of the United Kingdom's gov-
ernance rules. In addition to opening the ballots to
challengers and shareholder-sponsored issues, re-
form should include requiring all directors to face
election every year, he says. In the "staggered" sys-
tem common in the U.S., only a fraction of direc-
tors face election in any given year. Advocates say
this promotes stability, while critics say it helps
en- trench weak directors and managers. Be-
bchuk's studies have concluded that staggered
boards weaken corporate performance. He says
the range of reforms he advocates could be swiftly
enacted by amending the Delaware General Cor-
poration Law, since most U.S. companies are in-
corporated in that state.
Obama has supported say on pay and other
governance reforms, and most experts expect the
Democratic-controlled Congress to push these is-
sues next year.
Eric. W. Orts, professor of legal studies and
business ethics at Wharton, warn against putting
too much emphasis on governance reform, believ-
ing other regulatory changes are more promising,
including improved public disclosures about new
securities such as credit default swaps. Firms were
not ignoring risks; they did not have the data
needed to see how risk was spreading through the
system. Consolidating regulatory functions now
scattered among different agencies would help, he
says. "This is the ideal moment."
BuninesS
Useem, too, cautions against a quick resort to a
handful of politically popular remedies. "The great
danger is [you] screw up free enterprise," he says,
arguing that Obama should establish a blue chip
task force to consider governance issues in depth.
"The way in which regulation is going to be effec-
tive here is if it [comes from] a lot of smart people
[looking at] what happened at Lehman, Merrill
and General Motors and saying, 'we can't let it
ever happen again.'"
Any analysis of successful companies shows
there is no single governance style that guarantees
success, Useem says. Nonetheless, he believes that
moves to make directors more responsive to
shareholders and to open board elections to chal-
lengers could be helpful. It also can be useful to
better tie executive compensation to long-term re-
sults by parcelling out compensation over a num-
ber of years, with provisions for withholding
portions if performance fades.
Having been so badly stung, many firms are
already moving to address risk taking, Gerrity
notes. "We have a healthy new thrust in corporate
governance called enterprise risk management" to
establish standing operations to take a more so-
phisticated and comprehensive look at a firm's
risks. Depending on the business, that can entail
everything from the risk of hurricane damage or
terrorist attacks to the risk inherent in portfolios
of mortgage securities, or factors that could
threaten access to cash and credit.
Because these evaluations are so complex, they
could be hampered if too much authority shifts
from management and employees to sharehold-
ers, Gerrity adds. "You're not going to improve
[risk management] from a thousand miles away,
with no real knowledge of the needs of the firm.
The only solution to this is more intensity and
more courageous questioning.
People didn't look at the systemic risk, which is
more obvious now than it ever has been in our his-
tory, because markets are more interconnected."
More important than regulatory change is the
need for a cultural shift to better emphasise long-
term issues, Useem says. Ultimately, he notes,
Americans may adopt a disdain for short term risk
taking similar to the disgust they have developed
for smokers who light up in crowded rooms. A
new risk-consciousness held by the public should
work its way into the boardroom and executive
suite, he says. "Rebuilding the national culture be-
comes absolutely vital."
45
Courtesy: KT
 Telepedia Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

PTA should give them relief and announce a bail out plan for them, instead of pressurising
them to pay fee. Paying fee is only important and necessary when the business is good and
any company is earning. We have seen the same policy in the US where US government
has offered a bail out plan to the biggest bank of the world, Citi Bank. Why we can’t offer
such plan to our companies
akistan is country which needs some extra PTA will terminate its services/system after due out plan to the biggest bank of the world, Citi

P ordinary steps and vision to move ahead

on the way of success. From agriculture to
telecom sector, we have problems, crisis,
and mismanagement from top to bottom. We have
a number of organizations with all the powers and
date. According to the notice, companies are
informed that their licences to provide
telecommunication services/system have been
terminated by PTA under Section 23 of the
Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation)
Bank. Why we can’t offer such plan to our
companies.
One thing which must be taken in to account
is that every company is our asset, either that is
local or foreign. We should take care of this asset.
authorities. But, we can’t see the positive results. Act, 1996. PTA has already issued letters for These companies are providing a large number of
Crisis after crisis has given a situation where our payments but these companies did not reply. employment opportunities to our youth. So, if
businesses are on the edge of failure. We have However, these companies/directors are ordered these companies failed, then we will not only
PTA, OGRA, WAPDA and even electricity to respond to the notice and to make the payments deprived of the taxes, but also from the job
generation regulatory authority, but we have no till last date. The Authority has given 30 days opportunities created by these companies. If due
hope in any of the field, like slowing growth of notice to make payments followed by an to any reason, this happened it will be really a bad
telecom sector, load shedding , prices hike of immediate action against those who do not abide news for us all.
liquid by the notice. Following are the companies: In a time when even Mobilink, Telenor
petroleum Zahoor Azam & Company (Pvt) Ltd, Pakistan, Warid and Ufone were not making good
and no future Islamic Communication (Pvt) Ltd., KomStream business, how these small companies could
planning. (Pvt) Ltd., I.J. Telecom (Pvt) Ltd., Skylink survive. It is a hard time so PTA should think of
Every step is Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Top Man following steps:
being taken Engineering & Communication (Pvt) Ltd., o Technical support for their revival
on day to day TeleGold (Pvt) Ltd., Global Allied o Bail out plan
basis. Telecommunication (Pvt)Ltd., Tourist
One of
the hardest
Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Supercom
Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Gulzar Construction
These companies are
realities is the (Pvt) Ltd., ASK International (Pvt) Ltd., Combine providing a large number of
slowing Communication International (Pvt) Ltd., Al-
growth in IT Huda Technologies (Pvt) Ltd., Computeronics employment opportunities to
and Telecom International (Pvt) Ltd., Falcom Telekom (Pvt)
Ltd., Jaz Digital (Pvt) Ltd., Qarina Industries
our youth. So, if these com-
sector as
government (Pvt) Ltd., Shahmeer Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd., Royal panies failed then we will not
Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Call Time (Pvt) Ltd.,
is levying
more taxes to ARK Telecommunication (Pvt) Ltd., Prime only deprived of the taxes,
increase its Phone Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Everlast
Communication (Pvt) Ltd., MHR
but also from the job oppor-
income. This
might be the Telecommunication (Pvt) Ltd., Azeem tunities created by these
Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd., Abdullah Telecom (Pvt)
easiest way to
have more Ltd., Muratab International (Pvt) Ltd., Rahat companies
income. Our regulatory authority, PTA is just Communication (Pvt) Ltd., Majid and Majid
focusing on collecting more fee from different Private Ltd., Balcom (Pvt) Ltd., Saltas These steps could save the millions of
companies for nothing. On one side the new International (Pvt) Ltd., Kamran Telecom (Pvt) investment made by these companies. Let’s stand
democratic government policies and international Ltd. with these companies to save the future of our
economic crisis is pushing these companies to wall As these companies are on the edge of failure, country.
and on the other hand their protector is also PTA should give them relief and announce a bail We are looking toward PTA for a complete
looking for more fee from them. That is why out plan for them instead of pressurising them to solution of the current situation as just issuing
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, pay fee. Paying fee is only important and notice is not the solution of this issue. We have to
Government of Pakistan, has issued final notice to necessary when the business is good and any think beyond the limitation of just collecting fee.

pay PTA dues to the 33 companies. Otherwise, company is earning. We have seen the same policy
46 in the US where US government has offered a bail
 Cover Story Zubair Ahmed Kasuri Free download | flare.com.pk

48
Free download | flare.com.pk Cover Story

ournalism is very confined in Pakistan.

J
stronger but also provided highly confidential
Almost all governments have a history of Mobilink’s owner, information of Muslim political and national
using journalists for political propagan- figures to the Jews. Despite of severe criticism
das. We have seen Web sites and URLs, secret agent of Israel from Muslim states, he kept subterranean
exposing the ill-wills or ill-doings of bureau- links with Israel. As a result, his OTH is one of
Israel is stealing sensitive
crats, being blocked on the direction of higher the biggest investors in the world. Sawiris is
authorities to keep the general public ignorant information of Pakistan through Egyptian trader determined to make his company number one
of pathetic facts in Islamic Republic of Naquib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of OTH at all costs, and the cost he has paid is of all
Pakistan. All big budget news papers have Muslims living on the earth.
remained dedicated to the policies of ex-gov- There are only two ideological states in the Israel is responsible for destroying the
ernments, however, in the regime of Mr Asif world: Pakistan is based on the ideology of nuclear programme of Iraq, it provides tech-
Ali Zardari an emerging daily, Jinnah, has Islam where Israel is a Jewish state. Muslims nology to India and now it is feeding Jews at
dared to unveil the miss sacrificed millions of lives for achieving the cost of Pakistanis. Orascom was initially a
management of Mobilink in Pakistan and its Pakistan in 1947 where Israel is a state which small investor with minimum shares in local
anti-Islam planning on behalf of Israel. has been formed by enforcing Muslims of markets but by the support of Israel, he gained
It is really unbelievable to think that Palestine to leave their land. Israel is an anti- license of Mobilink in Pakistan and Banglalink
Pakistan’s largest cellular service provider Islamic state which is making utmost efforts to in Bangladesh. In almost 12 years, Mobilink
company can take such steps to deceive not spoil Muslim states around the globe. It occu- became network of 50 per cent of mobile sub-
only Pakistanis, but also the government. I will scribers with a
present all that has been published against series of unfair
Mobilink in the space given below with a policies and
poor manage-
question mark-why Mobilink is still unable to
ment.
counter all those claims that have been put for-
In his press
ward against its management that have been
conference in
made public by a local newspaper? Does Islamabad,
Mobilink have nothing to say in its defence? Sawiris was
What threatens Mobilink that it threats those unable to satis-
who complaint against its service? Does fy the journal-
Mobilink ists about
has any Mobilink’s rela-
morality tionships with
to think Israel and
about the India. He was
integrity and security of a nation from whom grateful to then
it is earning and had earned revenue of bil- President
lions? Is it Mobilink’s only responsibility to P e r v e z
start Mobilink Hunt for Heroes and stab in A picture shows the body of a Palestinian girl found in the rubble of her destroyed house Musharraf and
following an Israeli air strike on a three-storey house. Shaukat Aziz
the back of nation’s real hero by providing
for their
their personal discussions on mobile phones
pies Bait-ul-Mukadas, one of the most holy remarkable contribution and flexibility in
to foreign agencies? Does Mobilink has any shrines of Muslims and damages the structure. expanding the network of Mobilink. He
explanation of those unregistered numbers Unfortunately, media and
that were used by terrorists in bomb blasts economy of the world is in the
nationwide? Pakistanis are certainly hos- clutches of Jews who
are using it in fulfill-
ing their aims. It is
an open secret that
contracts are made
by Israel with differ-
ent companies who
pretend to be work-
ing in and for the
prosperity of
Muslims to harm the
states in general and
Muslims in particu-
lar. Many Muslims
have worked and
are working for Jews
consciously, other
did it in their igno-
rance. The double-
DAILY JINNAH DECEMBER 29, 2008 SPECIAL EDITION
faces, Israeli-
pitable to foreigners but when the question of Muslims, entered into Muslim
Pakistan’s integrity comes, everything is left states and crippled the ideologi-
behind-they forgot their hospitality. Millions cal and economic infrastructure
of Pakistanis have switched their Mobilink’s of Muslim states.
numbers to other networks. I am not expos- One of the most loyal
ing Mobilink as a journalist; my intentions are alliances of Israel is Naquib
Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of
of a pure Pakistani who is courageous
Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) who not briefed about his huge plans of great invest-
enough to do all that he is capable of to save
only helped Israel to become financially ments in Pakistan’s telecommunication and
his nation. 49
 Cover Story
tourism. Being a company of comparatively
small budget, people wonder how Orascom,
manage to make such grand investments in all
walks of life. How did it inaugurate its branch
in Bangladesh in a short span of time?
Mobilink’s illegal initiatives have thrown
our beloved country at the verge of terrorism.
Mobilink has sold millions of illegal SIMs
which are used in terrorist activities. Besides
consecutive notices of Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority (PTA),
Mobilink has not
yet blocked all of
its unregistered
SIMs, as the
blocking will
instantly reduce
the number of
subscribers.
Mobilink is also
infamous for nationwide grey telephony, poor
network, hidden charges, false campaigns, etc.
Moreover, higher officials of many sensitive
institutions use Mobilink’s network while
their conversations are illegally recorded and
kept for the benefits of anti-Pakistan forces.
It is worth recalling that Mobilink’s mobile
commerce solution Genie was stopped by
State Bank of Pakistan on just 4th day of its
launch due to the incompatibility and insecu-
rity of the service.
Mobilink is in hot waters in Pakistan since
it is asked to block illegal SIMs and to upgrade
its actual data. Mobilink’s top management is
specifically worried, as the colourful presenta-
tions with exaggerated sale figures are now
turning into a nightmare. A recent survey con-
ducted by a local company in collaboration
with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
is evidence of the fact that Mobilink has no
more than 20 million customers instead of 32
million.
Ravenous blood-
sucking monsters
than favourites
The introduction of mobile number portability
was seen as "a new hope" for people like me
who were so pissed off by poor QoS, high call
rates and cheatings of this
pathetic company
Courtesy: http://hssaroch.livejournal.com
Finally, today I am free. Free from the
swindles of Mobilink, the so-called Pakistan's
favourite cellular company. After all the
money they have stolen from their ignorant
customers (yes I know that sounds offensive
but any one who is still clung to Mobilink after
the introduction of MNP deserves a royal
spanking anyway), they've still got the nerve
to call themselves the favourite cellular service
of Pakistan. Favourite which are charging their
customers 0.86 Rs/min to call their help line
which most of the time puts you on hold for at
least 5 to 10 minutes and usually comes back
with a reply to almost any problem as "we will
look into this issue and it won't happen again".
What a rip off. I'd rather call them ravenous
bloodsucking monsters than favourites.
50
Free download | flare.com.pk
spanking. Seriously! They are a bunch of
Orascom was initially a ravenous bloodsucking monsters. Run away
small investor with from them as early as you can. Use the MNP
option and switch to Warid or Telenor. They
small shares in local are the best cellular service providers out
markets but by the there. Don't be fooled by the favouriteness of
support of Israel, it gained Mobilink, the Cellular-Nazi. Switch your carri-
er now.
license of Mobilink in
Pakistan and Banglalink in
Bangladesh. In almost 12 Deshaping
years, Mobilink became communication of
network of 50 per cent of
mobile subscribers with a
Mobilink
wirelessfederation.com
series of unfair policies
Pakistanis are losing their confidence in the
and poor management largest service provider. The general trend is
of paying Rs 100 to switch to other better serv-
The introduction of mobile number porta-
ice providers with fair policies. Mobilink has
bility was seen as "a new hope" for people like
remained pioneer in suggesting ways for ille-
me who were so pissed off by poor QoS, high
gal traffic and unregistered subscriber’s identi-
ty module (SIM).
Mobilink also has lion’s
share in promoting colour
full Bollywood oriented
advertisements in
Pakistan. It is not only
what we say but the voice
of the nation.
Mobilink, the Pakistani
incumbent, has lost more
than 2,000,000 subscribers
driven by interrupted
service and blocking of
illegal SIMs by Pakistan
Telecommunication
Authority (PTA).
Mobilink's subscribers
decline from 32 million to
30 million. It is observed
that out of the 20,00,000
A Palestinian carries a wounded man following an Israeli air strike in Gaza
city on January 1, 2009
call rates and cheatings of this
pathetic company. I filed an
DAILY JINNAH DECEMBER 24, 2008 FRONT PAGE
application with Telenor, anoth-
er Pakistani cellular service
provider, for my Mobilink num-
ber to be ported to their net-
work. What do you know? The
"Pakistan's Favourite Cellular
Service" was at it again. The
application to release my num-
ber was rejected twice without
any reason. Third time proved
to be lucky though and my num-
ber was released. The whole
MNP process, which officially
spans 3-4 working days, started
in June 2007 and finished after
four months, when finally I got a
long anticipated message on my
cell phone "Network Search"
indicating that my number was
no longer valid on Mobilink's
network and that I was free to
use my "new favourite" cellular
company, Telenor.
Any Mobilink customers
who is still lame enough not to
utilise MNP really need a royal
Free download | flare.com.pk
s u b -
scribers,
7,50,000
h a v e
ported
t h e i r
n u m -
bers to
other operators and the rest 12,50,000 have
been blocked by PTA after they were identi-
fied as illegal. Mobilink has been facing such
problems due to poor quality of services.
The subscribers with Mobilink are seen to be
using number portability more than any
other Pakistani operator.
Orascom Telecom, the Egyptian mobile
operator, posts a net profit of $90.5 million
for Q3′08 experiencing a fall of 28 per cent
since 2007 driven by a fall in revenues in
Pakistan.
“Most
of our
business-
es, with
t h e in our country
exception of Pakistan, continue to perform
on target in terms of growth and profitabili-
ty,” chairman Naguib Sawiris said in a state-
ment. “In Pakistan the political, security,
financial and economic conditions have been
very difficult.
At Flare, we have tried our best to show
the realities about a group who has the back-
ing of our enemy from the day one. Recently,
we have seen Israeli bombardment and mili-
tary operations against the help less
Palestinian in Gaza and Khan Younis. Over
one thousand innocent children, women and
Can we stop and think
about this reality that
purchasing or using an
Orascom product or
services will give more
strength to Israeli army
to hit even hard to our
Muslim brothers in
Gaza. Let’s open our
eyes and punish our
enemies who have
disguised dangerously
civilians have been killed so far and there is
no chance of ending the Israeli aggression in
Palestine. Can we stop and think about this
reality that purchasing or using an Orascom
product or service will give more strength to
Israeli army to hit even hard to our Muslim
Cover Story
brothers in Gaza.
In our point of view, we have completed
our responsibility and professional duty by
disclosing the facts and figures about
Orascom and its boss, Naguib Sawiris. He is
the Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of Arab world
now. So, all we have to do is to act wisely
conscious and do the due by keep ourselves
away from the products and services of the
group everywhere in the world. We have to
decide and recognise our friends and foe.
There is no doubt that Orascom and its
allied companies are on an Israeli mission
to weaken the Muslim world, from Egypt to
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Let’s open our eyes and punish our
enemies who have disguised dangerously in
our country. Be wise to ourselves and devot-
ed to our believes by teaching a lesson to
Israel and all her supporters everywhere.

51
 Exclusive Flare Report
Why would Israel seek peace if it has to continue grabbing the Arab land?
A peace will demarcate the boundaries of all the countries and make Israeli
encroachment impossible
he Israeli army is at it again, this time
T
advancing into Gaza strip. The excuse as
every time is to stop the terrorism. Two years
before, it had advanced into Lebanon to quell
the Hezoballah terrorism. Israel knows that it can
aggress into Arab lands any time it so desires because
no Arab country has the power to stop it. On the
political front, the world supports Israel all the way or
at best remains mute and tongue-tied on Israeli
aggression.
The Western world has a guilty conscious about
the Jews. Hitler's holocaust had eliminated millions of
defenceless Jews. To mitigate its guilty consciousness,
the Western world created Israel as an independent
country for the Jews. They didn't do it in Europe where
majority of the Israeli Jews belonged; they did it in the
occupied Palestine from where millions of Palestinians
were permanently displaced to accommodate Jews.
This created the never-ending Arab-Israel problem.
Israel and the Western world has projected Israel
as a peace loving country; they pretend that the Arabs
are the trouble shooters who do not want peace with
Israel. Reality is however quite complex. As long as
there is no peace, Israel has the pretext to capture and
annex Arab land. This gives Israel an opportunity to
expand and it is continually expanding. Why would
Israel want peace and stop expanding particularly
when all the wars are fought on Arab land and all the
devastation of property and human life occurs there?
America goes all the way with Israel. The Europeans
show sympathy to the victimised Palestinians and that
is all they do – the lip-service. The lip-service though of
little consequence is at least something in the face of
the huge Israeli propaganda. Some of the Arab
countries, though the wealthiest in the world, do not
have the will nor the know-how to counteract the
Israeli propaganda. At best, they are the laughing stock
of the world.
However, some facts regarding the Israeli high-
handedness do come to light in the western press
occasionally. Writing how the president-elect Barack
52
Obama should try to foster peace between Israel and
the Arabs, Aaron David Miller wrote, "If Obama is
serious about peacemaking, he'll have to adjust that
balance in two ways. First, whatever the transgressions
of the Palestinians (and there are many, including
terror, violence and incitement), he'll also have to deal
with Israel's behaviour on the ground. The Gaza crisis
is a case in point. Israel has every right to defend itself
against Hamas. But does it make sense for America to
support its policy of punishing Hamas by making life
unbearable for 1.5 million Gazans by denying aid and
economic development. The answer is no."
They didn't do it in Europe
where majority of the Israeli
Jews belonged; they did it in
the occupied Palestine from
where millions of
Palestinians were
permanently displaced to
accommodate Jews. This
created the never-ending
Arab-Israel problem
This is a lukewarm and very guarded criticism of
Israel. Very few seem to have the will to criticise Israel
for its aggression and inflicting terror and death on the
innocent civilians. Some years ago, Ted Turner had
commented regarding the Arab suicide bombers
saying, what else they (Arabs) have to resist Israel?
There was such a huge uproar mounted against Turner
that he hastily withdrew his statement.
Miller continued his criticism writing, "Then there's
the settlement issue. In 25 years of working on this
issue for six secretaries of state, I can't recall one
meeting where we had a serious discussion with an
Israeli prime minister about the damage that
Free download | flare.com.pk
settlement activity – including land confiscation,
bypass roads and housing demolitions – does to the
peacemaking process."
Commenting on the possible outcome of the
forthcoming Israeli elections, David Gavron observed,
"Should he (Netanyahu) become prime minister once
more, there will be no meaningful negotiations with
the Palestinians.
Construction of the security fence and the
expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian
territories will continue, as will the extension of a
massive infrastructure of roads, water pipes, power
lines and military installations that will make the
eventual establishment of a Palestinian state physically
impossible."
Now consider the fact of the Israeli democracy
which is so loudly vaunted by Israel and its western
cronies. There are about 14 per cent Arab voters in
Israel. According to Gavron (quoted above), "These
(Arab) citizens have full rights under Israeli law but
have long felt like second-class citizens, and their
political parties, though allowed in the Knesset, have
been barred by tradition from joining coalition
governments." In other words, they don't have any
voice. So much for the democracy in Israel
Will there be any end to Israeli aggression? Not
until there is another Arab or pro-Palestine (Iran, for
instance) power to stop Israel in its tracks. That is one
reason that Israel doesn't want Iran to go nuclear. The
U.S. is committed to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear
country. This doesn't bode well for the world peace.
The U.S. and its western allies have exerted great
economic pressure to persuade Iran to abandon its
nuclear ambitions. Such pressure and threats have not
been effective so far. If at any stage, America or Israel
opened a war front against Iran, the war may spill out
and not remain essentially a Middle Eastern war.
To avoid such a catastrophe, the U.S. should better
rein in Israel (or at least withdraw its unconditional
support) while there is still time to preserve the world
peace.

Free download | flare.com.pk Exclusive

Palestinian mourners hold up the body of one of Hamas leader Nizar

Palestinian father Magdi al-Samuli mourns over the bodies of his Rayan’s slain children during a funeral procession in Jabalia on the way A Palestinian family leaves the Zeitun district of Gaza City on a horse-
children, killed by an Israeli tank shell early on January 5, 2009. to the Beit Lahia cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip on January 2, 2009 cart on January 11, 2009.

Palestinian relatives from the Deeb family cry on January 7, 2009 during the funeral Palestinian mourn the death of one of their relatives, A Palestinian man looks at a crater dug into the ground by an Israeli
of 10 people from their family who were killed yesterday in an Israeli strike on a UN killed during the Israeli strikes, at the local cemetery in bomb a day after air strikes on the Gaza Strip on December 28, 2008
school in Gaza Gaza City on January 11, 2009 in Gaza City.

Palestinian and foreign activists hold a candle light vigil in the West
Palestinians remove a body from a destroyed car following an Israeli Bank city of Ramallah on January 1, 2009 to show solidarity with the A Palestinian carries a victim of an Israeli air strike that targeted Buriej 53
air strike in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on January 7, 2009. people of Gaza refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008.
 Exclusive Free download | flare.com.pk

A picture shows the body of a Palestinian girl found in the rubble of her
destroyed house following an Israeli air strike on a three-storey house Palestinians pray over the bodies of Hamas leader Nizar Rayan and members of A Palestinian woman wounded during Israeli strikes is
belonging to a Hamas member in the eastern Gaza City neighborhood his family killed in an Israeli air strike during a funeral procession in Jabalia before carried into Shifa hospital in Gaza City on
of Zeitun on January 6, 2009 burial in Beit Lahia cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip on January 2, 2009. January 11, 2009.

Palestinians walk through the rubble as smoke billows from a building A Hamas policeman runs in front of a burning building following a fresh
following a fresh Israeli air strike in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Israeli air strike in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip early on Palestinian mourners carry the body of Haya Hamdan during her funer-
Strip early on December 28, 2008. December 28, 2008. al in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on December 30, 2008.

A Palestinian Hamas policeman mourns as he holds the body of a

Palestinians rush a woman to the hospital after she was wounded in comrade outside the Hamas police headquarters following an Israeli A woman cries in front of her destroyed house in the Jabalia refugee
54 an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on December 27, 2008. air strike in Gaza City on December 27, 2008. camp, following overnight Israeli airstrikes on December 31, 2008.
Free download | flare.com.pk Exclusive

Palestinians mourn during the funeral of Haya and Lama Hamdan in Beit Hanun,
northern Gaza Strip on December 30, 2008.

Members of the Palestinian civil defence services

work on the rubble of the destroyed house of Hamas
leader of Nizar Rayan following an Israeli air strike in
Israeli soldiers fire a mortar round towards the Gaza Strip from the Israeli Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on January 1,
side of the border with the Palestinian coastal strip on January 1, 2009. 2009.

Smoke billows from a targeted location in the northern Gaza Strip following an
Israeli air raid, as seen from the Israeli border with the Palestinian territory on Protesters shout anti-Israeli slogans during a demonstration in Palestinians inspect the rubble of a destroyed building in the
December 30, 2008. front of the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, California, on Jabalia refugee camp, following overnight Israeli airstrikes on 55
December 30, 2008. December 31, 2008.
 Tech-Tool Upcoming Mobiles
Nokia 8800 Gold Arte
Size
Dimensions 109 x 45.6 x 14.6 mm, 65 cc,
Weight150g
Display
Type OLED, 16M colors
Size
240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches, Scratch-resistant
glass Living wallpapers, Downloadable wallpa-
pers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, video ring-
tones Customization Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records
20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls, Card
slot No 4 GB of user memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps,
HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps,
3G Yes, 384 kbps WLAN No, Bluetooth Yes,
v2.0, Infrared port No, USB Yes, microUSB OTG
Features
Messaging SMS, MMS 1.2, Email, IM, Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, Games Yes + Downloadable
Colors Gold, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pix-
els, autofocus, video(VGA@15fps), 18K gold-
plated body Java MIDP 2.1, MP3/AAC/eAAC
player, Voice memo T9, Calculator- Built-in
handsfree- Turn-to-mute
Battery
Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3 h 20 min
Samsung i770 Saga
Size
Dimensions 124 x 62 x 13.5 mm, Weight 130g
Display
Type TFT touchscreen, 65K colors, Size 320 x
320 pixels, 2.55 inches, QWERTY keyboard
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3,
Customization Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and
fields, Photocall, Call records Practically
unlimited, Card slot microSD (TransFlash) up
to 16GB
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps,
HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G
No, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth Yes,
v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port No, USB Yes,
v2.0
Features
OS Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
Professional Messaging, SMS, MMS, EMail,
Instant Messaging Browser WAP 2.0 / HTML,
Games Yes, Colors Black, Red, Blue, Camera
2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video Java MIDP 2.0,
Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF
viewer), Voice memo/dial, Built-in handsfree,
Windows Media Player, T9
Battery
Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 7h
56
Free download | flare.com.pk
Nokia N97
Size
Dimensions 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9-18.3 mm Weight
150g
Diplay
Type TFT touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches, Proximity sen-
sor for auto turn-off Accelerometer sensor for
auto-rotate Full QWERTY keyboard, Handwriting
recognition
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Customization Download, Vibration Yes, Stereo
speakers
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and
fields, Photocall, Call records Detailed, max 30
days, Card slot, microSD (TransFlash), up to
16GB, 32 GB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 32, HSCSD Yes EDGE Class 32,
3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g,
UPnP technology, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with
A2DP, Infrared port No USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Features
OS Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5
Messaging
SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds, Games
Yes + downloadable, Colors White, Brown,
Camera 5 MP, 2584x1938 pixels, Carl Zeiss
optics, autofocus, video(VGA@30fps), flash;
secondary videocall camera Built-in GPS receiv-
er, A-GPS support, Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch,
Battery
Stand-by Up to 430h, Talk time Up to 6h 40 min
Samsung A867 Eternity
Dimensions 109x56x13mm Weight 110 g
Display
Type TFT touchscreen, 256K colors Size
240 x 400 pixels, 3.2 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3
Customization Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall
Call records 30 dialed, 30 received, 30
missed calls, Card slot microSD
(TransFlash), 200 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48
kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8
kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared
port No, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email,
Instant Messaging, Browser WAP
2.0/xHTML, HTML, Colors Black, Camera
3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video, AT&T
Mobile TV, built-in GPS, GPS function
Java MIDP 2.0, MPEG4/H.263/H.264 play-
er, MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA player, Voice
recorder, Organiser, Built-in handsfree, T9
Battery
Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 5h
Free download | flare.com.pk
Motorola VE66
Size
Dimensions 103 x 49.5 x 15.2 mm,
68 cc, Weight 121g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pix-
els, 2.2 inches, Navigation scroll wheel
Screensavers and wallpapers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, Customization
Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 contacts, Photo call
Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20
missed calls, Card slot microSD,
(TransFlash), 256 MB ROM
110 MB user memory
Data
GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots),
32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 12
3G No, WLAN, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared
port No, USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Features
OS Linux, Messaging SMS, MMS, Email
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera
browser), Games Yes, Colors, Camera
5 MP, 2560 x 1920 pixels, autofocus, video,
flash, Widgets, FM radio with RDS
MP3/ WAV/ WMA/ AAC++ player
MPEG4/ WMV/ H.263/ H.263 player
Push to Talk, Organizer, Calculator
Built-in handsfree, Voice memo, Java MIDP
2.0, T9
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 6h 40
min
LG KS500
Size
Dimensions 102.8 x 49.2 x 14.9 mm
Weight 106 g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pix-
els, Optical trackpad
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3
Customization, Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call
records, 40 dialed, 40 received, 40 missed
calls, Card slot, microSD (TransFlash) up
to 8GB, 100 MB user available memory
Data
GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots),
32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 11
3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, WLAN No,
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared
port No, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, Games
Yes + downloadable Colors, Black
Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video,
secondary videocall camera, built-in GPS
aGPS function, Java MIDP 2.0
MP3/WMA/RA/AAC+ audio player
MPEG4/H.263/H.264/RV player
Voice memo, Speakerphone, Organiser
Battery
Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 4h
Upcoming Mobiles Tech-Tool
LG Incite
Size
Dimensions 107 x 55.9 x 14 mm, Weight
119.9 g
Display
Type TFT touchscreen, 256K colors (65K
effective), Size 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0 inch-
es
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, Customization
Download Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries
and fields, Photocall, Call records
Practically unlimited, Card slot
microSD (TransFlash) up to 16GB
256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48
kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8
kbps, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
OS Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
Professional, Messaging SMS, EMS,
MMS, Email, Instant Messaging, Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Games Yes
Colors, Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pix-
els, video, built-in GPS, aGPS function
AT&T Navigator, Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio
Pocket Office (Word, Excel, OneNote,
PDF and PowerPoint viewer),
MPEG4/H.263/H.264 player
MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA player, Voice
recorder, Organiser, Built-in handsfree, T9
Battery
Stand-by Up to 500h, Talk time Up to 8h
HTC MAX 4G
Size
Dimensions 113.5 x 63.1 x 13.9 mm
Weight 151 g
Display
Type TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
Size 480 x 800 pixels, 3.8 inches
TouchFLO 3D finger swipe navigation
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Touch-sensitive navigation controls
Handwriting recognition
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3, WAV,
WMA, Customization Download
Vibration Yes,
Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and
fields, Photocall, Call records
Practically unlimited, Card slot
microSD (TransFlash), 288 MB RAM, 256
MB ROM, 8 GB user available memory,
Qualcomm ESM7206A 528 Mhz processor
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48
kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8
kbps, 3G No, WLAN Wi-Fi, 02.11 b/g,
WiMAX 802.16 e, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with
A2DP
Features
OS Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
Professional, Messaging SMS, MMS,
Email, Instant Messaging Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Games Yes
Colors Black, Camera 5 MP, 2592 x
Battery
Stand-by Up to 350h, Talk time Upto7h
57
 Tech-Tool Upcoming Mobiles
Sony Ericsson C510
Size
Dimensions 107 x 47 x 12.5 mm Weight 92g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels,
2.2 inches, Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 2000 x 20 fields, Photo call, Call
records, 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot, Memory Stick Micro (M2)
100 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G
HSDPA, WLAN No, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with
A2DP, Infrared port No, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser, WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront), RSS
Games Yes + downloadable, Colors Future
Black, Radiation Silver, Camera 3.15 MP,
2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video
QVGA@30fps), flash; secondary videocall cam-
era, Face, smile detection, geo-tagging (cell-id)
Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio with RDS,
MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, TrackID music recogni-
tion, YouTube service in Media Center
Voice memo/dial, Motion gaming
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 10h
Sony Ericsson W508
Size
Dimensions 93.5 x 50 x 14 mm, Weight 98 g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels,
2.2 inches, Accelerometer sensor
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, Customization, Download
Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 x 24 fields, Photo call, Call
records, 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot, Memory Stick Micro (M2), up to 16GB,
1 GB card included, 100 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD No, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G
Yes, 384 kbps, WLAN No, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0
with A2DP, Infrared port No, USB Yes
Features
Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant
Messaging, Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
(NetFront), Games Yes + downloadable,Colors
Metal Grey, Poetic White, Camera 3.15 MP,
2048x1536 pixels, video(QVGA@15fps)
Java MIDP 2.0, Walkman media player, T9
FM radio with RDS, TrackID music recognition
Image viewer, Picture editor, Organizer
Shake and Gesture control
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to10h
58
Free download | flare.com.pk
Motorola EM35
Size
Dimensions 107x49.5x16mm, Weight116 g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 320 x 240 pixels, 2.2
inches, Dedicated music keys, Navigation scroll
wheel, Screensavers and wallpapers
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic, MP3, AAC, Customization
Download, Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook Yes, Call records 20 dialed, 20
received, 20 missed calls, Card slot, microSD
(TransFlash), up to 16GB,110 MB user available
memory
Data
GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48
kbps, HSCSD No, EDGE Class 12, 3G No, WLAN
No, Bluetooth Yes, v1.5 with A2DP, Infrared port
No, USB Yes
Features
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Browser WAP
2.0/xHTML, Games Yes, Colors Black, Camera
3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video, Java MIDP 2.0
FM radio with RDS, MP3 player, 3.5 mm audio
output jack, Organizer, Calculator, Built-in hands-
free, Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 6h 40 min
Motorola Aura
Size
Dimensions 96.9x47.6x18.6 mm, Weight 141 g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 480 pixels diameter,
1.55 inches
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Customization Download, order now
Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 1000 entries, Photocall, Call records
30 dialed, 30 received, 30 missed calls, Card slot
No, 2 GB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48
kbps, HSCSD Yes, EDGE Class 12, 3G No
WLAN No, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No, USB Yes, v2.0
Features
Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Browser WAP
2.0/xHTML, Games order now, Colors, Silver
Camera, 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video
Stainless steel housing with chemically etched
textures, Assisted-opening blade mechanism with
carbon carbide coated main gears, Java MIDP
2.0, MP3/WAV/WMA/AAC+ player, MPEG-4/3gp
player, Built-in handsfree, Voice memo, T9
Battery
Stand-by Up to 410h, Talk time Up to 7h 20 min
Free download | flare.com.pk Low Range Mobiles Tech-Tool

Rs Rs
3,400 3,999

Nokia 1209 Trend T303 Smarty Plus

Dimension 102 x 44.1 x 17.5 mm, 70.5 cc
Weight 79.9 g
Battery Talk time Up to 7 h, Stand-by Up
to 365 h
Memory Built-in (Multiple phonebooks
with up to 200 entries, SMS
inbox capacity up to 60 mes
sages; 20 dialed, 20 received,
20 missed calls)
Connectivity None (only Headset connector)
Display Size 96 x 98 pixels, 27.6 x 21.8 mm
Display Colour CSTN, 65K colors
GSM

1.3 Mega Pixels Camera

FM Radio

1.8 inch wide TFT color screen

Wrong Call Restriction

Secret Message Inbox

Polyphonic Ring Tones

Multiple Languages

Time Synchronization

Slim & Smart

Rs Rs
3,900 3,500

Samsung C450 Motorola W208

Dimension 103.5 x 44.5 x 14.9 mm Dimension 108 x 44 x 14.9 mm, 65 cc
Weight 72 g Weight 78 g
Battery Talk time Up to 3 h 20 min, Battery Talk time Up to 7 h 50 min,
Stand-by Up to 300 h Stand-by Up to 300 h
Memory 2 MB shared memory (20 Memory 750 SMS messages, 500
dialed, 20 received, 20 numbers in Phone book, Call
missed calls) records have 10 dialed,
Connectivity GPRS Class 10 (48 kbps), received,& missed calls each
USB Connectivity No
Display Size 128 x 128 pixels, 1.52 inches Display Size 128 x 128 pixels, 28 x 28 mm
Display Colour TFT, 65K colors Display Colour TFT, 65K colors

Rs Rs
3,900 2,550

Sony Ericsson K200i LG KP105

Dimension 103 x 46 x 16.7 mm Dimension 101 x 46 x 12.9 mm
Weight 82 g Weight 65 g
Battery Talk time Up to 8 h, Stand-by Up Battery Talk time Up to 4 h 30 min,
to 300 h Stand-by Up to 475 h
Memory 2 MB internal memory (20 received, Memory Built-in, 300 Phonebook
dialed & missed calls) entries (10 dialed, 10
Connectivity Infrared port, USB, GPRS, Class received, 10 missed calls)
10 (48 kbps), HSCSD Connectivity USB
Display Size 128 x 128 pixels Display Size 128 x 128 pixels, 1.5 inches
Display Colour CSTN, 65K colors Display Colour CSTN, 65K colors

59

Above prices are subject to change as per market

 Tech-Tool Current Mobiles Free download | flare.com.pk

Rs. 19,300 Rs. 45,500

Samsung D880 Duos Sony Ericsson W902

Dimension Dimension
GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900 110 x 49 x 11.7 mm
Weight Weight
113 g 99.8 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 7 hours, Standby time Talk time Up to 9 h,
Up to 240 hours Stand-by Up to 380 h
Memory Memory
46 MB internal memory + MicroSD 25 MB shared + Memory Stick
external memory (up to 2GB) Micro M2 (8 GB card included)
Connectivity Connectivity
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB,
GPRS Class 10 (48 kbps), EDGE Display Size
Class 10 (236.8 kbps), 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
Display Size (Accelerometer sensor for
240 x 320 pixels, 2.3 inches auto-rotate)
Display Colour Display Colour
TFT, 256K colors TFT, 256K colors

Rs. 26,300 Rs. 22,500

Sony Ericsson K850i Motorola ROKR E8

Dimension Dimension
102 x 48 x 17 mm 115 x 53 x 10.6 mm, 60 cc
Weight Weight
118 g 100 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 9 h, Stand-by Talk time Up to 5 h, Stand-by
Up to 400 h Up to 300 h
Memory Memory
40 MB internal memory + 2 GB Built-in + Memory Card
Memory Stick Micro (microSD)
(M2)/microSD, 512 MB card Connectivity
included Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP,
Connectivity USB, GPRS Class 12 (48
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB, kbps), EDGE Class 12
GPRS Display Size Display Size
240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches 320 x 240 pixels, 2.0 inches )
Display Colour Display Colour
TFT, 256K colors TFT, 256K colors

60

Above prices are subject to change as per market

Free download | flare.com.pk Current Mobiles Tech-Tool

Rs. 24,900 Rs. 29,000

Motorola RAZR2 V9 BlackBerry 8800

Dimension Dimension
103 x 53 x 13.3 mm 114 x 66 x 14 mm
Weight Weight
125 g 134 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 3 h 30 min, Talk time Up to 5 h, Stand-by Up to
Stand-by Up to 260 h 530 h
Memory OS
45 MB internal memory + BlackBerry OS
Extendable with Memory Card Memory
(microSD TransFlash) 64 MB flash memory + 16 MB
Connectivity SRAM + microSD (TransFlash)
Bluetooth V2.0 with A2DP, Connectivity
USB, GPRS Bluetooth v2.0, USB, GPRS
Display Size Display Size
240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches, 320 x 240 pixels
Display Colour (Trackball navigation)
TFT, 256K colors 2nd external Display Colour
256K colors 65K colors

Rs. 27,000 Rs. 25,400

BlackBerry Curve Sony Ericsson P1i

8310
Dimension
Dimension 106 x 55 x 17 mm
107 x 60 x 15.5 mm Weight
Weight 124 g
111 g Battery
Battery Talk time Up to 10 h, Stand-by
Talk time Up to 4 h, Stand-by Up Up to 440 h
to 408 h Memory
OS 160 MB shared memory, 128
BlackBerry OS MB RAM, 256 MB ROM +
Memory Memory Stick Micro M2, 512
64 MB flash memory MB card included
Connectivity Connectivity
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB, Bluetooth v2.0, Infrared, USB
GPRS, EDGE Display Size
Display Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.6 inches
320 x 240 pixels Display Colour
Display Colour TFT touchscreen, 256K colors
65K colors

61

Above prices are subject to change as per market

 Tech-Tool Current Mobiles Free download | flare.com.pk

Rs. 39,000 Rs. 22,500

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Samsung U800 Soul b

Dimension Dimension
111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm, 83 cc 111 x 46 x 9.9 mm
Weight Weight
109 g 90.4 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 8 h 45 min, Talk time Up to 3 h 20 min,
Stand-by Up to 406 h Stand-by Up to 400 h
OS Memory
Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 1 GB Built-in + Memory Card
Memory (microSD, up to 8 GB)
81 MB Built-in, 128 MB SDRAM Connectivity
Processor Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB,
ARM 11 369 MHz GPRS Class 12 (48 kbps
Connectivity Display Size
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB 240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches
Display Size Display Colour
360 x 640 pixels, 3.2 inches TFT, 16M colors
Display Colour
TFT touchscreen, 16M colors

Rs. 21,500 Rs. 34,500

Sony Ericsson G700 Nokia 8800

Dimension Dimension
106 x 49 x 13 mm 107 x 45 x 15 mm, 67 cc
Weight Weight
99 g 134 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 12 h, Stand-by Talk Time: Up to 3 h,
Up to 380 h Standby Time: Up to 190 h
OS Memory
Symbian OS, UIQ 64MB internal NAND flash memory
Memory Connectivity
160 MB Built-in + Memory Stick Bluetooth? Wireless technology
Micro (M2) stereo, Plug & Play, Bluetooth?
Connectivity Display Size
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB, 208 x 208 pixels
Display Size Display Colour
240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches TFT, 256K colors
Display Colour
TFT touchscreen, 256K colors

62

Above prices are subject to change as per market

Free download | flare.com.pk Current Mobiles Tech-Tool

Rs. 50,400 Rs. 24,400

Nokia E90 Samsung G800

Dimension Dimension
132 x 57 x 20 mm, 140 cc 101 x 51.1 x 18.8 mm
Weight Weight
210 g 134 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 5 h, Talk time Up to 3 h 20 min, Stand-
Stand-by Up to 330 h by Up to 220 h
Memory Memory
128 MB shared memory 160 MB internal memory + External
Connectivity microSD (TransFlash)
Bluetooth v2.0, Infrared, USB, Connectivity
GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE, 3G Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB,
Display Size GPRS Class 10 (48 kbps), EDGE
800 x 352 pixels (2nd external 240 Class 10 (236.8 kbps), 3G HSDPA
x 320 pixels) (7.2 Mbps),
Display Colour Display Size
TFT, 16M colors (2nd external 16M 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
colors display) Display Colour
TFT, 256K colors

Rs. 33,300 Rs. 17,300

Nokia N82 Samsung D780

Dimension Dimension
112 x 50.2 x 17.3 mm, 90 cc 115 x 49.6 x 15.7 mm
Weight Weight
114 g 108.5 g
Battery Battery
Talk time Up to 4 h 20 min, Talk time Up to 3 h,
Stand-by Up to 225 h Stand-by Up to 250 h
OS Memory
Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1 32 MB built-in memory +
Memory Extendable microSD (TransFlash,
100 MB internal memory + 2 GB card up to 2 GB supported)
included (microSD, hot swap) Connectivity
Connectivity Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB,
USB, GPRS. GPRS Class 10 (48 kbps), EDGE
Display Size (236.8 kbps)
240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches Display Size
Display Colour 240 x 320 pixels, 2.1 inches
TFT, 16M colors Display Colour
TFT, 256K colors

63

Above prices are subject to change as per market

 Tech-Tool Free download | flare.com.pk

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte:

Carbon copy
Ask not what your phone can do for you. It's Nokia Arte, folks, so the
question is who you need to kill to have it. Exquisite materials, sophisti-
cated slider design and state-of-the-art finish are doing their best to
camouflage the fact that there isn't much your phone can actually do for
you.
Cast in the same mold as its forerunners, Nokia Carbon Arte is top-
ping the familiar OLED screen, 3G and 3 megapixel camera with car-
bon fiber and titanium and 4GB of inbuilt memory. Sounds like we've
been there already but a glimpse of Arte is always a treat.
Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is the third Nokia handset that comes to fill
the gaping chasm between regular fashion phones (LG Black Label
series, Samsung co-branded offerings) and out-of-this-world-expensive
handsets (read: Vertu and the likes). Dressed to kill and priced to draw
blood, Arte is so impressive it's intimidating. Thank goodness it's under-
powered enough for many people to use as an excuse. Saves face,
doesn't it?
With respect to pricing, Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is practically com-
parable to its closest kin only - the Nokia 8800 Arte and the 8800
Sapphire Arte. Those have already been around enough for a hefty por-
tion of that limited market to have sealed a deal but someone out there
might just be going: "Carbon fiber and titanium? Now, we're talking."

Samsung M8800 Pixon:

Touch'n'shoot
Samsung M8800 Pixon gets its kick from touchscreen and imaging and hopes
to be the definitive cameraphone. The inspired TouchWiz interface and massive
screen are the right gateway to getting the 8 megapixel camera and real high-end
video unleashed. The Pixon obviously plays second fiddle to the INNOV8 in the
Samsung portfolio but dares to challenge it in the imaging department. Picture this.
The Pixon clearly belongs to one of the two schools of thought in the Samsung
5 to 8MP cameraphone sample. There the ironclad Soul-flavored devices rub
shoulders with the huge touchscreens of the Tocco line.
The Pixon humbly gives the smart INNOV8 a bow of respect and suffices with
topping the line of full-touch and multimedia gadgets. Now, given our admiration for
the F480 Tocco, the Pixon can count on a fair and respectful welcome but that
won't make us soft or too forgiving.
To begin with, even if 8MP cameraphones are still rather exotic, there seems to
be enough competition to motivate the M8800 to squeeze out its best.

64
 Free download | flare.com.pk Tech-Tool

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1:

A new experience
There's a lot to fall for in Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. Possibly the hottest
looker of a PocketPC is also heavy on skill. Heavy enough to not just
scratch out a living as a one-hit-wonder but aim for the WinMo top.
The extra solid metal looks, gorgeous screen and the right pinch of nov-
elty called XPERIA panels look to us as good enough reasons for the X1 to
be hyped and romanticized. By the way, romance or not, Sony Ericsson
and HTC have hit their perfect shape with that one.
The XPERIA X1 is one of the best-equipped Windows Mobile devices to
ever set foot on the market. But hey, is it not the most elaborate and charis-
matic PocketPC too? As to skills, the
High-res 3" screen and the full QWERTY keyboard seem the most
important parts of its magnificent ammo though its processing power is not
to be neglected either.

Trend T-786i Dual Sim GSM

Trend mobiles were the first in introducing the dual SIM mech-
anism that allowed a person to hold two different SIMs in one
mobile phone. It has now come up with the simplest and yet the
most loaded of the mobile phones. It is called the, Trend Perfect
Dual Sim, T-786i is available in Bar shape with keypad and touch
screen facility.
The features of T786i are startling, Its basic edge is that a user
can retain different network operators, SIMs in one cell phone and
can receive calls in both. It is a complete multimedia cell phone
with 2 mega pixel camera, which has an audio and
video recorders and players as well. The USB
data cable allows the user a unique facility of
‘Plug N Play’.
Attach the cable with your computer and view
what you have recorded. There is no need of any
software or driver installation unlike other cell
phones. Trend T-786i having Bluetooth con-
nectivity, GPRS and MMS. Trend mobiles
offers and unmatched Deluxe Package
along with the set which includes a free-of-
cost Bluetooth Device, 256 MB memory card,
hands free, USB port, Desktop charger, 2 extra batteries and
In-Car charger and a Trendy pouch to carry your cell phone in
style.
The Trend T-786i is a fashion conscious handset, which has a
good and attractive size of LCD and gives solid and quality feel
when in use. Mobile phone holds another edge to other cell
phones in the market. It has the style, it has the attractive look
and it has all that you require in cell phone to begin with.

65
 Tech-Tool Latest Laptops
Rs
62,500
Apple-iPhone 3G (16GB)
This 133 grams phone has a Lithium Ion
battery, which provides talk time of 600
minutes and standby time of 300 hours. It
has added features like Quad band, 16m
coloured touchscreen display with resolu-
tion of 320 x 480 pixels and a music play-
er supporting MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple
Lossless, AIFF and WAV music formats. It
also comes with an inbuilt memory of
16GB, 3G compatibility, 2 megapixel cam-
era, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, USB connector and
EDGE. Multi-Touch Display, OS X
Operating System and GPS are the
unique features of this mobile phone and
comes in Black and White colour.
Rs
74,500
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1
This 145 grams slider phone has a Lithium
Ion battery, which has features like QWER-
TY keyboard, 65k coloured TFT touch-
screen display with a resolution of 800 x
480, Quadband, 3.15 megapixel auto focus
camera with flash and video recorder. It
comes with 400MB inbuilt memory, Wi-fi,
EDGE, Bluetooth, GPRS and USB connec-
tor. The mobile comes with a Music Player
which supports MP3 and AAC music for-
mats and supports email clients. Built-in
GPS receiver, Motion sensor, TrackID
music recognition, Picture editor/blogging
are the unique features of this mobile
phone.
Rs
53,000
Samsung i900 Omnia
SAMSUNG i900 OMNIA, More Than A Phone
Slim, Sleek, and Bursting with features, the
Samsung i900 Omnia provides the ultimate in
Mobile technology. The awesome Samsung
i900 Omnia offers a superb 3.2" touchscreen
with patented Touch Wiz UI, 5MP camera with
face detection, HSPDA at 7.2 Mbps, and a
mind blowing 8GB memory. Based on the
most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1
Professional OS, you’ll also find Pocket Office,
GPS including navigation and much more.
SAMSUNG i900 OMNIA, Everything in One
Touch.
66
Above prices are subject to change as per market
Free download | flare.com.pk
Rs
67,000
imate Ultimate 9502
i-mate Ultimate 9502 - Innovation
Redefined
The i-mate Ultimate 9502 is a no-com-
promise messaging device with a High
Resolution touch- screen display.
Wireless connectivity includes tri-band
3.5G, Wifi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR & Quad-
band GSM with EDGE.
i-mate Ultimate 9502 even has integrat-
ed GPS for mapping, navigation, & a
wealth of location-based services.
Rs
54,500
Apple-iPhone 3G (8GB)
This 133 grams phone has a Lithium Ion
battery, which provides talk time of 600
minutes and standby time of 300 hours. It
has added features like Quad band, 16m
coloured touchscreen display with resolu-
tion of 320 x 480 pixels and a music play-
er supporting MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple
Lossless, AIFF and WAV music formats.
It also comes with an inbuilt memory of
8GB, 3G compatibility, 2 megapixel cam-
era, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, USB connector and
EDGE. Multi-Touch Display, OS X
Operating System and GPS are the
unique features of this mobile phone and
comes in Black colour.
Rs
33,500
HTC Touch
HTC Touch (Windows Mobile 6.0 & T1
OMAP 201 MHz Processor)::::The
world's first phone to feature intuitive
touch screen technology, the HTC
Touch with TouchFLO™ gives you
unprecedented touch panel experi-
ences....TouchFLO is a Touch Cube (3
dimensional Interface) that gives one
Touch Access to everything..... Simply
slide your thumb or finger on the touch
screen to open, rotate & Exit the Touch
Cube
 Free download | flare.com.pk
Even the journalists who
have enjoyed the time on
the beaches and in luxury
hotels must note that they
just do it on the expenses of
the people of Pakistan. This
money was not earned by
the company from its assets
in Egypt or any other coun-
try but from Pakistan by
over-charging and poor
services
he telecom sector in Pakistan is growing
T people who never cover telecom sector are taken to
swiftly day-by-day for the last many years.
There is immense competition among
different mobile companies to attract
maximum subscribers for at least two reasons. One is
the provision of mobile phone services to the
maximum number of people and the other is, like all
businessmen, profit.
Mobilink is one of the big companies in Pakistan.
It has a comprehensive and reliable network across
the country from Khyber to Karachi and Bolan,
Balochistan. Its subscribers are over 30 millions. The
company has made a huge investment in Pakistan
which helps the Government of Pakistan not only to
earn more revenues but also to create hundreds of
employments for the educated youth. The company
has introduced many packages for its subscribers in
past such as Jazz, Indigo etc. that attracted the people
a lot. But, on the same time, Mobilink has been facing
a tough task of maintaining its position in terms of
credible standard of service, profit and reliability. Its
network was rapidly growing. In the early years
could not maintain its standard services on every
nock and corner. This increased the number of
complaints registered against Mobilink’s poor service
with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA),
an authority which regulates the services of
Pakistan’s telecom sector. After scrutiny of the matter
on appropriate level, PTA fined Mobilink Rs 60
million in 2004. PTA also warned the management
to improve its services; otherwise more punitive
initiatives could also be taken against it.
But, it should also be kept in mind that while
improving relations with media persons, the PR
department of the company should evolve a strategy
that may prove fruitful for the company on one hand
and on the other no one may raise finger on the
company. Because, in the era of competitiveness and
growing telecom sector, we have to tread with
extreme scrupulously for improving our image
among the existing as well as new esteemed
Flare Report Telepedia
offices
of PTA as well as in
Pakistani media with regard to selling its
SIMs to unknown subscribers whose personal data
of the company.
subscribers
is not available. As a result, PTA ordered Mobilink to
It has been reported in the press in Pakistan
that some media persons were taken to Dubai on
block over 4 million SIMs immediately. This action
badly affected the profitability of the company. To
leisure trip on the expense of Mobilink. It is a good check issuing the SIMs on bogus records, Mobilink
should keep record of SIMs which are issued by its
thing, but the policy of pick and choose has been
disliked by the majority of the journalists. There franchised outlets and any illegal issuance of the
SIMs should be questioned from that particular
should be a comprehensive policy in this regard. The
company officials prefer, first of all, senior journalists franchised with punitive action against it. Until the
of leading newspapers who are attached with this company takes such measures, it cannot check
field for the years. It would be injustice that some issuance of SIMs on bogus personal data.
There is dire need of monitoring and evaluating
system on the part of Mobilink to control over the
the leisure strip abroad; and the genuine journalists
are deprived of the facility. deficiencies if occur at any department of the
Another thing which was very important to note
was the time of leisure tour. When the nation was
commemorating the first death anniversary of
It was a challenge for
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Muharram-ul-Haram
was just starting, Mobilink invited the journalists to the management of the
have a moj mela out of the country. Even the
journalists who have enjoyed the time on the beaches company to come back
and in luxury hotels must note that they just do it on
the expenses of the people of Pakistan. This money on its real track and
was not earned by the company from its assets in
Egypt or any other country but from Pakistan by dispel its impression
which was created
over-charging and poor services. They have been
looting innocent customers in Pakistan and want to
cover their wrong doings by boarding these
journalists on their panel. Actually this was an effort owing to PTA’s action
to pave the way for their future malpractices as well.
Recently, a leading Urdu newspaper has against it. So, the PR
published an eye opening story about the boss of
department is trying its
Mobilink and his links with Israel and regarding the
taping of secret talks between Shaheed Benazir
Bhuttoo and Ex. President Musharraf during August
2007. This was actually a failure of PR department
best to improve its
which created a sense of in-security among masses.
The company has to do a lot to improve its image
relations with media
after the publishing of such stories.
One of the journalists told Flare after returning
persons
from the tour, “It was simply a luxury tour. The
company gave us tickets, bore hotel expenses and
even distributed heavy amount and what our company and to improve its service standard. The
monitoring team of the company should also contact
comrades did there is a worth telling tale.” However,
the tale, he told, simply cannot be published due to with its subscribers for suggestions to improve its
service as well as image among the masses so that it
the repute of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Every
journalist was given $ 1000 for this purpose and they can stack more and more people towards it in this era
of competitiveness.
spent this money in the Dhabi, on the activities,
which they could not even think of in their native At Flare we pledge with the nation and the
country that we dwell, and never allow anyone to
country.
Furthermore, an issue has been discussed in the work against our national interest.

67
 Tech Tool Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

2- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700

Worth: $400

A pocket snapper that is as adept at display-

ing images as it is at capturing them. Just 0.7-
inch thick, the sleek case incorporates a 10.1-MP
sensor and Carl Zeiss lens, giving pictures crisp-
ness rarely found in compact cameras. Flip it
over and you will find that the back is literally
all display — a 3.5-inch, 16:9 touchscreen that
replaces every hard button except Review,
Zoom, Power, and Shutter. But this rig's beauty
goes way beyond the surface: 4 gigs of onboard
memory hold up to 950 hi-res shots. So enough
with the uploading. Quit spamming the world
with links to 40 shots of your lunch and start
bragging with this.

4- Commute-Friendly Electric Cycle

1- Peek only does email perfectly Does 0 to 30 in 3.8 Seconds
Worth: $15,000
Worth: $100, plus $20/month
The electric vehicle is a cool idea too often
Not every gadget needs a carnival of features. poorly executed. Today's batteries do not have the
Take the Peek, which tackles just a single task: mo- oomph or range to be practical — unless you drop
bile email. No phone, no browser, no camera— 100 grand for a Tesla. That is why Brammo's gear-
and no apologies. It won't satisfy heads started with motorcycles. They are so light
convergence-rabid smartphone fetishists, but for that even readily available batteries can make one
the rest of the world (i.e., the majority of it), this commute-worthy. The 285-pound Enertia is proof
one-trick pony is a godsend. In terms of looks, its of that. At its heart is a lithium-iron-phosphate
slim profile stands up to the big boys. But the real power cell designed to be as safe as it is efficient.
treat is the interface. Instead of forcing you to The Enertia charges in just over three hours and
wrestle with laborious setup menus, the Peek asks is good for 45 miles. The 13-kW motor silently
for a name, email address, and password. That's propels the electro-cycle to 30 mph in 3.8 seconds
it. It runs on T-Mobile's massive cellular network, — quick enough to beat that cab away from the
so even the most itinerant technophobe can use it light — and to a top speed of 53 mph. Brammo has
on the go.
not created a highway-ready monster (yet), but
Bramscher takes heart in what his creation can do:
The electric motor's instantaneous torque is per-
fect for wheelies.

3- Stage a water-cooler ambush with
Worth: $20

The foam bullet, expertly aimed at your

coworker's concentration-furrowed brow. For
the serious open-plan warrior, there is no better
weapon than the Recon CS-6. This pump-action
blaster comes outfitted with a shoulder stock
and a red-dot sight for cubicle sniping. Should
you get caught in a water-cooler ambush, the
CS-6's six-shot magazine staves off the dreaded
hollow click. But if you are going under cover,
you will need a sidearm you can conceal behind
a manila folder. No problem, because the Recon
is a transformer. Remove the stock and barrel
extender and it becomes a stealthy Nerf pistol.
Keep one in your desk drawer and those hooli-
gans from accounting will never even look at
your parking space again.

68
Free download | flare.com.pk Tech Tool

5- 3D-Ready HDTV uses laser to 7- Svelte ultralight notebook comes

double colour range, save energy fully loaded
Worth: $7,000 Worth: $2,100, and up

Mitsubishi's 65-inch LaserVue taps this tech to
produce an astonishingly vivid picture. The rear-
projection set's colour range is twice as broad as a
typical HDTV's, yet it consumes 33 per cent less
energy than a similar-size LCD. Though this 3D-
ready TV may seem straight outta Solaris, you do
not need to fear its newness; unlike most nascent
technologies, lasers have stamina. The company
claims they will never need replacing. So go ahead
and screen those Lost DVDs 24/7.

6- USB monitors soil conditions
Worth: $60
Encased in carbon fibre, the Envy is just 0.7-
inch thick and weighs 3.4 pounds when outfit-
ted with a solid-state hard drive. Its looks will
induce pangs of jealousy in the boardroom;
back in the hotel room, the Envy proves that it
is not just a pretty face. Even the base model
rocks the tiny-team roster with a 1.6-GHz Intel
processor, 2 gigs of RAM, swappable battery,
LED-backlit display, and the widest array of
ports — HDMI, eSATA, and ExpressCard — in
its class. Like most of the svelte set, the Envy is
heavy on wireless (802.11n, Bluetooth), but
wired users are not locked out. Since the case is
thinner than an Ethernet jack, Voodoo built the
connector into the power brick, which gener-
9- Netflix Box Streams 15,000 Films
ates a dedicated wireless link with the com- Worth: $100
puter. An instant-on OS lets you surf the Web
or make Skype calls without booting up Win- Roku's Netflix Player, the $100 video box that
could summon more than 15,000 titles at no
dows. It all adds up to one drool-worthy pack-
charge for Netflix subscribers. It was a revelation,
age.

wherein we learned what streaming video was
supposed to feel like: nothing. That nothing
changed everything. So go ahead, tear through all
four seasons of The Office on a whim (then the
original British version for good measure). Watch
Strays because there is nobody home to exercise a
Vin Diesel veto. For movies you cannot stream,
you still get your little red envelopes. And the
same Roku box you love now will support hi-def
streams when Netflix offers them. This little treas-
ure chest is the real thing, straight from the all-dig-
ital future.

Those cacti on your windowsill do not deserve

to die. Even if you regularly fail at horticulture,
the EasyBloom can help. Just leave it in your pro-
posed planting area for 24 hours, either stuck in
the dirt or propped up in its cradle, then plug it
into your computer's USB port. The gizmo meas-
ures soil conditions, sunlight, temperature, and
humidity, comparing the results with an online
database to recommend species that will thrive
there. And should the weather be wacky that day,
the EasyBloom is smart enough to check the Na-
tional Weather Service for local averages. Your
data is stored online for quick reference. If you
have already killed everything in the garden,
plunk the sensor down in your little Death Valley,
set it to Monitor mode, and let it tell you what you
are doing wrong.

8- Cycling GPS tells you where,
how to go
Worth: $500
This Tour-worthy unit tells you not only
where you are but — thanks to heart rate, dis-
tance, and elevation tracking — exactly how
you got there. The 2.2-inch colour screen is as
easy to read in the noontime glare as a sundial
and offers more data-customisation options
than a crooked accountant. The Edge plays
nice with wireless power meters to let you
monitor the wattage you are generating while
you pedal. It even lets you beam saved routes
to other nearby 705 users. Optional street
maps ensure that you can always find your
way around town.

10- Camera on a Flex Cable Finds Lost
Objects
Worth: $250
Grab the M-Spector, thumb the power button,
and the 2.5-inch screen lights up with 320x240-
pixel colour video, transmitted from the tiny
CMOS camera on the end of its flexible neck. A
camera-mounted LED illuminates dark and dismal
places, letting you see anywhere you can cram the
3-foot-long cable. Sure, cops could use the M-Spec-
tor to peer around corners or ferret out shanks in
prison cells, but it's equally effective at locating the
perfectly good grape that rolled under your fridge.
Just don't get too creative; you'll probably want to
69
draw the line at home colonoscopies.

Courtesy: www.weird.com
 Free download | flare.com.pk
DELL - XPS - 1330 - 2.4 GHz.
Rs
139,085
The Dell XPS 1330 is arguably the most powerful, ultra thin, portable
notebook in the market now. It stands out from the crowd with its high
specification and brilliant performance ratings across the board. Dell
have not been shy promoting this notebook and for good reason. Its
design is sleek and for the truly mobile user, it is beautiful to handle.
On first impressions, the XPS 1330 is a slick looking notebook.
Stunning design lines and a choice of color provide a personalized,
professional look, and with the unit tilting forward slightly (due to the
height being at the back) the XPS 1330 embraces the user and makes
for better ergonomics.
ACER - Aspire 8920G - 834G32Bn
Rs
138,763
Every new product needs an angle and the more superfluous, the
greater the alarm bells. Happily, for Acer at least, its range of
"Gemstone Blue" laptops has a very simple selling point, they're the
only 16:9 screen ratio laptops currently available. DVD and Blu-ray
movies are mastered to anamophically fit a 16:9 aspect ratio screen,
rather than the 16:10 ratio that most notebooks and PC desktop moni-
tors favour. Available in both 16in and 18.4in varieties, we're taking a
look at the 18.4 version, the 8920G, today and it's no shrinking violet.
Measuring 441mm across, 300mm deep and 44.2mm thick it weighs
4.1 kilos and strikes an imposing figure on any desktop.
SONY VAIO VGN– SR12GB
Rs
124,143
Restrained and in control, the matte black finish is an expression of
quiet strength. Its small size and great specs are ideal for mobile com-
puting. Sporting a unique cylindrical design, it comes with an isolated
keyboard for easy input. New “Switch” mode changes settings at the
press of a key.
• Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor
• Windows Vista® Home Premium
• Convenient "Switch" Function
• Easy Presentation: VAIO Presentation Support Software
• Beautiful Viewing: Clear Bright LCD: White LED
Latest Laptops Tech-Tool
HP Pavilion tx2675 Tablet
Rs
99,095
Enjoy truly mobile computing without sacrificing productivity. Work and
play wherever you go with the HP Pavilion tx2675 series Entertainment
Notebook PC. HP's first ultra-portable Pavilion notebook provides a
new "twist" on mobility with an optional touchscreen that can be turned
180 and flattened into a slate to capture hand-written notes and draw-
ings. The tx2675 delivers the convergence of powerful mobile comput-
ing and digital entertainment with the latest mobile processors and
exciting new Quick Play features.
IBM T61w 7659VAQ (UK)-7659VAR
Rs
119,891
Intel® Centrino® processor technology combines the latest Intel®
mobile processor technology with Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi Link and Active
Management Technology for enhanced notebook management and
security. Intel® Turbo Memory shortens boot time and speeds applica-
tion loading.
Think Vantage® Client Security Solution, 32-byte boot password,
optional Integrated Fingerprint Reader and Smartcard support protects
data Against would-be intruders.
MACBOOK PRO 2.4GHz MB133
Rs
179,000
Stylishly and intelligently designed for mobile professionals, Apple's
MacBook Pro now includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology (which
debuted with the MacBook Air), allowing you to pinch, swipe, or rotate
to enlarge text, advance through photos, or adjust an image. And it gets
a serious speed bump from Intel's latest 2.4 GHz 45-nanometer Penryn
series Core 2 Duo processor, which also helps to reduce power require-
ments and save on battery life. This model (MB133LL/A ) also has a
mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display measuring 15.4 inch-
es and a state-of-the art NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card with
256 MB of GDDR3 video RAM.
71
 Telepedia Andrew Boxall Free download | flare.com.pk

72
Free download | flare.com.pk
Nokia E71
The ultimate smartphone for either business
users or consumers. The feeling of quality is
enhanced by the liberal use of high-quality
metal in the handset’s construction. The
phone’s chassis is almost entirely con-
structed of lightweight stainless steel, and
there’s a dimpled effect on the rear battery
casing that gives the phone added grip.
Apple iPhone 3G
The best touch-screen smartphone just got
even better. Give or take a fraction of a mil-
limetre difference in the width and length, it
looks virtually identical to the original. The
chief difference is the new glossy black,
slightly bulbous rear plastic casing, which
replaces the brushed stainless steel of the
first edition.
Samsung Pixon
A touch-screen phone that promises loads
and delivers in spades. Chunkiness is cer-
tainly not a criticism you can level at the
handset which can currently lay claim to the
title of being the world’s slimmest eight-
megapixel touch-screen phone.
Nokia N85
An excellent all-rounder that is sure not to
remain in the N96’s shadow. At 2.6 inches,
the N85’s OLED screen is 0.2 inches smaller
than the N96, but the phone still displays up
to 16 million colours with a resolution of
240x320 pixels.
Blackberry Bold
The BlackBerry Bold boasts a fabulous fea-
ture set, including HSDPA and A-GPS. It's
large, but it still manages to maintain a great
look and feel. The half VGA screen simply
sparkles on board the matt black body with
chrome bumpers and leatherette upholstery.
Flare Report Tech Tool
Blackberry Storm
Fans of the BlackBerry Bold’s design-
friendly UI, with its cool minimalist white-
on-black icons, will be pleased to see that
it has been exported successfully to the
Storm. The clickable touch-screen UI is
generally excellent, as is the video function
and the social networking apps.
LG Secret
Tempered glass, toughened plastic, car-
bon fibre and a few flashes of chrome
combine to make for a fabulous-looking
phone which is as tough as a honey
badger. It's perfectly weighted for a lux-
ury handset – i.e. heavy enough to feel ex-
pensive, and manages to wear its robust
characteristics with real panache.
INQ1
With a great Facebook experience and an af-
fordable price tag, the INQ1 should be a
huge hit. It has a brushed stainless steel fin-
ish on the front and back, which means it’s
cool to the touch and feels very robust. It
also features a smooth slider mechanism
and a nicely proportioned keypad.
Sony Ericsson C905
The C905 is on the chunky side, partly due
to its slider format. The C905’s camera is ex-
cellent with a host of snapping features to
get to grips with.
Samsung Omnia
The Omnia is a beautifully constructed
phone that is robust yet light, and thanks to
its slimness feels comfortable in the hand A
fine-looking phone with a truly staggering
feature set.
73
Free download | flare.com.pk Flare Report Exclusively Lady

75

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 No Line Rent
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Crystal Clear Voice
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Free download | flare.com.pk
From end-2007 to end-2013, the global
mobile market will see huge growth,
increasing in size by over half (56 per
cent), according to the latest edition of
Informa Telecoms & Media's Global
Mobile Forecasts to 2013
nnual revenues from the global mobile
A market will top USD 1.03 trillion by
2013 when the number
subscriptions worldwide will have
risen to more than 5.3 billion, according to
Informa Telecoms & Media. From end-2007 to
of
end-2013, the global mobile market will see huge
growth, increasing in size by over half (56 per
cent), according to the latest edition of Informa
Telecoms & Media's Global Mobile Forecasts to
2013.
It took over 20 years to reach three billion
subscriptions but another 1.9 billion net additions
are forecast in just six years, with the global total
nudging past the five-billion milestone in 2011.
With this extraordinary growth, total annual
revenues derived from mobile operators will
grow by over a third (33.9 per cent), jumping
from USD 769 billion in 2007 to USD 1.03 trillion
six years later.
Informa Telecoms & Media forecasts more
than three quarters (78 per cent) of global net
additions between 2007 and 2013 to come from
markets in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America
which will be the powerhouses of organic growth
over the next five years.
Astonishingly, nearly half (47 per
cent) of the 1.9 billion global net adds
will come from just five markets –
India, China, Indonesia, Brazil and
Russia. By contrast, the mature
markets of North America and
Western Europe will in total
contribute just 8 per cent of global net
addition reflecting the high level of
saturation in these markets.
Globally, subscription penetration
will approach the 75 per cent mark in
2013, while some countries will push
past the 150 per cent barrier –
Romania (152 per cent), Russia (153
per cent), Italy (168 per cent), Ukraine
(173 per cent) and Greece (183 per
cent). Growth in subscriptions (the
number of SIMs) will outstrip growth
in subscribers (the number of unique
users), pointing to greater
multi-SIM ownership. The
global ratio of subscriptions to
subscribers will increase from
1.29 in 2007 to 1.32 in 2013. In
Western Europe, the ratio will
reach 1.55 in 2013 and even
higher (1.75) in Eastern Europe.
The high growth potential of
developing markets reflects the
entrance of new operators, as
well as improvements in
regional network roll-out and
rising competition, which is
expected to lower the barrier for
new subscribers. "Reductions in
voice tariffs, the option of very
low-denomination prepaid top-
ups and the greater availability
of cheap 2G and 2.5G handsets
will open out mobile services to
low-income, low-ARPU
subscribers who have never
previously owned a mobile
phone," said Chris Stamatakis
research analyst at Informa
Telecoms & Media and author
of Global Mobile Forecasts to
2013.
As the global subscription base expands, total
annual revenues will increase to over USD 1
trillion in 2012. Voice revenues will continue to
make up the lion's share of total revenues, but
More than three quarters (78
per cent) of global net additions
between 2007 and 2013 to
come from markets in Asia
Pacific, Africa and Latin America
which will be the powerhouses
of organic growth over the next
five years
will see slowing growth, and even a decline from
2010 onwards. With regulators worldwide
looking to promote competition, forcing
operators to push down voice tariffs, Informa
Telecoms & Media expects voice revenues to
peak as soon as 2009 in Western Europe, and
Flare Report Business
The global ratio of subscriptions
to subscribers will increase from
1.29 in 2007 to 1.32 in 2013. In
Western Europe, the ratio will
reach 1.55 in 2013, and even
higher (1.75) in Eastern Europe
even by end-2008 in North America. In more
developing markets such as the Middle East and
Asia Pacific, voice revenues will not peak until
2011, and 2012 in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Operators globally will be challenged to
generate sustainable revenues as average revenue
per user (ARPU) continues to drop. To keep
annual revenues on the up, operators will need
to promote usage of data services. Annual data
revenues, unlike voice revenues, will go from
strength to strength, and will more than double
from USD 148 billion in 2007 to USD 347 billion in
2013. As a result, the proportion of total revenues
generated by data services will increase from less
than a fifth (19.2 per cent) in 2007 to over a third
(33.7 per cent) at the end of the forecast period.
With voice revenue streams diminishing,
industry players will encourage data spend
among subscribers by innovating in non-voice
services and differentiating their data service
offerings from those of their competitors. While
2G will remain the dominant technology
generation by subscription numbers until 2013,
its market share will fall from over two thirds
(66.9 per cent) in 2007 to less than one third (32.7
per cent) in 2013, as 3G+ technologies continue to
gain ground. 3.5G technologies accounted for just
1.2 per cent of total subscriptions in 2007, but will
represent nearly a quarter (22.9 per cent) of the
global subscription base by 2013 and exceed the
number of 3G subscriptions.
"As more next-generation networks roll out,
3G and 3.5G traffic will grow vigorously and the
number of global HSDPA subscriptions will
increase exponentially in the short term," said
Stamatakis. "Furthermore, with migration to
next-generation technologies already under way,
with operators increasingly favouring HSDPA as
they jump on the LTE bandwagon, Informa
Telecoms & Media expects operators to focus
increasingly on fulfilling consumers' growing
demand for mobile broadband – which is
becoming the long-sought killer app for mobile
operators."
77
 InsighT Flare Report
IT industry ready to
face the challenges in
2009
The IT companies in neighbours have grown out of
proportion and the sustainability in growth is becoming a
Herculean task with every passing day. They have no
option, but to cut current expenditures heavily that would
affect their business ventures
hairman Federal Task Force on
C
Information & Communication
Technologies (ICT) Salim Ghauri said
that Pakistan IT industry possesses the
potential of benefiting from the unavoidable
challenges being faced by neighbouring countries
in 2009.
Salim Ghauri said in an emergency situation in
2009, the Western IT managers would be looking
for new vendors and new places to outsource their
projects, as the new vendors are always keen to
provide better services at lower cost with quality
assurance. We have witnessed this trend back in
the 2001 when IT industry crashed and we should
be ready for it in 2009, he added. He said it is
important for our IT industry to move quickly in
early 2009 and get its share of business from across
the globe.
"We have always been complaining about
Pakistan's image abroad while terming it a major
hurdle in getting business from the outside world,
but the time has come to put such approach aside
as this is a reality which will continue to stay with
us in near future," he elaborated. "We will have to
face the reality and dig opportunities out of the
Few Internet cafes for females
Terming such technological disparities between women and men as ‘gender digital divide,’ experts
believe that there was a need to come up with innovative ideas and gender specific policies to narrow
the gap between men and women
espite presence of numerous Internet
D
cafes in commercial and non-commercial
areas in town, girls have hardly been able
to utilise the facility because of non-
conducive environment in majority of these outlets.
Receptionists watching vulgar Indian movies or
playing songs on their PCs, smoke-filled room with
guys staring at you are common. No wonder the
number of female visitors to such cafes is very low.
Female students urged the authorities to look into
the matter for the use of Internet, scanners and
printers had become a vital part of university
projects. Highlighting the problems faced by girls
who do not have these facilities at home, Saadia
Siddique said that her family members never
allowed her to visit Internet cafes due to their bad
reputation. “I visited one such outlet with my brother
78
adverse circumstances to sustain the recession hit
economies of the world." According to him, the
year 2009 will also demand a change in attitude
from the IT professionals from carefree and "take
it easy man" style to a more professional approach.
Now only the fittest will survive, he warned and
added that in the same breath that there will be
room for people to join IT industry, but this year
will require long hours and hard work from the
professionals to sustain and survive.
The IT industry will be the
most important segment of
Pakistan's economy and it
will earn precious foreign
exchange for the country
in the years to come
"The financial packages will in fact decrease
rather than increase. Little increments in salaries
will be offered, which have been inflating in
previous years, as the IT industry will either have
a month ago and realised that my father was right,”
she said.
A resident of Chaklala Scheme III, Saadia, said
that the dingy cafe was located in the basement that
was completely male-dominated. “The loud music
and vulgar songs all made the environment
unbearable for any respectable person,” she said
while calling for separate facilities for girls.
Aziz Khan, a university student, said that even
boys avoided going to certain net cafes famous for
illicit activities. “Many cafes are famous for free
availability of drugs and playing of porno movies,”
he said adding that it was advisable for even boys
not to visit cafes with cabins.
Accepting the fact that only a few girls dare to
visit net cafes, an owner of such a facility said that
the number was increasing. He said that quality net
Free download | flare.com.pk
to cut the workforce or offer decreased packages,"
he said, and added that the IT professionals
should settle for smaller packages then losing a
job.
So far as setting up a new IT business in 2009 is
concerned, Ghauri said, there's always
opportunity for new entrepreneurs as they come
up with new ideas and creativity. Many IT
companies started their businesses in early 90s
and wrote success stories in the years to come,
simply because they relied upon innovative ideas
and approaches, he added.
According to him, the IT industry will be the
most important segment of Pakistan's economy
and it will earn precious foreign exchange for the
country in the years to come. He stressed the
education institutions to be more focused in their
curriculum and lectures to discuss ongoing global
changes in world economies and its impact on IT
industry. The industry will be cutting costs
throughout 2009, but it will be working on better
software simultaneously that will open new
windows of opportunity for young professionals.
Ghauri also urged the government to revisit
tax policy towards the IT sector, as the tax holiday
for IT sector is expiring in 2011 and any failure in
extending it for another 10 years would cripple the
industry from generating hundreds and
thousands of jobs in the years to come. We have
already seen that a good number of IT companies
had shifted their businesses from tax-burdened
regimes to tax free regimes in the past. The
government of Pakistan needs to move fast on this
front, he asserted.

cafes reserve sections exclusively for women.
“Unfortunately, the number of such facilities is
limited,” said Waseem Akram, who runs his
business in Super Market.
Akram said that no one knew the exact numbers
of such outlets for many young boys were running
this business in their homes. “Low investment and
good profit is attracting many to start this business,”
he said advising women to start their own outlets
reserved for females.
Some girls said that universities and colleges
could provide computer-related facilities for students
whereas others said that government could arrange
for computers and related machinery on loan to girls.
“Women should be encouraged to start such
business for students so that there can be a choice of
separate Internet cafes for girls,” said Saadia.

 Free download | flare.com.pk
unjab Chief Minister Mian
P Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said
that government is taking solid
measures for the promotion of
information technology for equipping the
new generation with latest knowledge.
Computer labs will be set up in more than
4,000 schools of the province at a cost of
about Rs five billion, he added. He was
presiding over a meeting regarding
establishment of Information Technology
Laboratories. Chief Secretary, Secretary
Schools and Secretary Information
Technology besides representatives of
various computer companies were present
on the occasion.
The Chief Minister said that promotion
of information technology is the need of
the hour and the government has evolved
a comprehensive strategy under which the
computer labs would be set up in all
higher secondary schools. He said that
information technology will be made
available in all schools from Attock to
Rajanpur. He said that the world has
assumed the form of a global village due
to information technology which is
helping various countries in making rapid
progress. He said that there is a need to
impart modern education and knowledge
to the young generation so that we could
also compete with other countries in the
race towards progress and prosperity.
He said that provision of IT facilities in
education institutions is a revolutionary
project in the history of Pakistan. He said
this project will help in the achievement of
a goal of national development and
Digital film studio at
DFP to ensure creativity
Besides a digital film-making studio along with the latest
facilities, editor's room with a sophisticated recording
room is also prepared.
irectorate General of Films and
D Publications (DFP) launched a
digital film studio, aimed at
promoting creativity and
providing a favourable environment for
film making.
Jointly inaugurated by Secretary
Information and Broadcasting, Ashfaq
Ahmad Gondal and Director General
DFP, Mrs. Sajida Iqbal Syed, the digital
studio equipped with latest facilities to
improve the standard of film-making.
Secretary Information appreciated the
efforts of Director General DFP for taking
numerous measures with regard to
publishing and said the digital studio is
another achievement. He expressed the
hope that in view of the competitive environment,
the DFP would make full use of the digital film
studio, saying that today's technological
innovations enhance creativity.
In her presentation, Mrs. Sajida Iqbal said the
DFP has prepared documentaries on Quaid-e-
Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal,
Flare Report InsighT
provide strong base to the students who
after completion of their education will be
able to play an effective role for the
development of agriculture, industries,
commerce, medicine, engineering and other
sectors.
The Chief Minister said that
promotion of information
technology is the need of the
hour and the government has
evolved a comprehensive
strategy under which the
computer labs would be set up
in all higher secondary schools
The Chief Minister said that the present
government is taking revolutionary
measures for the uplift of education sector
within its limited resources and has evolved
such projects as construction of model
schools, provision of basic facilities and
establishment of endowment fund for
talented students. He asked representatives
of computer companies to prepare a
complete package for the establishment of
computer labs in schools and it should also
include provision of computers, their
maintenance and training of teachers. He
said that this project will be made
He asked representatives of computer com- completely transparent so that no difficulty
panies to prepare a complete package for the should be faced at any stage. He said that
different companies can work on this project
establishment of computer labs in schools individually or jointly. He said that
and it should also include provision of com- computer firms should submit their
puters, their maintenance and training of recommendations and proposals in this
regard within three days so that this project
teachers could be completed at the earliest.

Motehrma the machinery was installed and made functional.
Fatima Jinnah Besides a digital film-making studio along with
and other the latest facilities, editor's room with a
prominent sophisticated recording room is also prepared.
figures
Pakistan
movement. She
of Mrs. Sajida Iqbal further informed DFP has
prepared a detailed compilation of the life history,
philosophy, struggle and speeches of those great
was very happy leaders who are the makers of Pakistan and added
over this that the conversion of historical footages of
accomplishment. Pakistan on the modern digital system is a
beautiful amalgamation of our history
with the modern era. She said DFP has
planned to launch a series of
publications. A book and posters titled
Pakistan: A Pictorial View would be
launched on January 2, while Pashto
magazine Abasin (Khushal Khan
Khattak number) would be launched on
January 3.
The chronology of Pakistan,
consisting of six editions will be
launched on January 6. DFP has
launched five publications, carrying
historical documents, speeches and
statements of Quaid-i-Azam
Islamabad: Secretary Information and Broadcasting Ashfaq A. Gondal
Muhammad Ali Jinnah in connection
unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the Digital Film Studio at DFP. with his birth anniversary and launched
collection of Urdu and English speeches
She particularly mentioned APP and PTV for their of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto as the Prime Minister
cooperation in training the DFP staff. in books form in connection with her first death
Giving the technical details, Sajida Iqbal said anniversary.
that when she had assumed the charge of DFP as An exhibition displaying black and white rare
the DG, the machinery for digital film-making photographs of father of the nation, captured on
worth Rs 20.25 million was available, but it was different occasions also continues at DFP.

not installed. As a result of her extensive efforts, 79
 InsighT Flare Report Free download | flare.com.pk

£50, although an iPhone can rise much

How an old phone more. "One of the most popular ones
traded in during October was Nokia's
N95 which can raise £102 for the owner,"

can make money said Mr Tagg.

"People recycling their phones make a
bit of money and feel they are doing the
The need to recycle electronic devices right thing. The whole process takes three
such as phones, PDAs and digital music minutes online and then they just have to
players is more than just a financial one stick their phone in a jiffy bag," he added.
as many contain materials that can be This year Fonebank has teamed up with
Oxfam to donate a minimum of 10per cent
harmful to the environment of the value of the phone to aid the
water table. charity's work in the developing world.
Mobile phones now come under the WEEE Other charities, including Age Concern and the
directive, a piece of European legislation which British Red Cross, are also offering people the
aims to reduce the amount of electronic waste that chance to donate phones. During December some
ut for cash-strapped consumers with a

B shiny new mobile in their hands, there is

a way of making money from their old,
unwanted handsets. According to mobile
phone trade-in Website FoneBank, only 20 per
cent of UK consumers are recycling their mobiles
ends up in landfill sites. It requires member six million handsets will have been exchanged.
nations to collect and recycle the equivalent of And for those who really can't be bothered to
four kilogram of e-waste for every person living post off their old handset there are other ways of
in the country. Manufacturers, importers and recycling them. "I have spent literally hundreds
retailers of electronic equipment are
but those that do can recycle their old mobiles for
obliged to put systems in place that allow Manufacturers, importers and retailers of
customers to recycle their obsolete
cash.
devices free of charge although
electronic equipment are obliged to put
A survey it conducted to find out what people
households are under no obligation. systems in place that allow customers to
did with their mobile found that 28per cent put
them away in a drawer while 23per cent simply
Fonebank recycled around 10,000 phones recycle their obsolete devices free of
threw them away. "It's crazy that a lot of people
in November, the majority of which are charge although households are under
earmarked for Africa, Pakistan, India and
out there are still just chucking their phones in the
South East Asia. "It is a lot more difficult
no obligation. Fonebank recycled around
to buy a brand new phone in Africa and 10,000 phones in November, the majority
bin when they no longer have any use for them,"
said Mark Harrison, director of Fonebank.
The need to recycle electronic devices such as
they are prohibitively expensive, so a of which are earmarked for Africa,
phones, PDAs and digital music players is more
good, second-hand phone is very Pakistan, India and South East Asia
attractive," said Ollie Tagg, director of
than just a financial one as many contain materials
Fonebank. over the years on toys for my kids but the thing
that can be harmful to the environment. The main
Right thing they've liked the most are old mobiles, particularly
problem lies with the batteries used to power the
During November Fonebank sent out £200,000 ones that flip and flash," one respondent to the
phones, some of which contain toxic substances
worth of cheques, with an average per person of FoneBank survey revealed.

such as cadmium, which can contaminate the

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 Free download | flare.com.pk
"Investment has been fine elsewhere. In case of
Instaphone, it was management failure to
attract them. The crisis is of leadership and the
crisis is of competence"
he best reasons to work for the telecom
T
sector include superior benefits – medical
and insurance – and the plus side is the
exposure to international business and
culture. But, all these are like fading dream for the
employees of a mobile phone company.
For several months now, former and serving
Instaphone employees have not been paid their
salaries, gratuity and provident funds. This has
become a routine for the company to delay salaries
by months and this situation has been continuing
since January 2008.
A real kick in the teeth came when Instaphone
recently decided to shut down its operations and any
glimmer of hope died. Many have quit the company
and moved on. Many still, not prepared for a
prolonged struggle, have absolutely no opportunities
for any kind of advancement in their careers with
Instaphone.
What did follow is an outpouring of anger and
"The earnings of cellular firms
will not increase by this move,
but will balance to some extent
the rising cost of doing
operations"
mid stiff competition observed among
A
the cellular mobile telephony operators
(CMTOs), where the calling rates have
been continuously declining, a raise of
100 per cent is made on the calls to the helpline.
The CMTOs have increased call charges to
helpline or customer services by 50 paisas to Rs 1
per call particularly for their pre-paid customers,
whereas one out of five operators has increased
call charges for post-paid customers as well. This
hike includes 21 per cent general sales tax (GST).
Normally these calls' duration is less than one
frustration from
people employed by
the mobile phone
company. "We
thought the company
will be turned into a
profit-making
organisation. Instead
of making the
company better, the
management of the
company has made a
complete mess of the
corporate affairs of
Instaphone by
running it on
unprofessional lines
and suffering losses at
every stage," a senior
Insta employee
confided.
"The CEO does
not seem to pay any
heed to the hue and
cry of the employees
despite having been
reminded and reiterated on countless occasions," a
senior staffer protested. "Dues of former employees
have not been cleared either. The distressed
employees have been visiting the company since
2007," he added.
He said their medical/health insurance policies
and other benefits were withdrawn in February 2008
and the vendors had not been made payments for the
minute. However, very
few calls are made to
CMTOs call centres,
which exceed one
minute and 50
seconds, told official
of the mobile phone
operators.
Normally, the
information sought by
the customer is provided
through the recorded voice-
messages, which are 30 to 45
seconds long. But, there are
few calls in which customers
interact with call centre
agents for services inquire.
"Such calls take up to two
minutes," officials
informed. This is the
second raise in call tariff
made by CMTOs in a
Flare Report Telepedia
last two years," an employee said. It is a painful
situation not only for the employees but for their
families as well. "In these days of hyper-inflation, it is
extremely difficult to make both ends meet," the
senior employee complained.
Fighting at several fronts to keep the kitchen
running, another employee said: "We have been
borrowing money from friends and relatives to
“Instead of making the company
better, the management of the
company has made a complete
mess of the corporate affairs of
Instaphone by running it on
unprofessional lines and
suffering losses at every stage"
survive and to pay for food and children's school fees.
The management is least pushed about this gross
neglect and their treatment is inhumane. The
exploitation must end."
Instaphone was the subsidiary of the Pakistani
Arfeen Group. Arfeen took over Instaphone in May
2006 when the Luxemburg-based company,
Millicom International Cellular (MIC), disinvested.
On May 21, 2008, the government cancelled
Instaphone's licence when the company ran into
financial difficulties and failed to pay its dues to
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). South
Korea Telecom and then the Russian telecom
investors, Altimo, also backed off due to poor
investment climate and political instability or so they
say.
"Investment has been fine elsewhere. In case of
Instaphone, it was management failure to attract
them. The crisis is of leadership and the crisis is of
competence," said one former senior Insta employee.
With 500,000 subscriber base in the good old days,
Instaphone was probably one of the simplest ways
to get connected. It was the first to launch pre-paid
technology. It was difficult to understand the
direction the company had chosen to move in and
frustrating that management seemed to lack the
critical organisational skills necessary to implement
the plans.

Courtesy: Dawn News
move to increase their revenues, which are healthy
enough, but declining continuously owing to
falling call rates.
The call rates of the CMTO's have decreased
sharply by up to 75 paisa per minute, whereas
majority of them offer lowest call packages for
specific hours in the day and night.
The total revenue of all CMTOs of the country
has declined by 12 per cent in the financial year
2007-08 as rising cost of doing business in
the state and steep depreciation of rupee
against dollar soar their operations
expenses, PTA annual report mentioned.
The telecom sector revenue growth has
witnessed declining trend in the country
with 35 per cent increase in earnings to stand at
Rs 182.080 billion in 2007-08 as compared with
revenue growth of previous financial year which
was Rs 133.132 billion with staggering 48 per cent
growth.
In November 2008, the mobile phone
operators imposed 5 per cent services charge
on the recharge of credit through pre-paid card
and easy load. Mobile companies have offered
dozens of value-added services and call
packages, which customers activate through the 81
interaction of helpline or customers services.

Free download | flare.com.pk
The small mobile repair shops have opened up
everywhere. In Lahore, markets like Hafeez centre
and Hall road are among the most popular for
mobile repair work
he huge influx of imported mobile
T
phones in Pakistan has spawned a whole
industry around mobile phone repair
work. The trend of mobile repair as a
small business in Pakistan has taken off rapidly
in the last few years. One reason for this could be
the increase in handset prices caused by higher
duty on handsets and falling value of Rupee.
Most of these “repair technicians” lack formal
training and have most likely picked up mobile
repairing skills on the job.
The small mobile repair shops have opened
up everywhere. In Lahore, markets like Hafeez
centre and Hall road are among the most popular
for mobile repair work. There are signs outside
these shops which claim that they can repair and
unlock phones from anywhere in the world.
These shops charge around Rs 300 to 500 to
unlock a phone, depending on the model and
difficulty involved. These shops are equipped
with tools, hardware and Internet access (for
access to unlock codes I guess).
I did a first hand experiment by getting a
Motorola RAZR phone unlocked at Hafiz center
(shown above). The phone was unlocked in less
than 30 minutes and worked fine, thanks to
Pakistani craftsmanship. On the high-end,
mobile phone retail networks like MobileZone
have their own technical facilities to service their
customers and the phones under warranty.
In May 2008, Nokia started Nokia Care
centers in Pakistan, located in Lahore and
Karachi. Nokia’s official outlet provides services
like warranty claims and mobile repair. This
specific service is the only one by a global retail
brand in Pakistan (at the moment), providing
their customers with top notch repair lab,
complete with quality control standards and
good customer services. But apart from Nokia,
markets are loaded with other brands such as
Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry
etc for which there are no such quality repair
facilities.
The perception of general public is that once
your mobile gets into a repair shop its value
decreases instantly. Usually 80% of the second
hand mobile phones are repaired because of
technical issues and then sold again in the
market. Above all, it is clear that the quality in
repairing these hand sets is below standard. The
tools employed are usually not specifically
designed to do that work. The physical
environment of the repair unit is open with dust
and pollution.
While we have failed to bring in new phone
manufacturing facilities to Pakistan we can
support and strengthen the mobile repair
industry by providing training, tools and by
establishing standards. A simple repair manual
like this or training videos in local languages can
be very helpful. I don’t know how many
technical training schools offer mobile phone
repair courses or certifications but I feel that there
should be more of those. New quality standards
must be set for the private repair workshops. But
more importantly Mobile handset brands should
invest in local customer care centers and training
of local staff. This will not only benefit their
customers but also create trust and customer
satisfaction.

Babar Bhatti Telepedia
If you are willing to put up
a fight and go through the
hassle, the CCTS can help
get your problem resolved
ver wonder what the Commissioner for
E Complaints for Telecommunications
Services is? Even though it was formed in
2007, few Canadians today know there is
an agency where they can take their complaints
over cell phones and Internet services.
The CCTS was set up to protect consumers in
the wake of deregulation of the industry and a
subsequent declaring of the Canadian Radio-
television and Television Commission. It
continues to be an obscure organisation, largely
because a promotional campaign, demanded
months ago by the CRTC, has yet to materialise.
In its first year, it fielded 5,000 inquiries, with
less than half accepted as matters for
investigations. Australia's comparable and well-
publicised agency the Telecommunications
Industry Ombudsman handled 100,000
complaints over the same time in a country two-
thirds the size of Canada.
To assess the CCTS, CBCNews.ca embarked
on a first-hand investigation of its complaint
resolution process. The investigations found the
following results.
• Consumers should be wary of signing
contracts with big telecommunications service
providers, because the terms can and will change.
• As such, though contracts can afford
short-term savings, in the long run they are likely
to be more grief than they're worth.
• Customers should also be wary of
seemingly sweet offers as they can be and are
used to move customers off of older plans that
potentially provided better value.
• The CCTS seems inclined to initially
reject complaints and accepts them only after
making the complainant jump through hoops. It
also seems averse to escalating complaints to the
decision-making stage.
• A complaint with the agency, if accepted,
is an excellent way of getting someone with
authority from the service provider to contact
you.
• It is a good idea to document every step
of the complaint process, whether through saved
e-mails or recorded phone conversations (it is
legal to record phone calls in Canada if at least
one party knows the recording is happening).
• If you are willing to put up a fight and go
through the hassle, the CCTS can help get your
problem resolved.
83
 Free download | flare.com.pk
'Unreliable' diagnostic
tests risking lives
"This means that ninety-nine out of 100 TB-infected people
would continue to go about their daily lives coughing and in-
fecting people. Imagine if this goes on for one year, how many
more people would they have infected?"
n inquiry into some tuberculosis tests on
A
sale to developing countries has found
that most were missing more cases than
they found.
The evaluation of 19 commercially available
rapid diagnostic tests, which detect antibodies to
tuberculosis bacteria, found that on average they
could identify only about a quarter of cases. Most
detected less than half and one test identified less
than one in a hundred cases.
"This means that ninety-nine out of 100 TB-in-
fected people would continue to go about their
daily lives coughing and infecting people," said
Rosanna Peeling, director of diagnostics research
and development at the WHO Special Programme
for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases
(WHO-TDR), which conducted the research.
"Imagine if this goes on for one year, how many
more people would they have infected?"
Peeling was speaking at a workshop for diag-
nostics experts which called for a global body to
regulate diagnostic tests, particularly those used in
the control of diseases that disproportionately af-
fect developing countries.
Such a body could set standards for tests, pro-
vide guidelines for their evaluation, ensure partic-
ipating manufacturers adhere to a code of conduct
and provide a 'seal of approval' for quality prod-
ucts, they said.
Few developing countries have regulatory in-
frastructure for approving the sale and use of di-
agnostic tests, Peeling told the 'Global Health
Diagnostics: Research, Development and Regula-
tion' workshop, organised by the Academy of
Medical Sciences in London, United Kingdom.
Governments, disease control programmes,
donors and the general public could all be buying
useless tests.
The problem is particularly acute in the case of
rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which act in a way
similar to pregnancy tests and have been hailed as
the solution to providing affordable and timely
point-of-care diagnosis in developing countries.
While certain rapid tests on the market are highly
effective, many others do not work effectively or
reliably — leaving people with undiagnosed con-
ditions or infections that could be life-threatening.
"Very few countries actually look at the quality
of the products before they are allowed to go on
sale," said Peeling.
It pointed out that the major-
ity of the tests were techni-
cally simple and, if
performance could be im-
proved, would be appropri-
ate for their target use
The study focussed on RDTs for TB. It con-
cluded that "the tests are sold and used in disease-
endemic countries, without evidence of
effectiveness". It pointed out that the majority of
the tests were technically simple and, if perform-
ance could be improved, would be appropriate for
their target use.
"It would be good to have a seal of approval
from a diagnostics manufacturing association that
we could trust," says Peeling. WHO-TDR is work-
ing with networks of laboratories in over 40 coun-
tries to engage them in the evaluation of RDTs for
their country or region.
"If national regulatory authorities can become
more active using their reference laboratories to
properly evaluate diagnostic tests, then hopefully
national authorities will learn to distinguish be-
tween reliable and unreliable diagnostics," said
Peeling.
"Since reliance upon bad diagnostics can be
public health and life-threatening, unreliable prod-
ucts would thus be removed from the market ei-
ther by voluntary or regulatory actions."
Requirements for high
impact diagnostic
Calls for research into treat-
ments for developing world dis-
eases are not new. But it's only
recently that these have been for
better diagnosis
Knowing who not to treat is as important as
knowing who to treat. The article reports on analy-
ses by the Global Health Diagnostic Forum of the
Flare Report Medical
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess how
many lives could be saved by better diagnostics for
six major illnesses, including malaria and tubercu-
losis. The researchers assessed the technical issues
associated with implementing the diagnostic tests
in developing countries for three classes of labora-
tory infrastructure — none, minimal, or moderate
to advanced.
They found that for acute lower respiratory in-
fections, syphilis, gonorrhoea, Chlamydia and TB,
outcomes could be much improved if tests were
sent to sites with minimal or no laboratory infra-
structure. In these types of settings, the practicality
of obtaining a specimen is important. For example,
obtaining a blood sample correctly to test HIV viral
load is almost impossible where there are no labo-
ratory facilities. Using sputum to test for TB has
similar issues because of the impracticability of the
sample medium. Thus, new biomarkers might be
needed to test for diseases with specimens differ-
ent from those currently used. Combination tests
that look for a range of infectious organisms in one
sample would be useful in resource-poor settings.
The researchers also highlight the importance
of taking into account cultural and social sensitiv-
ities when designing interventions – blood sam-
pling is not always accepted in some regions of the
world, for example.
For malaria, good diagnostics are urgently
needed to save lives, reduce over-treatment and
ensure that the resources of overburdened health
systems are directed to the right place. But in de-
veloping countries, even if available, diagnostics
are likely be outdated. Most healthcare is delivered
in rural, 'peripheral' health centres with little facil-
ity for laboratory-based tests. Water and electricity
supplies may not be available or reliable in such
settings, and conditions may be hot, humid and
dusty, with the added risk of pathogens from the
environment contaminating samples.
It is not simply a case of transferring diagnos-
tics from developed countries. As the Foundation
for Innovative Diagnostics (FIND) says, "Impover-
ished populations need diagnostics that are better,
not worse, than those in industrialised countries."
Diagnostic tests need to be quick, simple to use
and easy to interpret with little training. They must
also be completely self-contained, with no mainte-
nance or calibration required. And they need to
work — patients who have travelled miles to a
health centre can't easily come back if a test doesn't
work or takes days to give a result.
Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which can diag-
nose infectious diseases in as little as five minutes,
are being hailed as the solution. But despite success
in the laboratory, in the hot, humid areas where
malaria is endemic, questions remain over how
RDTs will fare. And even if they work, how can re-
searchers persuade policymakers that RDTs are the
way to go?.

85
 Mosaic National Free download | flare.com.pk

Lahore: Hannan Asif, Director Advance Telecom with Aslam Butt Director IbrarTele- Zong has provided support to the 6th National Korean ranking Taekwondo Champi-
com on the opening cermoney of Exclucive retail outlet of Nokia . onship held in Islamabad from December 16 to 19, picture shows Lt Col Waseem Janjua
(3rd L), Secretary General, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, Rizwan Akhtar (4th L), Man-
ager Advertisement and Promotion, Zong, Master Yu Han (3rd R), National Taekwondo
Team Coach, Pakistan and Amir Pasha (2nd R), Manager Public Relations, Zong.

Islamabad: SEVP (Commercial) PTCL Sadiq Aljader presents the keys of a car to
winner ,after the lucky draw of bumper prize.
Muridke: The students are busy in a class room of the charity school.

Shayan Taimur Khan, the 4 year old youngest Golfer Lahore: A girl watching the New Year Polo Cup 2009 Islamabad: A lady capturing the moment with her cell
of Defence Club, Lahore. final match. phone during the Zuljinnah procession.
86
Free download | flare.com.pk Mosaic

Lahore: Ashraf Zaki, OEM System Engineer Microsoft gives away the prize to Asadullah
Lahore: Zaheer Ahmad Khan RSM HTC presents gift to a winner.
Bhatti GM COMPSI. HTC organised an event for encouraging its dealers in collaboration
with Microsoft.

Islamabad: Chairman PEMRA Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed Malik presents gifts and flowers Islamabad: Regional General Manager PTCL Zulfiqar Ali Ursani presents a cheque of
to the Christian employees in a simple but august ceremony held in PEMRA head- special death compensation to the daughter of late Khalid Ahmad.
quarters to felicitate its Christian employees on the eve of Christmas & New Year.

Islamabad: Students pose for a group photo during an exhibition, organized Islamabad: Chinese artists performing during Chinese Cultural Performance.
by National Textile Institute.

Rawalpindi: January 07 – A lady Mourner capturing the moment with her

Islamabad: Young children show stamps and coins bearing pictures of Benazir
cell phone during the Zuljinnah procession passing through Iqbal Road on 9th of
Bhutto. 87
Holy Month of Muharramul Harram.
 Telepedia Flare Report
Rs150m handsets, acces-
sories looted in Orangi
ell phones, accessories and scratch cards
C worth over Rs 150 million were stolen from
a cellular phone market in the Orangi
Town, police said.
The owner of the Adnan Khan Mobile Mall told
that thieves entered the market by cutting the grille
installed at a ventilator on the rooftop and robbed 17
shops. “The thieves took away over 2,500 mobile
phones and scratch cards worth Rs5 million,” he
added.
The so-called mobile mall, housing 52 shops on a
500-square-yard plot, is located hardly 50 metres
Cellular franchise owners threaten strike
ll Balochistan Cellular Franchise
A Association while strongly protesting
against growing incidents of robberies
has warned that if government did not
take serious action against criminals involved in
robbery and street crimes it would resort to massive
protest in the province.
Addressing a press conference at Quetta Press
Club recently, the President of Association Noorullah
HP BladeSystem continue domination
arachi: For the second consecutive year,
K the powerful and energy-efficient HP
BladeSystem c-Class server has dominated
the TOP500 list of the world’s largest
supercomputing installations by delivering a flexible
architecture that provides customers with
measurable cost, space and energy savings.
Including systems built on HP ProLiant
architectures, HP now commands a total of 41.8 per
cent of systems on the TOP500 list, while IBM slipped
to 37.6 per cent. HP BladeSystem powers 40.2 per
KalSoft attains 13 Microsoft competencies
alSoft attains three more competencies to
K become one of the few Microsoft Gold
Partners to have a total of 13 Microsoft
Competencies. KalSoft now holds one of
the largest number of Microsoft Competencies across
the globe in the Microsoft Partner ecosystem.
KalSoft has recently attained three new
competencies in Microsoft Business Solutions,
Unified Communication Solutions and Business
Intelligence. KalSoft has consistently been
progressing and attaining Microsoft certifications and
Shahid Khan, Director Marketing in HP
hahid will have the
S responsibility
extending HP’s
market leadership,
of
driving group’s effective go-
to-market activities,
planning and execution for
Pakistan across all customer
segments. This includes the
responsibility for channel
88 management, marketing
The so-called mobile mall, housing 52
shops on a 500-square-yard plot, is located
hardly 50 metres from the Orangi police
station on the main Shahrah-i-Orangi
from the Orangi police station on the main Shahrah-
i-Orangi.
The owner said that the market closed a little after
midnight and opened at around 12 noon. “The
thieves are believed to have sneaked into the market
in the small hours,” he added. He said the market
had two night watchmen who had left for their
hometown in the upcountry after the recent wave of
ethnic violence.
The shop-owners affected by the theft were
Adnan Khan, Khawar, Danish, Asif Khan, Arshad
Khan, Arsalan, Mukarram, Babar, Abdur Rahman,
Kakar strongly condemned incident of robbery at
office of cellular phone company on Fatima Jinnah
Road in which robbers had looted Rs 1.5 million,
mobile sets, laptops and scratch cards.
He said that they had got registered an FIR
against accused persons but after lapse of four days
still the culprits were not arrested while police were
not taking serious steps in this regard. "Incidents of
robbery and looting of shops also occurred in the past
cent of thesystems on the most recently announced
list; thisrepresents more blade installations than all
other vendors combined. Versatile, energy-efficient
and affordable, HP blade servers provide customers
with the maximum density required for high-
performance and scale-out computing.
With 201 placements, the number of HP
BladeSystem servers on the TOP500 list has increased
by 5 percentage points compared to the June 2008
ranking and by 10 percentage points compared to
June 2007. The number of high-performance
competencies ever since its inception and has now
become one of the highest Microsoft certified
corporations in the region. With the attainment of
these competencies, it now stands with thirteen
competencies from Microsoft and can therefore
implement complete business systems, unified
communications systems, and business intelligence
solutions designed over Microsoft technologies. This
has significantly boosted its scope of operations.
Mr. Kashif Aziz, COO KalSoft, said, “In today’s
fast paced business world, the need for specialized
planning, operations, programmes and
communications.
Shahid, who will report to Margaret Ong, HP
SEA Vice President, will oversee the Imaging &
Printing Group’s 4 business units, including Laser
Enterprise Solutions, Inkjet Web Solutions, Post Sales
Supplies and Plotter
Shahid’s main objective is to work with the
business partners to substantially increase the
Imaging & Printing Group revenues by 2010, by
leveraging on the wide portfolio of products that HP
Free download | flare.com.pk
Raheel, Akbar, Rehman, Rashid and Waseem.
The area SHO, Inspector Matiur Rehman, told
that a case had been registered under Sections 380
(Theft in dwelling house, etc), 454 (Lurking house-
trespass or house-breaking in order to commit
offence punishable with imprisonment), 457
(Lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night
in order to commit offence punishable with
imprisonment) and 34 (common intention) of the
Pakistan Penal Code against unidentified thieves on
the complaint of the market’s owner.

also but accused involved in these incidents could not
be arrested," he claimed.
Noorullah Kakar said that deteriorating law and
order had increased the difficulties of business
community. He demanded of the government to
ensure the security of people and take stern action
against dacoits. He warned that if government did
not arrest culprits they would launch a massive
protest movement.

computing (HPC) installations using blade servers
on the TOP500 list has increased more than any other
single computing architecture.
“Customers can maximise their high-
performance computing investments while
increasing energy efficiency with blades, clearly
improving their bottom line, ”said Christine Martino,
vice president and general manager, Scalable
Computing and Infrastructure organization, HP.

solutions in communication, business intelligence,
and overall business process management cannot be
overstated.
With these Microsoft competencies, we can now
deliver complete business solutions that cover every
aspect of an organization’s operations and help them
streamline their processes. By attaining these,
KalSoft’s team has yet again proven its determination
and drive for growth, and improvement of our
services.”

brings to Pakistan, backed up by excellent and wide
network of channel partners and a professional
regional team.
Before joining HP, Shahid held the position of
Samsung Electronics’ Head of Information
Technology division. He, additionally, headed the
Corporate Communication, PR and B2B business
segments as well. Shahid who has more than 10 years
experience in the IT field, professional mix of
business, sales and management positions, holds an
MBA degree from Newport University, USA.

Free download | flare.com.pk International Mosaic

Abu Dhabi: Britain's Andy Murray and top-seeded tennis player Spanish Rafel Nadal (R) pose for a pic-
ture with Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahayan during the award ceremony after the final of the Capi-
tala World Tennis Championship.

Motorola's new Aura phone is displayed at the 2009 International

Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in
Las Vegas, Nevada. The high-end phone features a 62-carat sap-
phire crystal lens, a two megapixel camera and a screen resolution
with 16 million colors at 300 dpi. It's the world's first true circular
display on a phone.

Nokia Siemens Networks $61 million agreement with Qatar Telecom (Qtel) contributes to
realization of ongoing strategy to deliver world-class communication. Rick Seney Chief Operating
Officer – Qtel, Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO, Qtel, Christoph Caselitz, Chief Market Operations
Officer, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-
Thani, Chairman of Qtel, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammad Bin Suhaim Al- Thani, Jan Cron, Head of Middle
East and Africa, NSN and Qais Esrawee, Country Director, Qatar, Nokia Siemens Networks on the occasion.

An LG watch phone is displayed at the 2009 International Consumer

Anyang: South Korean models show LG Electronics' long-term evolution (LTE) modem chips. It has devel-
oped the world's first handset modem chip for 4G phones and that is expected to succeed the current third-
generation wireless technology as a global standard.
Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The 3G
phone will be available in Europe later this year and features a
video camera for video conferencing, an MP3 player, touch screen,
text messaging and Bluetooth.
89
 Mosaic International Free download | flare.com.pk

Hyderabad, - India : Government of India nominated scandal-hit IT company Satyam Computers

board member Kiran Karnik addresses a press conference in Hyderabad on January 12, 2009. The
three-member board, appointed by authorities in an effort to salvage the country's international busi-
ness image, met at Satyam's headquarters in the IT-hub Hyderabad. The new members are Deepak
Parekh, the chairman of private sector housing firm HDFC; C. Achuthan, a former member of regulator
Securities and Exchange Board of India; and Kiran Karnik, former president of an IT lobby group.

London : Indian actress Deepika Padukone signs autographs for her fans
as she arrives for the European Premiere of her latest film, Chandni
Chowk To China, in London's Leicester Square. ''Chandni Chowk To
China'', directed by Nikhil Advani, is the first Hindi film to be shot in
China.

A Nokia N97 mobile computer is displayed at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show at the
Las Vegas Convention Center. The device features a full-QWERTY board, touch screen and full GPS
and will be available in North America in the first half of 2009.

Nepal: The phone transforms into "kill mode" by sliding the keypad
section apart. Police said the device was fully loaded when it was found
during an early morning raid against the Gionta clan crime family, who
control the southern port city of Naples. A 28-year-old man was arrested
Miranda Meagher displays the new Myvu Crystal, a new USD $300.00 entry in the company's line of
personal media viewer glasses, at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas during the raid but other gang members escaped.
90 Convention Center January 10, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Free download | flare.com.pk International Mosaic

Tokyo: Natsuki Kimura, an employee of Sony displays a prototype model of an organic solar
power cell which generates electricity and at the same time turns an electric fan, on display.

Tokyo: Pedestrians walk on a piezoelectric sheet, which generates

electricity when pedestrians step on it.

Tokyo: A model shows off Sony Ericsson's new mobile "Walkman Phone, Xmini". The new handset,
equipped with 4 GB internal memory to save about 2,300 songs.

An employee of Japan's electronics giant Sanyo displays the company's

portable digital recorder "Diply", equipped with an AM/FM radio tuner
on its body and detachable stereo-speaker cradle to record sound and
radio programs, at the company's headquarters in Tokyo. The new Tokyo: An employee of Sony displays a new battery-less digital camera "Twil N Take". Equipped
mobile recorder can be used for recording live sound
with a 3-mega pixel CMOS camera unit and a dynamo on the finder, the unit can shoot 1 picture for
and radio programs.
every 40-second charge, plus it can also display a 20-second digital image per dynamo charge. Sony is
currently displaying environmentally friendly products at the annual Eco Style Fair. 91
 Exclusive Asmatullah
he country is facing a huge electric
T power crisis now. This crisis ap-
pears insurmountable in the near or
even long-term future, unless
proper understanding and correct imple-
mentation is undertaken on priority basis.
At present total power production capacity
in the country is about 19,500 MW, out of
which Hydel Power is only 6,500 MW, bal-
ance of 13,000 MW is thermal either using
Natural Gas or Furnace Oil. Small capacity
of 450 MW is Nuclear and only 150 MW is
through coal.
Although gas is to be provided for 5800
MW to various thermal plants, but in actual
fact much less gas is being made available,
the deficiency is being filled through fur-
nace oil. It can be inferred that in the recent
past, only furnace oil was used as fuel for
about 9000 MW generation.
The production cost of furnace oil elec-
tricity is Rs 16 per unit, add to it the trans-
mission, distribution cost (including loses),
"the total cost of such electricity works out
to approximately Rs 22 per kWh. The differ-
ence between WAPDA tariff and the fur-
nace oil electricity is Rs 17 per kWh." It is
estimated that the country consumes at least
25 billion units of electricity produced an-
nually through furnace oil, which amounts
to the total deficit of Rs 425 billion. If
WAPDA has to balance its books it would
require a subsidy of Rs 425 Billion. This
deficit is somewhat reduced due to cheap
power produced through hydel energy and
natural gas, but the deficit cannot change
Federal Minister for Water and Power
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
substantially, unless bulk of electricity is pro-
duced through hydel energy. Obviously, a deficit
of Rs 300-350 billion cannot be sustained, the gov-
ernment does not have resources to pay such a
huge subsidy, and it is also not feasible to in-
crease the power tariff very much. Therefore, the
power crisis is far greater than what is being per-
ceived. In the absence of extremely heavy sub-
The power crisis is far
greater than what is being
perceived. In the absence
of extremely heavy subsidy,
WAPDA is delaying pay-
ments to IPPs and also to
the oil companies. The re-
sult is that IPPs are now
producing much less elec-
92 tricity than their capacity
At present total power pro-
duction capacity in the coun-
try is about 19,500 MW, out of
which Hydel Power is only
6,500 MW, balance of 13,000
MW is thermal either using
Natural Gas or Furnace Oil.
Small capacity of 450 MW is
Nuclear and only 150 MW is
through coal
sidy, WAPDA is delaying payments to IPPs and
also to the oil companies. The result is that IPPs
are now producing much less electricity than
their capacity.
To any planner, it should be obvious that the
country cannot afford electricity produced
through oil. Indigenous fuels like coal, gas, nu-
clear will have to be developed and developed
quickly. The final solution however lies in de-
pending on the hydroelectric renewable energy,
but unfortunately the narrow minded bickering
on construction of dams has persuaded the plan-
ners to find an easy solution, which we cannot af-
ford any more. Since the shortage or high price of
electricity has severe detrimental effect on all sec-
tors of economy, the situation calls for concerted
short-term, medium-term and long-term actions
to overcome the problem of energy shortage.
Way Forward: In the short-term, the shortages
have to be somehow met. The foremost immedi-
ate action which can give some relief is the con-
servation of energy. The government has already
announced certain measures like shutting down
power on billboards, hoardings and neon signs.
Recently in Lahore super-size televisions have
been installed on important traffic points. In
order to keep the temperature down air condi-
Free download | flare.com.pk
tioners are installed behind these sets. In
spite of government directions the energy
saving measures are not implemented.
Shops use excessive lights, which can be
conveniently reduced. A suggestion that
cities to be divided in zones, and the mar-
ket on these zones be closed on different
days, can also save peak time energy
usage. In order to implement conservation
measures, the nazims, naib nazims should
visit the areas and try to convince and ne-
gotiate with the people, shopkeepers etc
requesting them to cooperate in the over-
all interests.
At present the IPPs, and WAPDA
owned thermal plants are averaging
about 50 per cent plant factor, which
means that they are not being used to their
potential level, 70 to 80 per cent plant fac-
tor is quite feasible; this would require
better maintenance of such plants. A
higher plant factor on these power sta-
tions can provide 20 to 30 per cent more
energy which will circumvent the present
shortages to a certain extent. Improving
the plant factor of the existing plants is far
more economical then setting up new
plants, although new plants will still be
needed.
At present the country has about 28
Trillion cft of recoverable gas available,
the yearly consumption is about 1.2 Tril-
lion cft, which means that even if gas con-
sumption is increased, the existing
recoverable gas will be sufficient for the
next 15 years. Therefore the additional
thermal generation should be based on
gas, but in order to make additional gas available,
the gas pressure and its transmission system will
have to be enhanced. The money saved by using
gas instead of furnace oil, should be invested in
developing new gas fields which have already
been discovered.
Currently, the country loses 29 billion units of
electricity annually due to heavy losses in the sys-
tem. All efforts must be genuinely applied to re-
duce the losses. If losses are reduced by even five
per cent, the saving will be over seven billion ru-
pees.
For hydroelectric projects, the large ones can
only be built on the Indus River, where not only
hydroelectricity can be produced, but highly
needed water storage can also be a by-product.
Some legitimate objections on the environment
and social impacts of large dams are there, but so-
lutions for such objections can be satisfactorily
found.
There are a number of other attractive runs of
the river hydel projects which are being offered
to the Private Sector. None of these projects have
yet started, because the tariff is still not finalised.
With the huge losses being accumulated in ther-
mal plants, again it is strange that the hydel proj-
ects in the private sector are not being
encouraged. Under the present circumstances, a
rational and market oriented policy has to be
adopted, hopefully the present government will
immediately look into this.

Free download | flare.com.pk Flare Report Telepedia

OX-Limited Edition by Kingston DataTraveler

OX Limited Edition is adorned with a red ox and Chinese characters “Yi-Chou”, represent-
ing the year of 2009, on a golden background. Waving goodbye to 2008 and moving for-
ward to 2009, DataTraveler Year of the OX Limited Edition will bring you great fortune and
luck in 2009
o bring consumers good fortune in this China, Malaysia, and sales representatives in the “Yi-Chou”, representing the year of 2009, on a

T auspicious year, Kingston® Technology

Company, Inc., the independent world
leader in memory products, announced
the launch of the DataTraveler Year of the OX
Limited Edition available in 4GB and 8GB during
this Chinese holiday season in limited supply.
Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the
world’s largest independent manufacturer of
memory products. Kingston designs, manufac-
tures and distributes memory products for desk-
tops, laptops, servers, printers, and Flash memory
products for PDAs, mobile phones, digital cam-
eras, and MP3 players. Through its global net-
work of subsidiaries and affiliates, Kingston has
manufacturing facilities in California, Taiwan,,
United States, Taiwan, China, India, Australia,
New Zealand, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine,
and Latin America.
After launching the DataTraveler Mini Fun
and DataTraveler 101 New Year Edition for the
year of Pig and Rat, Kingston has received over-
whelming responses on its Chinese Zodiac series
USB drives. In order to satisfy the desire of enthu-
siastic collectors, Kingston DataTraveler Year of
the OX Limited Edition is presented during the
Chinese New Year season. In Chinese tradition,
red and golden colours symbolise “happiness”
and “wealth.” Inspired by this concept, the Data-
Traveler Year of the OX Limited Edition is
adorned with a red ox and Chinese characters
golden background. Waving goodbye to 2008 and
moving forward to 2009, DataTraveler Year of the
OX Limited Edition will bring you great fortune
and luck in 2009.
“Apart from the artistic pattern, the DataTrav-
eler Year of the OX Limited Edition’s design re-
duces the drive’s overall size which allows for
easy portability,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory
Product Manager, APAC Region, Kingston. “In
addition, the DataTraveler Year of the OX Lim-
ited Edition is what enthusiastic collectors can not
miss, if you would like to own the complete
Kingston DataTraveler Chinese Zodiac series
USB drives.” Su added.

AbacusConsulting scores Gold Star Award

AbacusConsulting is the only company in 2008 to be awarded this award from Pakistan
bacusConsulting has won the only Since its inception, many groups of businesses

A World Quality Commitment (WQC)

International Gold Star Award in Paris
for Pakistan in 2008.
The International Star Award for Quality is
awarded to organisations for corporate achieve-
ment, to recognise quality and excellence within
customer satisfaction, human resources, commu-
nication strategies, continuing education and
training, benchmarking, processes and produc-
tion, information and data analysis, business re-
sults, leadership, ISO 9000, planning and
decision-making and total quality management
(TQM).
Beginning in the mid-1970, business initiative
directions (BID) began developing quality award
programmes based on the criteria of the QC+100,
Mr. Asad Ali Khan, President Abacus Consulting
(Left) with the WQC International Gold Star Award.
a model of total quality management (TQM). The
International Quality Award is recognised inter-
nationally as a pattern model.
representing large numbers of employees have
participated in the BID Quality Award process.
In addition, other independent persons, Chair-
men and CEO’s, along with engineers, physicists,
mathematicians, professionals from different
areas in both public and private institutions have
contributed many suggestions to strengthen the
International Quality BID Award.
In the past, the outstanding companies at the
ceremonies have been Indian Oil Corp. Ltd., Re-
liance Industries, Sahara India, Hotel Sheraton,
Subway, Jorio Coca Cola Corse, ENSOL, ROA
“UES of Russia, Hong Yuen Electronics Ltd, Arab
Contractors, Royal Jordanian Airline, Richmonde
Hotel, Burgan Bank, and National Insurance Cor-
poration of Tanzania Ltd.

Communities benefit
live and work has spurred the Meaningful volunteering acts in Pakistan in-
development of a new skills- clude efforts by employee made towards the Cit-
based volunteer programme at izens Foundation and the Child Aid Association

from 1m Intel the company, matching employ-

ees with specialised skills with
community needs.
(CAA). Mrs Aneesa Naviwala, executive advisor
for TCF commented Intel representatives through
various activities with us have shown a great

volunteer hours “To celebrate Intel's 40th an-

niversary, rather than throwing a
big party, we decided to give
“To celebrate Intel's 40th anniversary, rather back to the societies in which we
do business,” said Ashar H.
than throwing a big party, we decided to Zaidi, Country Manager, Intel
give back to the societies in which we do Pakistan Corporation.
business” Volunteerism is part of Intel's
he Intel employees in Pakistan and values. The uncertain economic
amount of dedication and support and we at TCF
have a very positive perception of them. In fact,
our initiative of further volunteering activities is
also based on the fact that our experience with
Intel has been very heart warming; one that we
would look to repeat and replicate across TCF
Schools'. The statement further pointed out that
in recognition of International Volunteer Day,
Intel's CEO and President Paul Otellin thanked

T around the world honour company's

40th anniversary by volunteering one
million hours and raising $ eight million.
The school children, families in need, senior citi-
zens and even turtles are just a few of the benefi-
outlook
than
ever.
ever
The
teering,
unteer
makes
and

coupled
matching
volunteerism
Intel's
impact of
with
commitment
one

grant
the
of
million
Intel
more important
is stronger than
hours

approximately
of volun-
Foundation's
$
vol-
eight
employees for their volunteerism. Intel employ-
ees gave of their time in more than 40 countries,
including Pakistan a more than 50 per cent in-
crease over 2007. More than 47,000 Intel employ-
ees volunteered this year for nearly 5,500 local
ciaries. million for non-profits and schools, makes a big schools, community support organisations and
The statement issued by the organisation said difference for the communities in which our em- other non-profits.

that increased volunteerism where employees ployees live and work', he added. 93
Free download | flare.com.pk National Synopsis

BoI chief's call to cellular operators Smasung mobile for

Islamabad:
government asked
The
the
cellular operators to help
manufacturing local mobile
handsets because 1.347
billion dollars annual import
of mobile sets is unbearable
with the given financial
plight. Chairing a meeting of
the handset operators, Board
of Investment (BoI)
Chairman Saleem
Mandviwalla said the
government keen to set up
mobile handset
manufacturing industry as
soon as possible.
The agenda was to
explore possibilities and
various options for locally
manufacturing handsets
with the BoI Chairman and
making it clear that the
import of mobile handset
worth 1.347 billion dollars
per year could not be
afforded. He said that
Pakistan imported around 20
million handsets annually
and the number was on the
rise. Moreover, 2-3 million
subscribers were being
added on cellular networks
every month.
According to Pakistan
Telecommunication
Authority (PTA), mobile
phone companies have
access to over 78 million
subscribers with mobile
density of 48.96 per cent. The
BoI Chairman said that
around 1.347 billion dollars
were spent on import of
mobile sets and other
telecom apparatus in 2006-
07, which was about 4.2 per
cent of the total import bill
and could no longer be
Netsol wins FPCCI
afforded due prevalent
financial constraints.
However, the cellular
operators, reluctant over the
government move, linked
their co-operation with the
provision of research and
development (R&D) fund
and removal of activation
charges. They said this
would give them financial
space required for
manufacturing mobile
handsets locally.
To a question, he said that
the government policy on
telecom sector was
consistent, so the question of
any change in policy did not
arise. "Two companies are in
negotiation with the BoI for
setting up manufacturing
facilities. By next year, they
would start manufacturing
mobile handsets in Pakistan,"
he added.

every lifestyle
Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd., a leading mobile
phone provider, announced
a new marketing campaign
for its mobile phones.
Through television
commercials as well as the
campaign official Web site,
Samsung promises to create
innovations that are more
personalised and relevant,
thus provide “a mobile for
every lifestyle” and
amusing experience for
Samsung mobile
consumers.
With the announcement,
Samsung reinforces its
position by bringing
“consumer-friendly
marketing approach” that
attentively listens to every
consumer’s need and
desire. Samsung promises
to provide “Wow
experience” to consumers
by delivering wide-ranging
innovations that fulfils
specific needs of every
consumer.
Younghee Lee, the Vice
President of Marketing,
Telecom Business of
Samsung Electronics, said,
“Our new advertising
campaign visually presents
our promise and goal to
satisfy every consumer who
uses a Samsung mobile
product.”

Malaysia emerges as biggest FDI investor Exports Trophy

Islamabad: Malaysia increase of 15 per cent. Export and Foreign Lahore: NetSol shared by only 94
tops the list of investors The May Bank made the Remittance. Technologies Ltd, a companies worldwide.
making Foreign Direct biggest investment of $907 The information released multinational provider of The Company’s clients
Investment (FDI) in million in banking sector by the Ministry of Foreign IT services and enterprise include global
Pakistan during first six followed by Saudi Arabia Affairs says that China, software to the financial automakers, financial
month of year 2008, with an investment of $750 UAE and Korea have also services industry, has won institutions, technology
according to data released million in steel sector and announced additional the Federation of
by Ministry of Foreign UAE with an investment of investment in telecom,
Pakistan Chambers
Affairs. The Foreign Direct $500 million in power banking and power sectors.
of Commerce &
Investment during the first sector. China has announced $800
five months of current The global economic million in telecom sector, Industry (FPCCI)
financial year reached $1.8 meltdown has not deterred UAE has announced an Exports Trophy for
billion registering an the foreign investors investment of $ two billion 5th consecutive year.
increase of 1.5 per cent, including Malaysia to invest in banking sector and Prime Minster
export reached to $8.2 in Pakistan, as the Pakistan's Republic of Korea has Yusuf Raza Gilani
billion with a growth of 20 economy showed extreme announced investment of bestowed the FPCCI
per cent and foreign resilience and defied the $300 million in Hydropower Exports Trophy upon the companies and
remittance at 2.9 billion economic recession with sector.
NetSol Director/Executive governmental agencies.
registered an impressive registering growth in FDIs, Vice President (EVP) NetSol’s largest customer,
Sajjad Kirmani. DaimlerChrysler Services,
Nokia 6260 for high speed sharing NetSol delivers high- ranks the Company as a
quality, cost-effective preferred vendor in 40+
equipment and vehicle countries. Headquartered
Karachi: Nokia Internet experience. consumers. finance portfolio in Lahore, Pakistan,
introduces the Nokia 6260 The Nokia 6260 A five mega- management solutions. NetSol Technologies Ltd
slide. The phone call is the slide comes with the pixel Carl Zeiss The Company also also has operations and/or
most obvious way to use latest 3G camera with flash delivers managed IT offices worldwide.
the new handset to connect technology, with takes fantastic services ranging from Salim Ghauri,
with people, but it will also high speed uploads pictures which consulting and application Chairman & CEO NetSol
be used to share (HSUPA) and can be easily development to systems Technologies Ltd, said
photographs and videos, downloads shared and integration and NetSol has been leading
check on a friend's social (HSDPA), a great uploaded to Share development outsourcing. the IT exports from the
network status or be guided camera, music on Ovi or other NetSol’s commitment to front since last many
to a restaurant to meet up player and Web photo and video quality is demonstrated by years. The LeaseSoft, a
with a loved one. browser with a sharing websites. its achievement of both flagship product of NetSol
For this, the Nokia 6260 simple, instantly The Nokia 6260 ISO 9001 and SEI Technologies Ltd, is
slide features quick access familiar interface. slide brings GPS
(Software Engineering securing unmatched
to search engines and Combined with the range into the Series 40 software
Institute) CMMI demand from around the
points of interest straight of Ovi services on offer, platform for the first time,
(Capability Maturity leading financial and
from the home screen and Nokia brings a compelling really signifying navigation
Model) Level 5 leasing sectors with every
the new 360° navigation mobile Internet experience arriving in the mass
assessment, a distinction passing day.
95
key allows a great mobile to a huge group of market.

 Synopsis National
July-Nov 2008: 0.1pc subscriber decline
Karachi: Cellular base
declined by 0.1 per cent on
month-on-month basis in
November 2008, as Pakistani
consumers pay the highest
level of taxes compared to
international benchmarks.
On the other hand the
imports of cellular mobile
phones plummeted by 65 per
cent year on year, to $105
million in July-Nov 2008.
Being complementary goods
for SIMs and other telecom
apparatus, the fall in imports
of cellular handsets is also
indicative of the imminent
slowdown in the sector. The
prevalent economic
slowdown may cause the
'IT industry can benefit
from across the globe'
Lahore: Chairman Task
Force on Information and
Communication
Technologies (ICT) Salim
Ghauri said that the
Pakistan's IT industry
possesses the potential of
benefiting from the
unavoidable challenges to be
faced by neighbouring
countries in 2009.
In a statement on IT
business situation in 2009, he
said the IT companies in
neighbouring countries have
grown out of proportion and
Chinese companies may
set up cell phone plants
Islamabad: Government is
negotiating with Chinese
companies to set up
manufacturing plants for
cell-phone sets in Pakistan.
Federal Secretary for
Information and Technology
Hifz-ur-Rehman informed
the media persons after a
workshop conducted by
SAS.
He said that government is
negotiating Chinese cell-
phone companies including
Zong, China Mobile and
Huawei to set up
manufacturing plants of
handset in Pakistan. He said
that President Asif Ali
Zardari during his visit to
China had taken up the issue
of setting up manufacturing
plants of cell-phone handsets
in Pakistan. He said that
Pakistan was spending $500
million to $800 million
annually on the import of
96 mobile sets, and
growth rate to remain
minimal going forward.
According to Pakistan
Telecom Authority (PTA),
the sole contributor to the fall
in subscriber base was
Mobilink, which registered a
2.7 per cent MoM decline in
subscriber base, nullifying
the sustainability in growth
is becoming a Herculean task
with every passing day.
They have no option but to
cut current expenditures
heavily that would affect
their business ventures. He
said, in an emergency
situation in 2009, the
Western IT managers would
be looking for new vendors
and new places to outsource
their projects, as the new
vendors are always keen to
provide better services at
much lower cost with quality
manufacturing plants in
Pakistan could result in
saving valuable foreign
exchange. He said that duties
on mobile sets had been
imposed to enhance
revenues.
Mazhar Hussain, Country
Manager, SAS Pakistan said
that SAS had the
programmes that could help
identify the terrorists and
patrolling borders of the
country. He said that its
programmes could also help
forecast the requirements of
country regarding oil, gas
and electricity based upon
past data. SAS has also
developed software that
could enable the banks to
prevent robberies. Achieving
these goals requires faster
and improved decision-
making ability across the
entire organisation, he
elaborated.

the positive change brought
about by other CMTOs.
On the contrary, Zong's
subscribers continued to
grow (1.9 per cent MoM),
while those of Ufone,
Telenor and Warid grew
by 0.6 per cent, 1.3 per
cent, and 1.5 per cent
MoM, respectively.
Mobile operators
have designed various
plans to expand network
in the rural areas of the
country, as their services
are getting cheaper
enough to attract lower
classes, an executive of
cellular phone Company
said.

assurance.
We had witnessed this trend
back in the 2001 IT industry
crash and we should be
ready for it in 2009, he
added.
He said it is important for
the Pakistan IT industry to
move quickly in early 2009
and get its share of business
from across the globe.

Samsung to
launch nano
processor
Warid introduces My5
laptop Karachi: My5 will
Karachi: Samsung
Electronics plans to
introduce a laptop computer
this year that is based on Via
Technologies' low-power
Nano processor. The
reported specifications of the
NC20 include a 12.1-inch
display, a 1.3GHz Nano
U2250 processor, 1GB of
RAM and a 160GB hard
drive, all packed in a system
that weighs 1.5 kilograms
and costs $642.

Free download | flare.com.pk
ACER-Computers
partners Ovex
Karachi: Ovex Projectors and many other
Technologies, Pakistan's accessories.
premier BPO and IT This partnership
solutions provider, has been between Acer and Ovex, is
chosen as a Partner by aimed at adding a global
ACER-Computers the dimension to the existing
Global IT Company. Ovex's Product-range, Customer-
Partnership with ACER will services, Goodwill and
allow the company to Authenticity of Ovex
provide ACER IT solutions Technologies, which
to its clients. already commands great
Under this partnership respect and prominence as a
agreement Ovex is leader in Pakistan's IT and
authorised to sell the BPO industry. It clearly
complete portfolio of ACER reflects the confidence,
offerings including; which ACER has, in the
Notebooks, Business PCs, high standards of
LCD Monitors, Servers &
Storage Equipment,
performance, maintained by
Ovex.

Call for task force on
e-crimes
Islamabad: Pakistan
Economy Watch (PEW)
claimed that the global
financial turmoil has boosted
Internet underworld that is
engulfing the globe. "The He claimed due to the
development is enhancing situation, the year 2009 may
cost of doing business
see an increase in identity
everywhere and creating
thefts, credit and debit card
new challenges to already frauds, network breaches,
dull economies," said Dr unauthorised telecom
Murtaza Mughal, President interceptions and database
PEW.
accesses, damaging, deletion,
"The government should
deterioration, alteration and
immediately form a high- suppression of critical
powered task force, upgrade information, misuse of
the existing set-up and
launch an awareness
devices, forgery, spam,
Trojans, worms, viruses,
campaign about expanding
online criminal market set to
frauds, threats, and online
attacks.

hurt limping businesses."
enable Warid’s post-paid
subscribers to make
unlimited calls and talk
as much as they want on
their five friends and
family numbers.
My5 is available on
all new post-paid
packages with 30
seconds pulse.
Subscribers with the
earlier offered Zahi
packages may avail this
facility by upgrading
their billing packages.
Subscribers can select
and deselect up to five
Warid numbers for free
calls simply by
via our best voice quality
mentioning their selected network. My5 is our gift to
numbers through a text
our valued post-paid
message to 129.
subscribers to be in touch
Chief Commercial Officer with their associates and
Thomas Yeo added, "At
loved ones, that too in a very
Warid we are connecting cost-saving way."

friends and family members
 Free download | flare.com.pk
Siemens to implement SAP ERP
software solution
Karachi: Siemens to
implement SAP ERP
software solution at
Colgate-Palmolive
(Pakistan) Limited. Siemens
considered as partner of
choice for fast growing
companies planning
establishment of solid IT
foundations to fuel business
growth.
Zulfiqar Ali Lakhani,
Warid's new ZEM Happy Hour
Lahore: Warid Telecom
(Pvt) Limited has brought
another amazing offer, ZEM
Happy Hour for its
subscribers. ZEM Happy
Hour lets Warid ZEM
prepaid subscriber to make
unlimited free calls to as
many Warid numbers
during any selected one hour
daily, according to their
requirement and
convenience on daily basis.
Subscription to ZEM Happy
Hour is as convenient as
sending a simple text
message mentioning the
hour of choice to 2742.
Subscribers also have the
Intel completes 32nm development
phase
Karachi: Intel
Corporation has completed
the development phase of
its next-generation
manufacturing process that
further shrinks chip
circuitry to 32 nanometers
(a billionth of a meter). The
company is on track for
production readiness of this
future generation using
even more energy-efficient,
denser and higher
HP BladeSystem
dominates 'Top 500' list
Karachi :Twice in a row,
the powerful HP
BladeSystem C-class server
has dominated the 'Top 500'
list of the world's largest
supercomputing
installations, by delivering a
flexible architecture that
provides customers with
measurable cost, space and
energy savings, including the
systems built on HP ProLiant
architectures.
HP now commands a
total of 418 percent of systems
Managing Director Colgate-
Palmolive (Pakistan) and
Adnan Bashir Khan, Head
of BU ITS Siemens Pakistan
signed the contract on
behalf of their respective
organisations.
This software will
provide optimum tracking
and management of plant
commissioning activities as
well as better control over
facility to select their ZEM
Happy Hour every day and
change the ZEM Happy
Hour as many times as they
want in a day before the start
of the chosen hour.
Warid's Acting Chief
Executive Officer Faisal Ejaz
Khan said, "Warid has
always taken lead in
launching numerous
services. ZEM Happy Hour
is a great new tool for
Pakistani users
communicate with their
to
loved ones effectively and
economically based on their
own choice and needs. We
will continue to provide the
performing transistors in
the fourth quarter of 2009.
That plan revolves
around introducing an
entirely new processor
micro-architecture
alternating - with a cutting
edge manufacturing
process about every 12
months, an effort
unmatched in the industry.
Producing 32nm chips next
year would mark the fourth
on the 'Top 500' list,
representing more Blade
installations than all other
vendors combined. Versatile
and affordable, HP Blade
servers provide maximum
performance and scale-out
computing.
The number of high-
performance computing
(HPC) installations using
Blade servers has increased
more than any other
computing architecture.

procurement and supply
chain operations, enabling
increase efficiencies, better
supply chain visibility and
quicker decision making.
Siemens Pakistan would
offer complete SAP
consulting and training
services in this regard to
Colgate-Palmolive
(Pakistan) project team.

latest and wonderful services
for our subscribers."

consecutive year Intel has
met its goal.
The Intel 32nm paper
and presentation describe a
logic technology that
incorporates second-
generation high-k + metal
gate technology, 193nm
immersion lithography for
critical patterning layers
and enhanced transistor
strain techniques.

IBM launches product
Karachi: IBM announced
the first holistic offering in
the talent management
marketplace, combining
world-class human capital
software, consulting services
and information technology
integration. The new
offering, IBM Workforce and
Talent Solutions, will help
companies become smarter
and more integrated in all
aspects of managing the
human capital lifecycle to
create measurable
National
'Computer prices beyond
purchase power
Karachi: The double-
digit inflation, high interest
rates and declining
purchasing power of the
common man has resulted
in a substantial fall in sales
of computer and computer
accessories in all markets
throughout the country,
Mohammad Yasin, senior
vice president of Pakistan
Computer Association
(PCA) Karachi said. During
last six months the menace
of smuggling has further
hampered the legal
business in computer
industry.
While urging the
authorities to review the
policies that are
encouraging the malicious
trend of smuggling, Yasin
said that weakening rupee
and rising inflation have
IT Ministry Sindh,
Microsoft signs MoU
Islamabad: Ministry of
Information Technology
Sindh has signed a Centre in Karachi will
Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with
Microsoft Pakistan. The
Ministry is offering high
quality IT education to 7000
jobless youth of Sindh under
the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed
Youth Development
Program (BBSYDP).
The MoU will cover areas
of co-operation between
Sindh IT Department and
Microsoft for conducting
quality assurance and
supervision activities during
ongoing trainings in various
institutes across 23 districts
of Sindh and carrying out
tests and certifications to top
improvements in people and
business productivity.
It is a combination of
world-class human capital
consulting services, IBM
software assets: Cognos,
Lotus, IBM Research and
market leading human
capital software: Saba and
Success Factors.

Synopsis
already taken a heavy toll
on each and every business
in the country, while the
GST factor has indirectly
promoted massive
smuggling in computer
industry. Yasin further said
that during the period of
last six months, the business
in computer industry has
declined by more than 50
per cent. Many outlets have
either closed down their
business or are facing
unprecedented crisis due to
declining demand of the
buyer in the market.

qualifying candidates.
The Microsoft Innovation
provide technical proficiency
as well as expert guidance to
IT Department during all
phases of programme
execution including selection
of training institutes,
designing of curriculum,
supervising delivery of
trainings, conducting tests
for students and certifying
top students graduating out
of the programme. The MoU
signing ceremony was also
attended by other officials
from Sindh IT Department,
Microsoft Pakistan and the
Microsoft Innovation
Centre.

PTCL cuts half
price package
The half rates on Sunday
package went off as Senior
Vice-President of Pakistan
Telecommunication Com-
pany Limited (PTCL) Dr
Sadiq-ul-Jarid, announced an
end to the "half rates on Sun-
day" package recently. He
said that 'half rates on Sun-
day" package was intro-
duced for limited time that
ended on December 31, 2008
and now the consumers
would pay full call charges, 97
even on Sunday.

 Synopsis National
Marriott International contributes
$300,000
Islamabad: At the site of
the Islamabad Marriott
Hotel, Marriott International
executives presented a check
of $300,000 to the Hashoo
Foundation, the
philanthropic foundation of
the hotel’s owning group,
the Hashoo Group, to
provide assistance to the
families of employees
affected by the September 20,
2008 bombing and fire at the
hotel.
In the wake of this
tragedy, Marriott employee’s
world wide showed their
care and concern and sought
out ways to help fellow
employees and their families
who were victims of the
attack. The Islamabad
Marriott Assistance funds
was quickly established
while employees worldwide
mobilized creative
fundraising activities such as
Warid to add 250 cities
Karachi: Warid Telecom
(Pvt) Ltd is expanding its
network very fast in order to
provide its cellular phone
services to every corner of
Pakistan. The ongoing
aggressive expansion phase
will soon add approximately
250 more cities to its
network. These include very
remote areas with poor
infrastructure and facilities,
especially Northern Areas,
AJK and Balochistan.
Warid Telecom's Acting
Chief Executive Officer,
Faisal Khan said: "Our
Sony store in Multan
Sony
opens
flagship
store in
Multan. The
ceremony
was
inaugurated
by the
Managing
Director of
Gulf
International Mr Osamu
Miura. Other guests present
at the opening were Mr
Mokaida Sony Gulf,
Mohammad Javaid Khan
(NSM Pakistan), Mr
Manzoor Khan (Director
Sony Pakistan) and Mr
Khalid Saeed (Marketing
98
Head Pakistan).
Free download | flare.com.pk
Telecom sector can claim
100pc tax adjustment
car washes, Islamabad: The telecommunication services,
bake sales and restriction imposed under it has been observed that
used book section 8B of the Sales Tax there is very less input tax, as
sales or made
Act, 1990 will not be raw materials and inputs are
individual
contributions; applicable on usually not involved in case
hotels reached telecommunication services, of services. Thus, the overall
out to their enabling the telecom sector input tax adjustment of
suppliers and to claim 100 per cent input telecom services is
business tax adjustment facility. The comparatively very low. In
partners and Federal Board of Revenue exceptional cases, input tax
the J. Willard Islamabad: Mr Saddrudin Hashwani, Chairman of the (FBR) has issued a adjustment has increased
Hashoo Group recives check from Geoff Garside.
and Alice S. notification to facilitate due to expansion of the
Marriott Foundation and hotel’s owner Mr Saddrudin telecom service providers projects involving purchase
Marriott International also Hashwani, Chairman of the
through amendment in SRO of fixed assets.
donated to the Fund. Hashoo Group.
Marriott executives Geoff Mr Hashwani said, “We 647(I)/2007. Under section 8B
Garside, Executive Vice are very thankful to the Through this (adjustable input tax), a
president for Marriott’s Asia- Marriott employees for amendment, the restriction registered person will not be
Pacific region and Rajeev showing such kindness and of 90 per cent input tax allowed to adjust input tax in
Menon, Area Vice President generosity during this most adjustment would not be excess of 90 per cent of the
for Marriott in India, difficult time. This money applicable in case of output tax for that tax
Pakistan, the Maldives and will be a tremendous help to telecommunication services. period. Provided that the tax
Malaysia, were on hand to them and their families in The board excluded the charged on the acquisition of
present the check on behalf many ways as we all move telecom sector from the fixed assets will be
of Marriott, its employees forward.”

purview of section 8B of the adjustable against the output
and business partners to the
Sales Tax Act, 1990. The 90 tax in 12 equal monthly
per cent input adjustment instalments. The board may,
PU Library limitation would not be by notification in the official
applicable on the telecom Gazette, exclude any person
subscribers are enjoying best
voice and communications
largest in sector. or class of persons from the
In case of purview of this section.

services through our state of Sub
the art GSM and EDGE
network with excellent voice Continent Wateen announces
clarity and connectivity in
over 414 cities/7,600 Lahore: Punjab exciting packages!
destinations all over University Library has Largest WiMAX Service crystal-clear voice quality
Pakistan with exceptional emerged as one the largest Provider in Pakistan takes calls on the "Free for Life
coverage on major libraries not only in communication to a whole family" package with
motorways and highways. Pakistan but also in sub new level. Wateen, along absolutely free and
We are expanding fast to continent with 4,50,000 rich with an incredible unlimited calls within the
reach distant corners of rare material and special promotion for its existing Wateen network.
Pakistan and all set to collections. customers, announces Tariq Malik, CEO of
become the number one Chief Librarian PU Ch. exciting new packages. Wateen comments, "What
mobile operator."
Muhammad Hanif said that Users will be able to enjoy we do, brings people closer
on the special directive of innovative and affordable together and as a
the VC connectivity solutions and Communications
PU Prof
Dr
will be able to further
benefit from access to
Powerhouse, Wateen
realises its responsibility to
Mujahid Wateen's high-speed the people. That is why we
Karman, Internet and the wireless provide telecommunication
entire freedom. services which enable
data of Users can get affordable customers to communicate
books Broadband Internet with an more effectively."

has been amazing speed and make
uploaded on its website
www.pulibrary.edu.pk for
users worldwide.
350 modern telecenters
Islamabad: Pakistan Mobilink, Instaphone,
He said that it has now
Telecommunication Ufone, World Call and Intel.
become a real centre of Authority (PTA) has According to details, 104
learning for teachers, established around 350 telecenters have been
The Sony World holds all students, researchers and telecenters for provision of installed in Sindh, 82 in
Sony products including scholars. He said that all basic telecom services in the Punjab, 86 in NWFP, 62 in
rural areas across the Balochistan and 15 in Azad
handy cams; cyber shot latest facilities of IT,
Internet and Website are country. Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)
cameras, DVDs, video
available to users without These telecenters, called and Northern Areas.
walkman, recorders,
Rabta Ghars, are equipped Earlier, applications were
walkman, projector, and any discrimination. with state-of-the-art sought from eligible youth
He said that highly
headphones all under one communication facilities from all over the country for
qualified and trained staff is
roof. A lucky draw was held such as computer, fax, free provision of telecom
present on duty till 9.p.m to printer, scanner, telephone equipments to establish
and instant free gifts were
guide and assistance to the and Internet. The project was telecenters.

given to the participants.

visitors.
sponsored by PTA, PTCL,
Free download | flare.com.pk National Synopsis

Samsung supports 6th Korean Wateen achieves the award

Ambassador National Ranking of Challenging and
Taekwondo Championship Interesting Work
Karachi:
The grand 4-Day, 6th the 16 gold Wateen won the
Korean Ambassador medals award for the
National Ranking reserved for most
Taekwondo Championship the winners, Challenging
held at Army gymnasium out of which and Interesting
Rawalpindi. Samsung eight were for Work at The
Electronics Co. Ltd., a males and PSHRM HR
leading provider of mobile eight gold Awards 2008
phones and electronic medals for ceremony held
appliances supported the females for recently. The Akram Durrani GM HR and Admin, Wateen re-
Championship and Mr each evening was ceives award from Syed Naveed Qamar.
Khuram Farooq Marketing category. In Winners of the Samsung 6th Korean Ambassador Na- organised by
interviewing around 1,100
Manager Samsung graced addition to tional Ranking Taekwondo Championship in a group Engage Human Resources
photo with Samsung management. graduating MBA,
the closing ceremony. this, silver and and Pakistan Society of
engineering and IT students
This Championship was bronze medals were for the Taekwondo has been one of Human Resources
from 27 universities
attended by thirteen runner ups and many other major sports to have the Management (PSHRM),
campuses covering
national teams and a large attractive prizes was also support of the company. while the Federal Minister
Pakistan. Wateen achieved
number of female players, distributed to participants. “We are sponsoring the for Privatization, Shipping,
the most attractive category
all the participants “Samsung in its Championship for the 1st Ports and Fishery Naveed
of the best challenging and
enthusiastically display continuing journey of time and will continue the Qamar was the chief guest
interesting work, due to its
their talent and prowess success makes significant journey in future,” said of the ceremony.
struggle and efforts in the
over the four days of intense contribution to the Khuram Farooq.
The study was
telecom sector in the past
Taekwondo. promotion of sports and conducted by Engage
year.

One of the main sporting talent in the Human Resources by
attractions for the players is country and the game of
Warid best customer carer
SHC issues notices to REDtone WaridTelecom has won main offices by visiting
this year's Customer Service them in remote areas in our
Karachi: Justice Yasmeen The applicant Ashraf application under section
Provider of the Year Award. mobile customer care
Abbassi of Sindh High Court Muhammad Ali challenging 249-A of Cr.P.C acquitted the
The telecom firm received centre," he said.
(SHC) issued notices to Chief the acquittal of the three accused on ground that
the honour at the 3rd The awards organised
Executive Officer (CEO) and accused Lee Loi Keong alias complainant who lodged the
Annual Communications by ITP Technology
two directors of a Malaysia Lawrence Lee CEO, Wei FIR against the accused at PS
Middle East-Africa (MEA) Publishing are aimed at
based telecommunication Chaun Beng and Peter Yeow Clifton did not make
Awards, the most celebrating and paying
company in a criminal Henotto (Directors) and State Messers REDtone as an
prestigious event dedicated tribute to the telecoms
revision application against by Judicial Magistrate South accused person.

to the regions industry professionals and
their acquittal filed by a Muhammad Umar Awan.
communications sector. operators who have shown
Pakistan based share holder. The JM deciding an
Tushar Maheshwari, the outstanding performance
Warid chief commercial and results in key market
Toshiba unveils 512-GB notebook officer, said, "The judges felt segments.
Islamabad: Toshiba Toshiba’s second- between failures of one Warid has shown The winners were
drives will also come in generation SSDs include a million hours. Depending dedication to its customers judged by a prestigious
capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB multilevel cell controller on the model, the drives by going the extra mile." panel of industry experts,
and 256 GB, which will be that achieves read/write weigh from a half-ounce to While most operators selected from within the
available in 1.8-inch and 2.5- speeds of 240 MBps and 200 about two ounces. expect their customer to regional communications
inch enclosures. Samples of MBps, respectively. The SSDs are typically visit them to pay bills, sector. The awards
the new products will be drives also offer data lighter, are more durable, arrange a new mobile acknowledged those
available in the first quarter encryption that complies consume less power, and account or update their operators and individuals
of this year, with mass with the Advanced deliver higher performance phone, Warid has taken who have taken a
production scheduled for Encryption Standard. Other than traditional hard-disk extra steps to help leadership role in the
the second quarter. Toshiba specs include a serial ATA-2 drives.
customers who may have growth of the regional
did not disclose pricing. interface and a mean time difficulty in reaching its industry.

Zone and Lt. Gen. (R) Deputy General Manager, Programme implementation
SMEDA, Textile Mills Association
(APTMA), and University Muhammad Akram Khan, SMEDA and Mr Anis ul presents a standard method
of Engineering & VCR, UET, at UET Campus. Haq, Secretary, APTMA, for the continuous energy
APTMA, Technology (UET), Lahore Mr Ulrich Stohr-Grabowski, Punjab attended the signing efficiency improvement
have signed a Principal Advisor, GTZ ceremony. through a systematic
UET sign Memorandum of (German Technical According to this MoU, approach. Under this
Understanding (MoU) to Cooperation)Mr Abbas the three organizations have approach, APTMA and
MoU for implement a comprehensive
Energy Management
Mehmood, Project Advisor,
GTZ (German Technical
resolved to share
responsibilities in a formal
SMEDA will pick up 20 to
25 selected companies from
EnMS System (EnMS) in Textile
industry of the country.
Cooperation), Prof. Dr Noor
M. Sheikh, Dean, Electrical
manner to execute the
Energy Management
the Textile sector in the first
phase to start
Lahore: Small and The MoU was signed by Engineering, UET, Syed System (EnMS) through an implementation on the
Medium Enterprises Shahid Rashid, CEO, Iqbal A. Kidwai, General Implementation & Training EnMS.

Development Authority SMEDA, Akbar Sheikh, Manager, Outreach, Programme for the Textile
(SMEDA), All Pakistan 99
Chairman APTMA, Punjab SMEDA, Mr Fayyaz Riaz, Industry. The EnMS
 Synopsis
Sky moves towards 3D
broadcasts
London: Sky TV says it has
made a significant step
towards bringing 3D
television to British viewers.
The satellite broadcaster
says it has successfully
tested the delivery of 3D
programming to a domestic
television via a high-
definition set-top box.
Sky has been filming a
number of events using 3D
cameras over recent months.
Google adds magazines
Washington: Google
announced that it had begun
adding magazines to its
online archive of books in a
partnership with publishers.
The Internet search giant had
begun digitising millions of
pages from New York
Magazine, Popular
Mechanics, Popular Science,
Men's Health, Ebony and
other publications.
The magazines are being
Internet economy could shrink this
year OECD predicted
Paris: The Internet economy
could shrink this year
because of the world-wide
downturn, the OECD
warned in a report that
forecast contraction of the
semiconductor industry and
cutbacks by corporate
customers. The Paris-based
Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and
Development said that "with
the outlook for the global
economy worsening and
business and consumer
Is e-paper better?
Washington: The Internet
has surpassed newspapers
as the main source for
national and international
news for Americans.
Television, however,
remains the preferred
medium for Americans,
according to the survey by
the Washington-based Pew
Research Centre for the
People and the Press.
Seventy per cent of the 1,489
people said television is their
primary source for national
and international news.
Forty percent said they get
most of their news from the
Internet, up from 24 per cent
100 in September 2007, and more
International
Such broadcasts would
require the use of 3D
televisions, not yet available
in UK stores, and viewers
would need to wear 3D
polarising glasses.
"We have shown it is a
technical reality," Sky's
director of strategic product
development, Gerry
O'Sullivan, told. "Now we
have to find a way to bring
it to viewers."

scanned in full-colour and
made available through
Google Book Search, the vast
online library. A search on
books.google.com will now
not only bring up links to
relevant books but also to
magazine articles related to
the query. Users can also use
advanced search on Google
Book Search to search
through magazines only.

confidence plummeting,
growth will remain flat or
decline in 2009."
The report also forecast
growth of four per cent in the
IT industry last year and said
than the 35 per cent who
cited newspapers as their
main news source.
Only 59 per cent of people
younger than 30 years old
prefer television, Pew said,
down from 68 per cent in the
September 2007 survey.

Lenovo 5,000-10,000 accounts/day
considers at Twitter
Washington:
restructuring blogging service Twitter is Twitter as a standard means
Shanghai: China's
Lenovo Group, the world's
number four personal
computer maker, is
considering a restructuring
because of tough economic
conditions. Lenovo might
merge its Greater China and
Russia operations with its
Asia Pacific operations.
David Miller, president for
the Asia Pacific region, is
expected to resign and Chen
Shaopeng, now president of
the Greater China region,
would head the merged
operations
Chen said there was no
plan to lay off workers in
the Greater China area. He
did not comment directly on
the possibility of a
restructuring.

some sectors such as
software, outsourcing,
Internet sales and
infrastructure
investments
"weather the storm
would
better than others." The
report said the
semiconductor
industry - seen as a leading
indicator for the information
technology sector - would
fall nearly six per cent in
2009 after weak growth of 2.2
per cent in 2008.

SMS back
in occupied
Kashmir
Srinagar: In occupied
Kashmir, the cellular
company, Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Limited has
announced restoration of
short messaging services
(SMS) in Kashmir valley
from December 27, after five
months following lifting of
the restrictions imposed by
the occupation authorities in
August last year.
The ban had initially been
lifted by the high court, but
the Indian Supreme Court
later retained the ban.

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Micro- conferences are using
gaining 5,000 to 10,000 new
accounts a day and most of
its users have joined last
year, according to a study.
Internet marketing
company HubSpot, in a
"State of the Twittersphere"
report, said 70 per cent of
the estimated four to five
million people using
Twitter have signed up in
2008 and 20 per cent have
joined in the last 60 days.
"Twitter is not only
being talked about and used
by a lot more people, but
more and more marketing
industry events and
LG unveils watch-shaped
mobile
Seoul: South Korea's LG
Electronics unveiled what it
described as the world's first
watch-shaped mobile video
phone. The "3G watch
phone" model has a touch-
screen dialling system with
a camera and a speaker built
in to enable users to make
video calls over a high
speed internet connection. It
15 companies join mobile
recycling
Taipei: The
Environmental Protection
Administration (EPA) signed
a pact with 15 mobile device
vendors and telecom
operators to collect and
recycle unwanted mobile
phones, PDAs, GPS systems
on and battery chargers.
Under the programme,
which began January 15,
2009, the mobile phone
operators will collect
unwanted devices in
recycling bins at their 2,000
retail outlets, and the devices
will then be turned over to
qualified companies for
recycling.
The agency estimates that
about 9.5 million cell phones
were retired last year. Of
those, 44 per cent were left
idle at home, 36 per cent
were sold secondhand or
given away, while only 18
per cent were recycled.
EPA Minister Shen Shu-
hung said 1 kilogram of gold
can be retrieved from 30,000
discarded mobile phones,
while a kilo of silver can be
extracted from some 10,000
of communication."
Launched in August
2006, Twitter has been
embraced by a number of
celebrity users including
Barack Obama, who racked
up more than 150,000
followers during the US
presidential campaign, and
four-time NBA champion
Shaquille O'Neal of the
Phoenix Suns. Twitter users
have also made news
recently by providing
lightning fast on-the-scene
updates from events such as
the Mumbai terrorist
attacks.

also recognises voices,
transforms text to speech,
has a Bluetooth function and
plays MP3 music. The
product has a 3.63-
centimetre screen and is 13.9
millimetres thick. It was
displayed at the 2009
Consumer Electronics Show
in Las Vegas from January 8
to 11.

discarded phones, citing
estimates by the Japanese
Telecommunications
Carriers Association.
Moreover, recycling
10,000 old cell phones can
save up 220,000 kilowatt
hours of electricity, which
could power 57 families for a
year. The savings translate
into a reduction of 140 metric
tons of carbon emissions,
according to Shen. The 15
mobile service carriers and
vendors include Chunghwa
Telecom, Taiwan Mobile,
Asia Pacific Telecom, Vibo
Telecom, FETnet, First
International Telecom,
Aurora, Sony Ericsson,
Nokia and Motorola.