Pakistan’s Ministry of IT & Telecom Bags Excellence Award at Mobile World Congress

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications has been declared the winner of the revered Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award, at the Global Mobile Awards 2015. MoIT has been conferred upon this award primarily because of its role in hosting the successful auction of 3G and LTE service licenses in April last year.

Related: 3G/4G Licenses Auction in Pakistan Raises $1.112 Billion

Pakistan’s Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Ms. Anusha Rehman received the award on the Ministry’s behalf this Tuesday at Mobile World Congress which is being held in Barcelona, Spain.

“The winner of the 2015 Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award is the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of the Government of Pakistan, which in 2014 successfully auctioned spectrum for 3G/4G services in the 850 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands,” the result announcement states at the official Global Mobile Awards website.

“Since then there has been a rapid uptake of 3G services, bringing significant benefits to consumers and the national economy, and huge growth potential for industry players including operators, device manufacturers, application developers and distributors,” the statement continues.

According to an estimate from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), total 3G users in Pakistan had crossed the 9 million mark in January this year (a figure that stands around 10 million now), while the number of 4G LTE users were in excess of 50,000.

Ms. Anusha expressed satisfaction regarding the pace at which the next-generation mobile services are being adopted in the country. “The Spectrum auction for next generation mobile services has not only enabled the people to gain access to mobile broadband services but has also encouraged investment in mobile networks in Pakistan,” she remarked during her keynote address.

The Minster of State represented the country at the ministerial roundtable talks on “Digital Inclusion – Role of e-Government”, and she is also leading the Pakistani delegation at Mobile World Congress 2015.

The awards are hosted on annual basis by GSM Association (GSMA), a global association of mobile operators and related companies. Apart from the Global Mobile Awards, GSMA produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, MWC Shanghai, and Mobile 360 Series conferences.

Another fact worth mentioning here is that Telenor Pakistan’s branch-less banking service Easypaisa was also nominated in the award category ‘Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets’ this year, however it was bested by BBC’s ‘Mobile Academy & Mobile Kunji’ project.