Supernet and Trend Micro Awarded Threat Protection System Project in Pakistan worth PKR 450 Million

Supernet Limited (“Supernet”) announced today in conjunction with their Japanese technology partner Trend Micro Incorporated (“Trend Micro”) that they have been awarded a new multi-year project for the acclaimed “Tipping Point” Threat Protection System (TPS) by a major Pakistani customer valued at over PKR 450 million.

Trend Micro’s Tipping Point Threat Protection System (TPS) is a powerful network security platform that offers comprehensive threat protection against known and undisclosed vulnerabilities with high accuracy. The TPS uses a combination of technologies, including deep packet inspection, threat reputation, URL reputation, and advanced malware analysis on a flow-by-flow basis to detect and prevent attacks on the network. The TPS enables enterprises to take a proactive approach to security, providing comprehensive contextual awareness and deeper analysis of network traffic providing the visibility and agility necessary to keep pace with today’s dynamic and evolving enterprise and data center networks.

Trend Micro’s and Supernet’s combined solution successfully addressed the customer’s stringent requirements for state-of-the-art throughput and latency parameters, as well as addressed challenging scalability and business continuity criteria. In addition, Trend Micro’s leadership in cybersecurity research through its flagship “Zero Day Initiative” as well as Supernet’s local presence and experience of implementation, integration and post delivery services provide the customer continuous assurance around innovation and access to cutting edge cybersecurity knowledge base.

Ali Akhtar. Supernet’s Head of BU, Telecoms & Defense stated, “We are thrilled to be playing a prominent role in firming up the defenses of Pakistani organizations against network security threats. To this end Supernet and Trend Micro have been working very closely over the past year and this new project is a testament to these joint efforts. With the expanding relationship between our two organizations, we’re charging full steam ahead to address the needs of the Pakistan market.”

Mr. Chee Hoh Goh, Trend Micro Incorporated’s Managing Director (Malaysia, Pakistan, CLM) stated, “Pakistan as one of the major cybersecurity markets in the region is a special area of focus for Trend Micro. In Pakistan, Trend Micro has extensively expanded the in-country operations in last few years, with focused investments in developing our local partnerships and distribution infrastructure. We have been working closely with our partner Supernet to bring innovative solutions to Pakistan and it is encouraging to see that we are becoming a trusted partner for many key organizations across all market segments in the country.”

About Supernet Limited

Supernet Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading telecommunications service provider and systems integrator, has been operating since 1995. Supernet offers a full portfolio of local-to-global integrated communications infrastructure solutions to Telecoms, Defense, Enterprise and Government entities. Supernet’s “Connectivity” products and services include a broad spectrum of Wide Area Network (WAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) solutions based on satellite, fiber optics, microwave, and radios. In recent years, Supernet has established its expertise in domains including cybersecurity, power, networking, and surveillance solutions as part of its “Beyond Connectivity” initiative thereby offering a richer portfolio of solutions and services to customers. For more information, please visit www.super.net.pk

About Trend Micro Incorporated

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.

PTCL & Ufone swiftly restore network disrupted by torrential rains, flooding in the Southern region

Karachi:PTCL and Ufone have swiftly restored their network disrupted by heavy rains and flooding in parts of Balochistan and Sindh in a record time through rapid mobilization of their on-ground resources. The torrential rains also caused major damage to road and bridge infrastructure in the region, further intensifying the challenge of timely restoration of the network, however, PTCL and Ufone field teams were able to live up to their commitment to keeping their customers connected at all times.

Sindh, especially Karachi and the coastal belt of Balochistan received one of the heaviest monsoon spells in the recent past, which resulted in urban flooding, severe damage to roads and bridges infrastructure, and massive commercial power breakdown. PTCL’s Optical Fiber cable deployed alongside roads and bridges also got swept away at multiple locations.

The Northern and Central Zones of the country were no different where exchanges and network nodes got flooded leading to network outages. Baluchistan’s Makran division was the worst hit, resulting in major damage to road infrastructure, electricity transmission lines, and the PTCL OFC network. The cumulative situation resulted in a huge challenge before the PTCL and Ufone field teams to uphold their commitment to keeping their customers seamlessly connected.

As the National Carrier and Backbone of Country’s Connectivity, the company quickly responded to the situation by deploying teams in the affected area to restore the Optical Fiber Cable through a workaround in order to maintain the best possible business continuity. Despite the inclement weather, difficult terrain, and enormity of the challenge, the teams conducted a 24/7 operation with a high level of commitment to best facilitate the customers.

The company tackled the network disruption across the Southern, North, and Central region caused by commercial power breakdown through the deployment of portable generators until the issue was fixed. The field teams worked tirelessly for days to completely restore connectivity to Turbat, Ormara, Pasni, and Gawadar areas of the worst hit Makran Division in Balochistan and the affected regions of Sindh.

PTCL Group’s effective and timely response to the massive challenge in the face of countless hardships is evidence of its efficiency, resiliency, and readiness to maintain seamless connectivity at all times. The successful restoration of the network amidst a major calamity speaks volumes of the remarkable commitment and resilience of the on-ground teams whose efforts facilitated the smooth conducting of emergency and relief activities and continuity of life and business activities.

PTCL Group Posts 5.7% Revenue Growth in the Half Year 2022

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on July 18, 2022.

During the first six months of 2022, PTCL Group successfully managed to keep the top line growth momentum, which further strengthened its market standing as an integrated telecom services provider in Pakistan. Growth in revenue is mainly driven by strong performance in the consumer segment led by fixed broadband, mobile data, and business solutions, along with microfinance services that supported the Group in achieving 5.7% growth in revenue over the comparative period despite the challenges of increase in Advance Income Tax (AIT) and reduction in Mobile Termination Rates (MTR).

PTCL Group Highlights
• PTCL Group’s revenue of Rs 71.7 billion in 2022 is 5.7% higher as compared to the same period of last year.
• The Group’s profitability remained under pressure due to significant hike in power and fuel tariffs, devaluation of the Pak Rupee against USD, higher interest rates, and other factors like upfront costs associated with the acquisition of 4G spectrum and related network rollout. The Group has posted a net loss of Rs 3.1 billion.
• PTCL continued its growth momentum by posting 4.7% YoY revenue growth.
• PTML’s (Ufone) revenue grew by 3.5% as compared to the same period of last year.
• U Bank has achieved a 25.0% growth in its revenue over the same period of last year.

PTCL Highlights
• PTCL’s revenue of Rs 40.0 billion for the period is 4.7% higher than 2021, mainly driven by growth in broadband and business solutions segments.
• The company has posted an operating profit of Rs 1.9 billion. Operating profit for the period remained under pressure compared to last year mainly due to increase in operating costs on account of significant hike in power and fuel tariffs.
• Net Profit of Rs 5.2 billion for the period is 38.8% higher as compared to the same period of last year. Increase in non-operating income, due to translation gain on the Company’s forex denominated assets, dividend income from a subsidiary and gain on disposal of obsolete assets due to upgrade and fiberization of network, has helped turn the 32.6% decrease at operating profit level to a 38.8% increase at the net profit level.

PTCL Consumer Business: Consistent Growth
During the half year, the company’s fixed broadband business grew by 10.7% YoY, whereas IPTV segment also showed 8.6% growth YoY. Within the broadband business, Flash Fiber, the company’s premium FTTH service, showed significant growth of 91.7%. Voice revenue stream has seen a decline due to lower voice traffic and continued conversion of customers to OTT services.

PTCL has achieved consistent performance and enhanced customer experience on the back of the company’s seamless fixed broadband, including the fastest internet service in Pakistan through the Flash Fiber brand. PTCL has expanded its FTTH services in 28 cities, and the subscriber base has doubled on a YoY basis as the company continued to tap into the demand for growing internet and data services.

PTCL Business Solutions: Steady Performance
While continuing momentum with overall YoY revenue growth of 5.1%, the business solutions segment sustained its market leadership in IP bandwidth, cloud, data center, and other ICT services. PTCL’s corporate business grew by 15.0% as compared to last year. Within the wholesale business segment, carrier revenue grew by 9.6% but the overall wholesale segment revenue has declined as a result of closure of certain international IP leased circuits. International revenue, helped by the favorable impact of currency devaluation, has increased by 14.0% over last year.

PTCL strives to provide innovative, dependable, and agile solutions to its partners through robust telecommunication infrastructure and a diverse portfolio of services with enhanced customer experience.

PTML – Ufone Highlights:
• Post spectrum acquisition, Ufone has achieved growth in 4G subscriber base and data services leading to a 3.5% YoY growth in topline despite the challenges of increase in Advance Income Tax (AIT) and reduction in Mobile Termination Rates (MTR).
• Ufone continued to expand its network footprint across the country and has significantly modernized its network to 4G since spectrum acquisition.
• The company has one of the fastest growing 4G subscriber base in the country.
• External factors like the devaluation of Pak Rupee, rising interest rates and hike in power / fuel tariffs have adversely impacted the company’s bottom-line.
• VIS Credit Rating Company has assigned initial entity ratings of ‘AA-/A-1’ (Double A Minus/A-One) to Ufone with outlook on the assigned ratings as ‘Stable’. This acknowledges the financial strength of Ufone through an independent rating exercise which also denotes high credit quality and good fundamental protection factors and is a testimony of stakeholders’ confidence in Ufone.

Ufone’s customer experience remains one of the best within the industry, backed by higher data speeds and industry first innovative products such as ‘UPower’ that has received tremendous response from the customers.

U Bank Highlights:
U Bank, the microfinance and branchless banking subsidiary of PTCL, continued its growth trajectory and has achieved 25.0% YoY growth in its revenue by expanding its advances portfolio. The balance sheet footing of the bank reached Rs 114 billion as the bank continued to diversify its asset classes and funding streams while ensuring positive bottom-line impact. With the core mission of microfinance at its heart, the business model of the bank is evolving to capture new segments and customer classes to include more of Pakistan into the banking net and further its ambition of financial and social inclusion.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
Being a national carrier and Pakistani company, PTCL Group is at the forefront in extending support to the community through various CSR initiatives including collaboration with GSMA to significantly expand its women customer base by the year 2025 and the provision of its flagship Wi-Fi internet devices ‘Blaze’ to participants of the KPK Women Civic Internship Program to support their pursuit of personal and professional growth. PTCL & Ufone 4G joined hands with the National Emergency Center of the Government of Pakistan to extend its support for UNICEF’s Polio Eradication Campaign in Pakistan. PTCL Group also supported the local fishermen community of Karachi to ensure the safety of small-scale fishermen during high tide season by donating life jackets

PTCL Group donates life jackets to fishermen community of Karachi

Karachi: PTCL Group, Pakistan’s largest telecom operators PTCL & Ufone has donated life jackets to the fishermen community of Karachi to ensure safety of small-scale level fishermen during high tide season at a ceremony held in FCS HQ in Karachi.

Chairman, Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS), Zahid Ibrahim Bhatti was presented with life jackets by PTCL Group representatives, to acknowledge the efforts of the local fishermen.

Expressing his thoughts regarding the initiative, Head of Public Relations and Corporate Communication, PTCL Group, Amir Pasha said that “PTCL Group was always on the lookout for opportunities to give back to the community where it is most needed. He said that the Monsoon season is around the corner and there is pressing need to undertake measures to ensure safety of fishermen community, who risk their lives to sustain the seafood supply chain. He said safety is of paramount importance and these fishermen need to be equipped with both training and necessary safety gear.”

Also speaking at the occasion, Chairman Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS), Zahid Ibrahim Bhatti expressed his gratitude toward PTCL Group for the thoughtful intervention. He said that “fishermen are aware of the risk, however, there is a cost involved in taking the necessary precautionary measures, which is unbearable for small-scale fishermen. He hoped that the support coming from the private sector in terms of training and safety equipment will go a long way in reducing safety incidents.”

PTCL Group is widely recognized for its corporate social responsibility initiatives that create impactful shared value. Both PTCL & Ufone are at the forefront to ensure welfare of the communities it serves

PTCL, Huawei successfully deploys AirPON Solution

PTCL, the country’s premier Telecom and ICT services provider has successfully deployed AirPON Solution from Huawei Technologies, in its Fiber Access Network. AirPON is a unique and innovative Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) solution, that leverages existing cellular mobile network infrastructure to extend Fiber footprint, with improved Total Cost of Ownership and better Time to Market.

AirPON employs a purpose built pre-connectorized Optical Distribution Network (ODN) components, which offers a unique, efficient and agile deployment, that minimizes fieldwork through plug-n-play approach, while also greatly improving the quality of installation. The infrastructure available at cellular mobile sites is exploited for field deployment of Optical Line Terminal (OLT) Equipment, to serve its housing, power and transport needs. This solution is yet another step forward on PTCL’s roadmap for meeting rapidly growing consumer data traffic demands, by expanding its Fiber Access Network in areas otherwise difficult to reach for deployment.

Jafar Khalid, Group Chief Technology Officer, PTCL Group, said, “We are committed to uplifting our customer experience through adoption of state-of-the-art products & solutions. PTCL and Huawei achieved another milestone by successfully introducing AirPON solution in our Network. We continue to invest in new technologies and products to modernize our network, with a major emphasis on expediting the reach of high-speed fiber access network to maximum customers, and AirPON solution will be a key enabler in meeting this ambition.”

Ahmed Bilal Masud, Huawei Pakistan Deputy CEO, stated that “Huawei is always committed to work closely with PTCL Group to explore the right solutions for meeting the evolving business requirements. Our goal is to offer innovative solutions to PTCL Group, while committing to minimize the deployment cost and time to market, with network simplification and emerging technologies. We believe that AirPON will pave the way for increasing fiber reach in the country, and support PTCL to offer fast internet services to its valuable customers.”

Registration of Social Media Company

Islamabad: MICO World Limited, a social media company, registered itself with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) under the “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021”.

MICO World Limited, a Hong Kong based company, has been registered by PTA as a Significant Social Media Company (SSMC) under Rule 7 (6) of Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2021. The SSMC submitted application under the Rules for registration of two apps i.e. MICO and YoHo which was approved by the Authority. Representatives of the tech company attended the event held today at PTA headquarters and completed the registration process.

Further to registration of two platforms i.e Joyo Technology Pakistan Pvt Ltd (Snack Video) and BIGO Service Pakistan Pvt Ltd (BIGO Live, Likee), today’s event regarding registration of third company is another testimony of PTA’s commitment to pursue the government’s vision of digital Pakistan in order to help grow digital economy of the country.

Pakistan’s No.1 Voice and Data Network Ufone 4G introduces Industry’s ‘Sab Se Bari Offer’

Islamabad: Pakistan’s No.1 Voice and Data Network, Ufone 4G has introduced the industry’s biggest and most affordable hybrid bundle, ‘Sab Se Bari Offer’ to provide its customers with the best user experience possible. Ufone 4G’s hybrid bundle offers greater usability, control, and enablement to its users so that they stay connected for longer through the company’s superior voice and data while they engage in activities related to work, education, or leisure.

Ufone 4G’s latest offering, ‘Sab Se Bari Offer’ is yet another effort to deliver ease, convenience, and an unparalleled telecom experience to the customers. The bundle offers the most MBs for the lowest charges in the industry in order to help bring quality voice and data services within the reach of every customer. Ufone 4G’s ‘Sab Se Bari Offer’ offers free calls to Ufone and PTCL numbers and 40 GB data for a week on only Rs.299 load. The huge data bulk will improve the customers’ experience on social media, entertainment, gaming, education, work, and other uses, while voice calls can really go on forever.

Ufone 4G has continuously improved and modernized its network and services to cater to the evolving voice and data requirements of its customers. Following the acquisition of 4G spectrum, the company made aggressive advances on the data front while ensuring the highest quality of service delivery. Its renewed focus on quality and innovative services eventually translated into enhanced customer loyalty and expansion of the company’s subscriber base. The latest PTA indicators show that the company has acquired significant data subscribers making it the leader in new customer acquisitions.

Similarly, Ufone 4G was recently declared the best voice and data service provider by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its ‘Mobile Networks Benchmark Report for 2022. PTA had conducted systemic tests and trials of all telecom operators across all federal and provincial capitals including major motorways & highways to ascertain the quality of service, which affirmed Ufone 4G’s continued focus and commitment to delivering the highest quality connectivity to its customers.

This is also due to Ufone’s commitment to bridging the digital divide in the country by bringing more and more unserved and underserved segments of the population into the fold of digital inclusion. The company is particularly focusing on increasing its women user base so that society can collectively harness the fruits of high-speed internet. Ufone 4G’s recent efforts are testaments that its customers continue to comfortably lounge at the heart of Ufone 4G’s business philosophy as is evident from its long-cherished corporate slogan: ‘Tum Hi Tou Ho! (It’s all about U!).

Over one million Nokia feature phones produced in Pakistan

Karachi: HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has achieved the milestone of producing over one million locally assembled mobile phones in Pakistan in just 6 months after setting up the assembly unit in the country.

The company has partnered with Techno Pak Electronics (Private) Limited last year in setting up the assembly plant of Nokia phones in Pakistan which has invested an amount of $2 million in its factory & related channels in 2021 which generated over 500 skilled jobs so far.

Arif Shafique, Country Manager Pakistan HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, said, “Nokia Phones continue to be a favourite product among different ages of mobile phone users in Pakistan for the past many years. The demand for our handsets has been evident in the local market with the production of over one million units in a very short span of time.”

The plant capacity is to produce over half a million mobile phones per month and our aim is to assemble the complete range of Nokia phones from Pakistan. HMD Global has made a significant contribution to the economy through the transfer of technology to the local level, tax revenues to the national kitty, saving of foreign exchange and most importantly creating more local jobs.

“Opening the facility in Pakistan is not only an important business decision for us, but also a historic initiative as we continue to expand our global footprint with it. We aim to scale up our productions every month so that we will be able to meet the demand of our Pakistani consumers,” Shafique added.

He expressed his hope that local authorities and regulators will continue to extend their full support to the industry for doing business and making investments in Pakistan.

Ufone 4G users can now enjoy more power with UPower 250

Ufone 4G – Pakistan’s no. 1 voice and data network as per Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)’s Quality Index 2022 – has introduced ‘UPower 250’ to enhance the scope of its unique offering, UPower. The offer is all about empowering customers to exercise their will by choosing their own voice and data packages from a wide range of options of various denominations.

‘Apni Marzi Chala’ (exercise your will) is what UPower offers to its customers in this industry-unique proposition. Previously, UPower featured combined bundles of three denominations; Rs. 30, 60, and 100. Each denomination offers four different options including All-In-One-Bundles, Internet Bundles, and All Network Calling Bundles.

The newly introduced UPower 250 bundle is priced at Rs. 250 with lot more offerings for enhanced usability and greater experience. Ufone 4G customers can avail of the offer by dialing *1234# from their handsets. The offer can also be availed by visiting the nearest Ufone retailer or through their favourite digital channel.

UPower delegates the decision power to the customers and benefits from their own understanding and experience of their connectivity needs. Prioritizing their choice is Ufone’s way of reiterating its long-term commitment to always fostering customer centricity.

Ericsson launches Global Utilities Innovation Center

New platform to accelerate 4G and 5G solutions for utilities

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the opening of its Global Utilities Innovation Center at its facility in Plano, Texas. The new fully functional facility consists of a purpose-built operating lab and demo environment locations that will allow utilities to engage with Ericsson and its partners to solve real-world connectivity challenges.

“Private cellular networks are principal catalysts for utilities in their digital transformation journey to address multiple use cases, and utilities can now leverage our Global Utilities Innovation Center to experiment with different 4G and 5G use cases and co-create with our ecosystem partners,” says Koustuv Ghoshal, Vice President and Head of Utilities, Energy & Industrials at Ericsson North America. “We look forward to partnering with utilities around the world on their grid modernization journey.”

The Global Utilities Innovation Center is integrated with Ericsson’s state-of-the art device testing lab a short distance from the Plano site, where utilities and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) partners can test interoperability of their field and IoT devices over mission-critical networks in a safe and secure environment. As a fully functional end-to-end operational lab, the center contains a physical representation of a utility smart grid, enabling real-world demonstrations of end-to-end private networks operations across the power grid from generation and transmission to distribution to end users.

“Utilities require mission-critical networks that have to be secure, reliable, and increasingly sustainable,” says Per Wahlen, Head of Business Development at Ericsson North America. “This center is a state-of-the art facility where we can work closely with utility companies, exploring new 4G and 5G use cases and delivering end-to-end solutions. At each point, you can see the benefits of the latest generations of cellular wireless networks in enhancing security, resilience, and efficiency of the power infrastructure.”

Ericsson’s Global Utilities Innovation Center creates an interactive, engaging experience to showcase Ericsson and partner solutions for utilities. The Innovation Center environment is a learning platform for exchanging information and ideas between the utilities, Ericsson, and the entire industry.
The environment also allows for co-creation with Ericsson partners while utilities replicate their end-to-end use cases. The Global Utilities Innovation Center includes the Ericsson Experience Center in Plano, Texas, and Ericsson Labs in Richardson, Texas.