The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has drafted‘National Broadband Policy-2021′ targeting the contribution of digital andbroadband development on the economy, to the tune of $5 billion investmentand $20 billion revenue by 2025.
The draft policy also envisages up to 8 percent contribution towards theGross Domestic Product (GDP) from digital and broadband development in thenext four years.
One of the objectives of the draft policy is to ensure that 100 percent ofthe population living in tier-2 and tier-3 cities should have access tohigh-speed internet (average per-user internet speeds of 50Mbps in majorcities) and the facilitation of 75 percent of the internet users withdigital bank accounts by 2025.——————————
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The draft policy aims at addressing specific challenges listed below:
– The need for affordable access to broadband for all. – To address the challenges concerning the digital divide, especially in unserved and underserved areas nationwide. – Overcoming the challenges in rolling out the required digital infrastructure and related financing models, including extensive fiberization and efficient spectrum management. – Harmonization of existing tax regime on telecommunication services. – Stimulating the development of local and relevant content and services. – The need for improved and consistent broadband quality of service. – Urging the importance of digital trust over telecommunication networks to promote wider use of digital technologies in all spheres of life. – Understanding the impact of the Internet in terms of socio-cultural developments economic growth and environmental sustainability. – Lowering barriers for investments applied on existing licensees and for new investors in the telecom sector and promoting public-private partnerships. – Challenges vis-à-vis accelerated evolution towards the adoption of Xth Generation technologies and fiberization, necessary for improving the state of broadband infrastructure.
The policy is conceived for furthering the initiative of Digital Pakistan.It is pivotal to craft a policy vision that is user-centric,market-oriented, simple to govern, and all-inclusive, laying a strongfoundation to address outstanding issues expediently and explore newopportunities in the most agile manner.
The National Broadband Policy – 2021 aims to “revitalize the state oftelecommunication by accelerating the efforts for digital inclusion ofevery citizen in any corner of the country to gain universal access tohigh-speed affordable internet, enhance the use of digital space byproviding equal opportunity for socio-economic wellbeing in a safe,responsible and healthy environment through evolving policy and regulatorymeasures required for timely and sustainable adoption of cutting edgetechnologies and digital infrastructure.”——————————
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The policy objectives include:
1. Addressing the challenges of internet access by fast-tracking the penetration of digital access, optimizing the use of existing infrastructure, and equitable distribution of digital dividends through need-based policy interventions. 2. For the early inclusion of digitally divided people, promote service-based and open competition, rationalize taxes, and offer essential incentives for reducing the cost of inclusivity. 3. For the socio-economic wellbeing, enhance the awareness of using the internet/digital services for learning and earning. 4. Xth Generation internet service and technology readiness and enablement. 5. To improve the availability of the internet by localizing content and inducing a culture of indigenous research and innovation at the grassroots for addressing societal challenges and exploring opportunities through effective and efficient use of digital/internet space. 6. To plan and optimize infrastructure/resources available with National and Provincial Governments and State Organizations for improving the delivery of internet/digital services in synergies and partnerships and for a purposeful adoption and humanization of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). 7. Develop a roadmap for harnessing evolving communication technologies and to create an enabling environment through necessary facilitation and appropriate regulation.
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The user-centric policy drivers, on which the foundation of the NationalBroadband Policy – 2021 is laid, consists of the following four majorpillars. The 1st pillar will focus on the *digitally divided people, whoare yet to be digitally included*, and would provide guidelines regardingthe use of existing fiber resources, facilitating infrastructure sharing,introducing national broadband networks, and its role in the development ofsustainable broadband infrastructure in public-private partnerships,reviewing the role of the USF for sustainable penetration of broadbandservices in unserved and underserved areas of the country further enhancingthe capability for use of already laid infrastructure, further assessingthe rolling spectrum strategy and offering interventions for resourceoptimization as well as a roadmap for the inclusion of new Mobilelink bands, facilitating theprovisioning of rights of ways, plan for commercial use of data satelliteand proposal for Smartphone link adoption andincreased local manufacturing of internet devices/terminals in Pakistan.
The 2nd pillar will help in *organizing matters related to enhancing theuse of the internet and for market enablement* such as; a roadmap forservice-based competition, review of licensing framework, outlining thefuture course of OTT platforms and content management, broadening the roleof Ignite as research and innovation enabler, facilitating the cloudinfrastructure and internet exchange points, reviewing the quality ofservice rules for improving user experience, developing and implementingnew services and technologies in public-private partnerships, supportingwith necessary infrastructure and services for enabling social services inthe digital space.
The 3rd pillar will emphasize *the privacy and protection of users* consumingthe internet, and help in creating awareness and propose a framework forsecuring identity and data online, ease of access for reporting criminalactivity online, guidelines for constituting CERTs, standardizing andimplementing user privacy. It would also propose a common operatingenvironment and standards for internet security, environment protectionsupport and provide a framework for standardizing new technologies andservices.
The 4th and final pillar of the policy would *help the user by providing atransformational roadmap for legacy services and technologies*, review therole of different public sector organizations responsible for facilitatingdifferent telecommunication services, plan for adopting open sourcetechnologies and platforms, broadly identify future technologies and makeprovisions for early adoption, propose a broad strategy for the adoption ofInternet of everything and last but not the least provide a guideline forinternational cooperation in ICTs.
For enhancing the implementation capacity of broadband plans and strategiesthrough special funding instruments for aiding the economic structure basedon thorough market analysis and benchmarking, the ITU Broadband Commissionadvocates to align National Broadband Targets with an international actionplan until 2025.
With a focus on the early digital financial inclusion of the millennialpopulation, it is anticipated that Pakistan can achieve the targets givenbelow well before the time due to propelling digital culture in the country.——————————
These targets are to ensure that 100 percent population living in tier-2/3cities should have access to high-speed internet by 2025, more than 75percent of the metropolis, district, town, tehsil and union council shouldbe connected with Optical Fiber Cable based fixed/wireless access networkwith average per-user internet speeds of 50Mbps in major cities of Pakistanby 2025.
The targets also aim that social and welfare service facilities such asschools, hospitals, courts, police/fire stations, district/union counciloffices should have access to broadband internet services with at least50Mbps connectivity by 2025. The targets also aim that more than 75 percentof businesses and commercial facilities should have access to high-speedfixed and mobile broadband internet by 2025, and every internet user tohave ownership of at least one latest smartphone(s) and/or device(s).
To introduce the next wave of fixed and mobile services and ensure coveragein 25 percent of the cities in Pakistan by 2025; and another 75 percent ofcities/towns by 2030; while accommodating technological evolution andresource optimization on the go, to facilitate 75 percent of internet userswith digital bank accounts by 2025; develop and operationalize at leastfive carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Points and cloud data centers inpublic-private partnerships by 2030.
