Mehjabeen Dar – Pakistan Tech News

Global Entrepreneurship Summit: White House Invites Jehan Ara the Asian Pakistani tech entrepreneur

The leading Pakistani tech entrepreneur, Jehan Ara is invited by White House to speak at Stanford University for the next Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2016 (GES), updated on her latest social media post.

Jehan Ara pates Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITES (P@sha), was founded in 1992 to give boost to software industry of Pakistan.

Ara will perform in panel discussion, invited on behalf of President Obama “‘investing in South Asia: What’s next for Entrepreneurship in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’.

Jehan Ara heads P@SHA and its tech incubator ‘The Nest I/O’, that gives potential entrepreneurs with infrastructure, space, knowledge and facilities as well as space ACCESS to a network of mentors and potential investors.

She is supporting some major topics that include data protection, privacy and Cyber Crime. She is also part of an organization proposed on research backed advocacy named as Bolo Bhi.

Besides this all she is giving her services on an enterprise known as the ‘Women’s VIRTUAL NETWORK’ that will associate educated women with potential employers, peers remotely and mentors as well. However involving more women into the economic fold and managing a communal that will support professionals’ network for professional women.

About GES 2016

According to the website it purposes to present stimulating investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world boosting new opportunities for partnership, collaboration and investment, associate American investors with solid counterparts to present long term relationship and highlight entrepreneurship as means to meet international challenges.

The summit will come up with wide range of panels, mentoring, pitch competitions, ignite talks and networking sessions proposed to provide participants golden opportunities to get expertise and relationships that will support their ventures to grow.

Proudly putting Pakistan on the Digital World Map – Collision Conference

Collision Conference, draws speakers from the world’s most disruptive technology startups and brings them onto one platform. This year the conference took place in New Orleans, the new hotbed for tech! It was a three-day technology event from April 26th to 28th.

Collision is a new major US tech conference by the people behind the Web Summit. It strives to bring Venture Capitalists’ and technologists together to capitalize on their ideas. Technology startups are looking to pitch their idea and find funding to grow it, while the entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists are looking for the next great thing to invest in.

Over time, OffRoad Studios’s has been among the few responsible for resonating in the digital age. This tech season we took our digital footprints all the way to the Collision Conference and we were the only high tech firm to be exhibiting from Pakistan.

OffRoad Studios is recognized as one of the most innovative digital agencies in the world. We are the orchestrators of a digital ecosystem, through our revolutionary 360 IDEA’s (Interactive Digital Experiential Agency’s) philosophy, we have smartly integrated diverse forte of technology, creativity and media that empowers us to surpass today’s technology and creativity barriers.

At Collision, we exhibited our 360 services. We educated them regarding our projects and work, the role we can play for international businesses trying to venture in Pakistan and the untapped potential of the Digital Market in Pakistan. It was great interacting with like minded individuals, who are obsessed with experimenting and inventing.

Zong Contracted to Provide 4G Services, mobile phones to FUUAST Students

Good News for faculty members and students of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST), Zong has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with university to facilitate them with fastest 4G services.

Zongs high powered internet services

More than 4,000 students and scores of faculty members would be entertained from Zongs high powered internet services. The purpose of signing the MoU with the university is to facilitate students with the fastest internet technology that can encourage them for studies. Apart this Zong is providing SIMs and phones at affordable rates to University students. Furthermore company is also establishing digital research laboratories to support students in research programs.

In present times it has become very certain for educational institutions to be in touch with the industry as social media has synthesized in the mobile phone.

The purpose behind this all is to give students internet facility that they can utilize for research and education. This will give a chance to interact with other universities all over the world and advantage from their research work. Prior, Chinese company had made similar contract with Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Abacus Consulting Supporting Apigee API Management Platform Available in Pakistan

Recently Abascus consulting has contracted with APigee to become the supportive reseller partner for the Apigee API management platform. This agreement will permit Pakistani digital and FinTech associations to present themselves to outer world using APIs.

In more simple words using such an API engine in place companies as Daraz wil help them to present their data (specs, prices and listing as well) using API and who wish to utilize this data like marketers, payment processors and affiliate areas will quickly grasp the data in spite of scrapping the whole website.

This agreement will help Abacus and Apigee to deliver an intelligent API platform to support organizations hasten the stride of digital business. Furthermore it will support in creating an associated digital experience for consumers employees and partners.

Adding to this the Apigee API platform will help businesses to share data in secure mode and services across myriad tdevices and channels. The signing ceremony was held in Karachi where Mr. Saad Syed, Sales Director MEA for Apigee and Mr. Shoaib Khan, VP Abacus Consulting were present.

The synergy is boosted through this partnership is dignified to manage benchmarks of excellence in the industry and by helping complicated API deployments to be obtained via faster, simple and more effective process.

Mr. Abbas Ali Khan – MD Abacus Consulting said:

We welcome this new alliance and look forward to working with Apigee. We believe that through this partnership we will be able to unlock innovation and deploy digital business models with our customers.

Mr. Saad Syed – Sales Director MEA Apigee said:

APIs are already used as the currency for data exchange within and between organizations. Many organizations are now investigating the value of intelligent API management to help securely deliver and manage the APIs that power mobile applications and other digital initiatives. To assist these organizations within the country, Apigee is proud to partner with Abacus Consulting.

Apigee’s flagship product Apigee Edge gives a solution that connects the entire digital value chain, from the backend systems of record to the customer who connects through an app.

Zong Leads Mobile Data Speeds in Pakistan: PTA Survey Indicates

According to the latest survey it has proved that Zong is listed as the No 1 in data speeds, the survey of all connections brought PTA to a conclusion that other networks are not satisfactory like Zong.

3G speed for Ufone Telenor users is below 2Mbps and for Mobilink its 3G speed stood at 5.04Mbps and Zong hit the charts with 7.71MBPS of average 3G speeds on its network.

It’s difficult to say that Telenor’s average speed for 3G network reduced from 2.2Mbps during PTA’s last QoS survey to 1.94Mbps. The other networks Ufone, Mobilink also focused to increase the speed of their 3G networks since the last survey held preceding year.

According to PTA it has carried out this broad Quality of Service survey of 3G and 2G networks in Islamabad, Peshawar and Rawalpindi to evaluate voice and data QoS as per the required standards.

Further PTA told they are doing QoS Survey in other regions of Pakistan.

PTA didn’t survey 4G Networks this time.

Adhoc QoS survey indicates that 3G operators with 10MHz frequency spectrum is higher than that of the Internet data speed supported by 3G operators with 5MHz frequency spectrum.

3G Speeds

During PTA survey it found data “throughput” of all 3G operators is higher than the benchmark set in their respective licenses. Data throughput of Zong is maximum supported by Mobilink, whereas data throughput of Ufone is the lowest among all NGMS operators.

Strong Signals

PTA’s QoS survey presented that strong signals of entire 3G/4G operators are above the benchmark signifying worthy in majority of the listed areas.

The least the value of strong signals on negative axis, the greater is the signal power. PTA highlighted that entire strength of Ufone and Telenor networks is better than Mobilink and Zong but due to additional frequency consumed by Zong and Mobilink for 3G/4G networks, their quality is superior.

Network Availability – 2G Networks

Network availability is the chance that mobile services are easy to access to an end customer by presenting network indicator on the mobile phone through the whole consumption.

Grade of 2G Services

Grade of service is chance that the end customer cannot approach the mobile services when demanded if it is proffered by presenting the network indicator on the mobile phone. In simple words, Grade of Service is Network Blocking.

The mobile operator community is meeting a particular Grade of Service that’s beholden in their license terms.

Call Connection Time

Call connection time the duration between sending of entire call initiation details by the caller and in reward receipt of call setup notification. In more simple words it is time between dialing a number and hearing ring back tone.

Adding more PTA also informed the call connection time of the mobile operator is not contented and they require doing in better way of connecting voice calls.

Call Completion Ratio

Call Completion Ratio is the probability that a service, once facilitated will move on to be supported under specific conditions for a particular time. In simple words, this KPI gives information about Call Drops.

End to End Speech Quality

End-to-End Speech Quality of all the mobile operators is beyond the standard.

SMS Success Rate

SMS Success Rate is the chance that short texts will deliver soon and successfully, end-to-end when requested and presented of the related information on the mobile phone

End to End SMS Delivery Time

End-to-End SMS Delivery Time is period between sending short texts to a short message center and receiving the very same short message at desired mobile phone.

Lamudi’s new research maintains positive outlook for Pakistan’s real estate sector

LAHORE, 19 JANUARY, 2016: Pakistan’s multi-billion-dollar real estate industry holds a bright future in 2016, despite being affected by issues such as housing shortages, increasing taxes and lack of transparency in property according to a new report on Pakistan’s property market.

The findings are contained in new research conducted by Pakistan’s best real estate website, Lamudi.pk. The second annual report released by Lamudi provides a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s property sector.

The report focuses on a series of online surveys of both real estate agents and customers as well as property experts interviews and Lamudi’s onsite data. The research examines the change in real estate trends between 2014-15, the online property-hunting trends, changes in real estate prices, the renting vs. buying patterns of Pakistani house-hunters, the rising demand of sustainable homes, impact of change in oil prices on Pakistan’s real estate sector and much more.

The first survey of real estate agents examines the progress of Pakistan’s property market, the shift from offline to online medium and their outlook for 2016. According to the Lamudi Agents Survey, 78 percent believe that the outlook for Pakistan real estate is positive.

The customer survey predominantly focused on the house-hunting habits among property buyers and renters, along with their preference for sustainable houses, buying vs. renting demographics etc. According to the Lamudi customers’ survey, more than 50 percent of the respondents preferred to buy a house or an apartment over renting one. Moreover, 36 percent of them think that sustainable features in a home are extremely important.

Saad Arshed, Country Director of Lamudi Pakistan, offered a statement about his own outlook for the coming year.

I agree with the overall positive outlook of the agents with whom we work. Looking at our own pricing data as well as reports from agents around the country, the market is full of investment opportunities. Gwadar, Peshawar and Bahawalpur are great examples of investment hot spots right now.

Other indicators that the Pakistan real estate market is growing in a positive direction are the improved security situation in the country leading to increased foreign interest and investment, which can be seen in projects such as the China and Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Turkeministan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.

The report also covers an in-depth interview with Raja Mazhar, President of Defence & Clifton Association of Real Estate Agents (DEFCLAREA).

The full report is presented in an easy-to-read online format, available for viewing on the Lamudi website. Visit http://www.lamudi.pk/research/whitepaper-2015/.

ABOUT LAMUDI

Launched in 2013, Lamudi is a global property portal focusing exclusively on emerging markets. The fast-growing platform is currently available in 34 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, with more than 800,000 real estate listings across its global network. The leading real estate marketplace offers sellers, buyers, landlords and renters a secure and easy-to-use platform to find or list properties online.

MEDIA CONTACT

Shahzeen Haris
Communications Manager
shahzeen.haris@lamudi.pk
+92-3458422567

Visit Lamudi on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn

3 Startup companies has chosen Netsol’s NSPIRE

NSPIRE announced the selection of three start-up companies for the first incubation cycle which will be in touch with Netsol staff – programmers’ marketers and other employees for further development and implementation of business models.

The following startups are selected for incubation at NSpire

Electroid: Home automation software that controls and monitors home power consumption;
Tutorciti: Online classroom that provides one-on-one lessons for students in real-time with qualified teachers; and
1Click: Online event planning platform

“Pakistan’s entrepreneurial spirit is being fueled by a growing pool of talented, highly motivated people looking to develop next-generation technologies into successful companies,” – Najeeb Ghauri, CEO of NetSol Technolgies.

Three to five different start-ups will be functioning from Netsol’s Pakistan campus and will be having access to Netsol’s staff. The will be having a rent-free co-working space and will be mentored, also by executives from the tech industry chosen on the needs of the incubator company in exchange of which Netsol will be receiving equity in the incubator companies.

image source: propakistani

Code for Pakistan Brings Islamabad Civic Hackathon 2016

Code for Pakistan sponsored hackathon will take place in Islamabad welcoming people from Rawalpindi also for taking part in the event. It is Islamabad’s second civic hack day aimed for the “civic-minded” people of Islamabad to improve their city. People with coding, development, designing, data analysis skills are welcome for coming up with solutions to their city’s problems. It is an annual event and it is the second Islamabad Civic Hackathon event since it started last year. Such events are common around the world. Such an event taking place in Karachi on International Open Data Day.

Many programmers, designers, analysts, community organizers and government information is expected at this event for upgrading the local services using web, moblie and SMS applications. The target of the hackathon are the educational, health, sustainable development, justice energy, and environment, problems submitted by government or any particular city problem.

Details of the Event

Islamabad Hackathon will take place on the 23^rd and 24^th of April 2016.

Click here to apply for a place in the list of participants. Registration is free and the last date to apply is 1^st April 2016.

There are no specific requirements to take part in the event and anybody can apply. However, only accepted applicants will be able to participate. Participants will have to go through a proper submission procedure to submit their solutions to any problems.

Problem statements will be shared with all the participants on the 18^th of April but they will have the option of working on any idea having a civic aspect to it. After the 2-day event, three winners will be announced and will be awarded prizes. The prizes, judge panel, and the judging criteria will be announced later.

More information regarding the event will be available at the event’s homepage and its Facebook page.

Source: Propakistani

Book Your Tickets Online with Pakistan Railway’s New e-Ticketing System

The nearly completed status of the introduction of an e-ticketing system in the current year was revealed by Mr. Khawaja Saad Rafique, the Minister for Railways. He also mentioned that United Bank Limited (UBL) came forward with its services for the e-ticketing system and also said that A-Class banks are also welcomed if they offer competitive prices.

Online payment for the tickets via debit/credit cards, online bank transfers are available for payment of their tickets. The digital ticketing system will allow passengers to book and pay for the tickets from their home using computers or mobile phones. This system will have more seat capitalization and there will be less chance of corruption. As everything is electronic tickets are booked fast and no human interaction is needed which reduces the chances of charging more premium by railway officials in rural or distant railway stations making it almost zero.

Pakistan Railways was offering an e-ticketing service some years back. It was started in 2008 but was pushed back when new management came into picture. No details about reasons were given for the termination and relaunching of the online ticketing system. Rs.65 million are spent on the overhaul and upgrading of the Karachi Express train where modern facilities were introduced hence increasing the cost for refurbishment, said the minister. He also said that the fare was not increased and the charges will be the same for all classes as of the Business Express Train. The earnings are expected to be Rs. 3.95 million per day. He also said that several projects also those connected to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and improvements of railway stations are in progress and that Pakistan Railways is aiming at improving its facilities and purchasing of 200 locomotives in the next fiscal year.

Get the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in Pakistan available in Telenor Stores

Telenor Pakistan and Samsung have launched the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones in Pakistan. Providing a Telenor-exclusive first-come first-served offer customers who purchase an S7 or S7 Edge paying cash from will be getting a free Gear VR and the deal also has Telenor prepaid and postpaid offers for Samsung users.

The smartphones are priced at PKR 79,000 and PKR 89,000 for Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge respectively.

Some of the phones’ key features include 5.1/5.5 inches super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo CPU, and 32/64 GB internal memory that’s expandable up to 200 GB through microSD card.

Expressing his views on partnership, Irfan Wahab Khan, Deputy CEO and CMO, Telenor Pakistan, said:

Our twofold strategy for larger digital inclusion in Pakistan comprises developing device ecosystem and bringing innovative digital products/services to our customers. Our collaboration with Samsung to exclusively launch Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in Pakistan serves both parts of our strategy as the new handsets make our device portfolio richer while delivering the best user experience through exclusive prepaid and postpaid bundle offers that are a part of the deal.

Also commenting on the partnership, Jae Hwan Lee, President Samsung Electronics Pakistan, said: “Being the innovators in mobile technology, we at Samsung realize that the power of our handsets cannot be harnessed unless paired with a good operator service. This partnership with Telenor Pakistan, as it comes with a free Gear VR and exclusive bundle offers, will deliver exactly what these smartphones are meant for, and leave users with a good experience.”