High speed Internet fibre rings to link major cities next year | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

High speed Internet fibre rings to link major cities next year

ISLAMABAD- Federal Minister for Science and Technology Prof. Atta-ur-Rehman said that high speed internet fibre rings will be laid around all major cities and linked together by early next year.

Addressing a seminar on Data Warehousing organized by NCR Corporation, the minister said, “these high speed internet fibre links will be our information highways.” Prof. Atta said that to drive on these highways, highly qualified professionals will be required to carry on the trucks of knowledge around.

He said that Internet connectivity has been extended to 350 cities just in four months. He said, in August last Internet was available in only 29 cities and its rapid spread is unprecedented in the world.

About 1,800 Internet kiosks are being set up by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) at its petrol pumps and in the next phase every post office will have Internet facilities, he said. The minister said, about 45 to 70 percent of the Science and Technology allocation is being spent on education and human resource development because it is the key to development. He said, the government aims at producing 100,000 high quality graduates every year, as of today only 10,000 graduates of varied quality are being prepared.

He said, three television channels will be used in the virtual university. A full-fledged new channel is being planned for the virtual university besides Pakistan Television-2 (PTV2) and Shaheen Television, he said.

Seven new Information Technology (IT) universities are coming up in Lahore, Karachi, Abbottabad, while two, COMSATS and FAST have already been granted charter.

The minister asked NCR Corporation to join in virtual university project or any of the seven universities or set up a series of NCR academies in Pakistan.

IT, he said, is also being used to make the entire business of Central Board of Revenue (CBR) transparent.

Member Monopoly Control Authority and Member Tax Reform Commission Ahmad Khan, who was the guest speaker said, all CBR departments will have on-line transactions. He informed that in about two years CBR’s entire business will be brought on-line.

Country General Manager NCR Syed Veqarul Islam said that during the leat six months NCR has almost invested US$2 million in Pakistan as it has committed to spend US$12 million in three years time.

He said, NCR-Pakistan has been recently awarded the status of a Centre of Expertise in Data Warehousing for Middle East and Africa. “We believe, we are the only major multinational, which has decided to set up a regional hub in Pakistan,” he said adding that work on setting up a Centre of Excellence laboratory and training people has already started. NCR, he said, is completing 50 years in Pakistan in 2001, which speaks for its long time commitment with the country.

The keynote speaker, Stephen Probst, Chief Technology Officer of NCR Corporation provided informative series of presentations on the subject.

Source: Business Recorder
Date:3/21/2001