ODosta Inc. Create Your Own Tech World
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of all telecommunication infrastructure in the country, has announced the total number of mobile phone subscribers to have reached 136.4 million in January 2015.
From 132.33 million in late 2013, this figure has increased by 3.60% in just over a year. This increase in the number of mobile phone users in Pakistan has led to a renewed interest among service providers and OEMs in cutting the biggest share of a larger pie. The significance of this user-base hike for Pakistan’s struggling economy can be observed through the rise of internet-based trading and business platforms.
While service providers have focused on their marketing strategies, in some cases completely reinventing their brand to appeal to a wider audience, equally relentless in this field are the country’s IT giants, who are determined to make the most of the increasing mobile penetration by focusing on providing their services on-the-go.
Popular household names such as PakWheels.com and Zameen.com have sought to consolidate their positions through their mobile and tablet apps. PakWheels.com is the country’s most popular automotive website and is known particularly for hosting a very active forum. Similarly, Zameen.com, Pakistan’s top real estate portal, has also introduced its app which offers its users the convenience to scroll through more than a million property listings directly from their smart phones.
The likes of Zameen.com and PakWheels.com have also benefited extensively from the advent of 3G and 4G networks in Pakistan, which have allowed faster browsing and downloading. In February 2015, approximately 10.34 million Pakistanis were 3G users, a figure which is projected to increase to a staggering 79 million in the next 10 years, according to the PTA.
These statistics show that Pakistan has very graciously embraced smart phone technology, which makes it highly likely that innovation in communication technology in the near future will be greeted with enthusiasm. With the government taking interest in supporting mobile technologies and setting up tech incubators to that end, the future looks promising for the likes of Zameen.com and the increasing smart phone user base.
