Thursday, November 21 2024

Japan ramps up tech ambitions with $65bn for AI, chips
Japan is readying a $65-billion push in microchips and artificial intelligence (AI) aimed at reclaiming its status as a global tech leader and meeting the urgent challenges of its ageing, shrinking population. The 10-trillion-yen package, which lawmakers could approve this week, is also seen as preparation for an uncertain world as fears grow of a potential Chinese invasion of chip powerhouse Taiwan. But analysts warn that question marks remain over worker shortages and whether Japan can generate enough electricity for energy-hungry AI data centres. After dominating in tech hardware during the 1980s, “Japan had a quite a long period of almost just sitting back and observing a lot of this innovation, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence”, said Kelly Forbes, president of the AI Asia Pacific Institute.
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Wednesday, November 20 2024

NA panel questions PTCL authority to sell assets
The National Assembly Standing Committee on IT & Telecom questioned the authority of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) to sell its properties since the board of directors was not the owner of the company. The committee meeting in the Parliament House sought answers to several queries from the state-owned largest telecom company, including the board’s powers under the sale purchase agreement (SPA) between the Government of Pakistan and Etisalat. Committee chair Syed Aminul Haque showed an advertisement to the Ministry of IT & Telecom officials and the executive representing the PTCL. The advertisement sought bids to purchase several properties of the PTCL, but in response, the PTCL executive said that no property had been sold as the required price was not offered.
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IT firms, ISPs advise govt against ban on VPNs
Internet service providers (ISPs) and software houses have warned that restrictions on the internet and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) would become an “existential threat” and alienate segments of society. The statements have criticised the purge on VPNs — used by businesses and individuals — and the decision to ban unregistered proxies by the end of this month. Shahzad Arshad, the chairman of the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap), said: “It is essential to recognise that blanket restrictions or sweeping narratives around tools like VPNs risk alienating segments of society, particularly those who rely on these tools for entirely legitimate purposes, such as IT exports, financial transactions, and academic research.”
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Tuesday, November 19 2024

Jazz invests Rs33bn in nine months
Jazz, along with its associated companies JazzCash and Mobilink Microfinance Bank, invested over Rs33 billion in the first nine months of 2024, strengthening Pakistan’s digital ecosystem across key sectors, including banking, financial services, cloud, data centers, digital healthcare, entertainment and connectivity. The company also contributed Rs97bn in corporate tax, sales tax, import duties, as well as withholding tax collected from customers and suppliers to the national exchequer. In a statement issued on Monday, the company said that Rs41bn had been invested for expanding high-speed mobile broadband in underserved areas, supporting research and development, start-up growth, and payments for license renewals, spectrum fees, and more.
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IT exports surge to $1.2bn in July-Oct
Despite internet disruptions and firewall issues, Pakistan’s IT exports rose 35 per cent to $1.21bn during July-October 2024-25. Nasheed Malik of Topline Securities said exports have risen due to IT export companies’ growing client base globally, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, relaxation in the permissible retention limit increasing it from 35pc to 50pc in the Exporters’ Specialised Foreign Curr­ency Accounts, and exch­ange rate stability encouraged IT exporters to bring a higher portion of profits back to Pakistan. IT exports surged 39pc year-on-year and 13pc month-on-month to $330m in October. These monthly IT exports in October 2024 are higher than last 12-month average of $287mn. This is the 13th consecutive month of YoY IT export growth, starting from October 2023, he said.
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