Connect with us

Tech

Govt’s new policy to allow people buy mobile phones on instalments

Published

on

  • New policy to be launched from January next year. 
  • Govt seeks to expand smartphone accessibility. 
  • Companies to directly offer phones through instalment.

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government announced the launch of the ‘Contract-based Smartphones Policy’ scheme from January 15 next year that will allow people to buy smartphones in instalments, The News reported Saturday. 

The scheme for smartphone accessibility will be expanded subsequently for the benefit of other users, facilitating people travelling to other countries to get the latest model phones in easy instalments.

Federal Caretaker Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Umar Saif unveiled the new policy on Friday where he said the ministry, in coordination with the stakeholders of telecom companies, was going to launch the policy from the next month that had been approved after thorough discussions with the stakeholders.

“Our aim is to incentivise responsible financial behaviour and ensure that smartphone accessibility continues to expand. We need a robust mechanism to protect investors from defaults through measures such as blocking mobile phones and, potentially, national identity cards of defaulters,” the minister said.

Dr Saif said that under this policy, telecom companies would have an opportunity to directly offer smartphones to customers through instalment plans, thereby expanding the benefits of mobile broadband, especially among low-income segments in Pakistan.

To a query, he said that his Information Ministry was also introducing ‘Standardised Quality Measurement Tests’ from January 7 to 10, 2024, across the country’s universities to ensure job opportunities for fresh graduates. 

The ministry has made significant decisions to revamp Information Technology education in universities in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), National Computing Accreditation Council, Examination Testing Council, Pakistan Software Export Board and Pakistan Software Houses Association, he added.

The information minister said that with an aim to provide job opportunities through another countrywide programme, around 20,000 to 25,000 students will be offered job opportunities through the Industry Placement Programme after they have passed the test. “We will allocate funds to support special industry courses in universities, designed to prepare students for current industry trends and needs. We also aim to increase our trained manpower in the industrial sector,” he added.

He stressed the need to attach importance to aligning educational institutions which can fulfil industry requirements and facilitate industry-specific training manpower. 

The information minister asked the universities to take rapid action to start new quality courses in entrepreneurship and exports for students. “We have planned to make exponential growth in the IT sector as it is necessary for us to bring productivity revolution in our economy by using information and communications technology,” he maintained. 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Moon train operations are planned by NASA.

Published

on

By

The goal is to construct the first lunar train system, which will enable safe, independent, and effective cargo transportation on the moon, according to robotics specialist Ethan Schaler of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

He went on, “The day-to-day functioning of a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s will depend heavily on a robust, long-lasting robotic transport system.”

The Flexible Levitation on a Track, or FLOAT, is the name of the proposed lunar rail system. According to NASA, the establishment of a railway system on the moon is “critical to the daily operations.”

According to the space agency, the primary objective of FLOAT is to offer transportation services in regions of the moon where astronauts are engaged in activities. To do this, cargoes of lunar soil and other materials will need to be transported to various regions of the moon.

Each robot will be able to transport cargo of various sizes and shapes at a pace of roughly 1 mph (1.61 km/h), according to Dr. Schaler.

Notably, NASA also declared new initiatives last month to create and test new vehicle models intended for moon exploration.

Continue Reading

Business

Pakistan’s lunar mission ‘ICUBE-Q’ reaches the moon orbit.

Published

on

By

Pakistan’s lunar mission (ICUBE-Q) entered orbit around the moon on Wednesday.

Pakistan’s historic lunar mission (ICUBE-Q) launched from Hainan, China, on Friday aboard China’s Chang’E6 spacecraft.

According to the IST, the satellite ICUBE-Q was planned and developed in partnership with China’s Shanghai University SJTU and Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO.

The ICUBE-Q orbiter is equipped with two optical cameras to image the lunar surface. ICUBE-Q has now been integrated into the Chang’e6 mission after successfully qualifying and testing it.

Chang’e6 is the sixth lunar exploration mission launched by China.

The launch event was streamed live on the IST website and social media platforms. Chang’6, China’s Lunar Mission, will land on the Moon’s far side to collect surface samples before returning to Earth for further research.

Continue Reading

Education

The establishment of IT labs in Islamabad’s educational establishments

Published

on

By

SIFC was established to improve the ease of doing business for potential investors through a “Whole of Government”Approach”—achieving optimal horizontal-vertical synergy and facilitation by the Pakistan Army—and to attract investments from friendly countries in selected sectors through an empowered organisation that serves as a “single-window” platform for facilitation.

The children will learn the newest skills in these state-of-the-art IT labs, expanding their employment prospects.

These IT laboratories will be constructed in sixteen degree colleges spread throughout various parts of Islamabad.

Students will take six-month courses in artificial intelligence (AI), game development, data science, and block chain in these IT labs.

Approximately 1,000 students will have access to courses in the first phase, which is being implemented in response to market demand.

The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission has worked with esteemed universities such as NUST, National Skills University, COMSATS, and NUML to produce these courses.

The second week of this month will mark the start of these classes. For these courses, about 3,600 students have signed up.

Continue Reading

Trending