Spokesman Report
What are the focus areas of Ericsson in Pakistan and what kind of services are you offering?
Over the course of our presence in Pakistan, Ericsson has built, expanded, and modernized networks across the country. This is part of our global efforts to enable the leading players in the telecom sectors to meet their future expansion and performance requirements as well as strengthen the long-term sustainability of their networks while enabling them to create and offer new services to consumers and businesses. Much of our work focuses on actively providing mobile backhaul infrastructure, network design and optimization services, as well as IT/BSS services including ADM and automation.
With digital transformation being a primary goal on the national agenda, we have been supporting Pakistan in building the required strong and robust ICT sector to bring its digital transformation vision to fruition. We are committed to providing our technology solutions and services to enable further development of 4G networks as well as their evolution to 5G and future innovations on which the digital future of the country will depend.
We heard Ericsson is interested in training Pakistani youth and creating job opportunities for them? Please share details
Pakistan has a large youth population with a wealth of knowledge and potential. In order to play our part in realizing this potential, we are committed to closing the skills gap and providing young people with the latest technology skills they need to succeed in today’s digital world. Through digital skill development programs, we have been enhancing the IT skills of Pakistan’s youth and have launched a Graduate Trainee Program this year to help students develop their digital, technical, and business skills. This program provides a combination of on-the-job training, project-based learning, classroom instruction, and online education to help participants gain valuable experience and knowledge that will support their careers in the digital economy.
By providing young people with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in the digital world, we are helping to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for Pakistan.
In this fresh batch of young graduates, we have also been very focused on the diversity and inclusion, and we have welcomed several females graduates, which will further enhance the role of females in the STEM field.
Tell us about group’s history and operations in Pakistan?
Ericsson’s long association with Pakistan dates back to the late 1950s. We were involved in the formulation of the first telecom policy in the country and introduced digital wireline exchanges and mobile telephony in Pakistan. We have a strong presence in the country today and are committed to investing in the nation’s people, businesses, and society. Currently, we have presence across the country with offices in Lahore and Islamabad.
We are an active ecosystem player in the country and are playing our part in enabling mobile service providers to provide better services and user experience in the market. Fostering multiple collaborations, we have continuously been working together with public and private sector partners to design and build advanced cellular infrastructure and associated services.
We have also been working on mobile financial services projects that help spread financial inclusion for all Pakistanis. In parallel, we are consistently aligning and working with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) on relevant interest areas to share insights and learnings from our industry-leading research and development (R&D) and global expertise.
What role Ericsson plays in Telecom sector of Pakistan?
We are an active ecosystem player in the country and are playing our part in enabling mobile service providers to provide better services and user experience in the market. Fostering multiple collaborations, we have continuously been working together with public and private sector partners to design and build advanced cellular infrastructure and associated services. Much of our work focuses on actively providing mobile backhaul infrastructure, network design and optimization services, as well as IT/BSS services including application development and management (ADM) and automation.
We have also been working on mobile financial services projects that help spread financial inclusion for all Pakistanis. In parallel, we are consistently aligning and working with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) on relevant interest areas to share insights and learnings from our industry-leading research and development (R&D) and global expertise.
Ericsson commitment to the future in Pakistan?
We are committed to provide our technology solutions and services to enable the further build out of 4G networks as well as their evolution to 5G and future innovations on which the digital future on the country will depend on.
As further testament to our commitment to Pakistan, we have recently injected substantial additional share capital in our local operations to provide a stable financial foundation for growth. We are also establishing a near-shore centre for IT in Pakistan, leveraging the depth of IT skills and capabilities in Pakistan for Middle East and Africa.
These are important and exciting times for Pakistan, and we will continue to increase our contribution to the country by further engaging the wider industry, start-ups, and academia, as well as increasing employment in the market by opening offshore delivery centers and increasing our presence and support for the nation.
Through partnerships and collaboration, we can see Pakistan achieve more telecommunications milestones that propel the country further in the 21st century.
The 74th Independence Day is momentous but is just the beginning of further growth and evolution that will continue to make the nation a beacon for possibility in Asia.