Caretaker govt introducing ‘Contract Base Smartphones Policy’ from Jan 15: Minister

ISLAMABAD, Caretaker IT and Telecommunication Minister Dr Umar Saif Friday disclosed that his ministry with the coordination of all other stakeholders of telecom companies from January 15, 2024 will launch a ‘Contract based smart phone policy’ in which people travelling to other countries will get latest model phones on easy installments, which will benefit economy.

Talking to a private news channel, IT minister said that our aim to incentive responsible financial behavior and ensure that smart phone accessibility continues to expand, adding, we need a robust mechanism to protect investors from defaults, suggesting measures such as blocking mobile phones and, potentially, national identity cards of defaulters.

Minister said that under this policy, telecome companies will have the opportunity to directly offer smartphones to customers through installment plans, thereby expanding the benefits of mobile broadband, especially among low-income segments in Pakistan.

Replying another question, he also announced that his ministry from January 7 to 10 have been introducing a ‘Standardized Quality measurement Tests’ across universities in Pakistan to ensure job opportunities for fresh graduates.

Ministry have made significant decisions to revamp IT education in universities in collaboration with HEC, the National Computing Accreditation Council, the Examination Testing Council, the Pakistan Software Export Board, and the Pakistan Software Houses Association.

He said further explained the program that countrywide students around 20 to 25,000 who will pass the test will be offered job opportunities through the Industry Placement Program.

He said that we will allocate funds to support special industry courses in universities, designed to prepare students for current industry trends and needs, we aim to increase our trained manpower in industrial sector.

He also highlighted the importance of aligning educational institutions with industry requirements and facilitating industry-specific training manpower.

Minister also asked the universities to take rapid action to start new quality courses in entrepreneurship and exports for students which would help boost economy of the country.

To another query, he replied that we have planned to make exponential growth in IT sector as it is necessary for us to bring productivity revolution in our economy by using Information and Communications Technology.