Pakistan on way to become regional information and communication hub
Shares
ISLAMABAD, (APP): Pakistan on way to become regional information and communication hub
Pakistan, a country with around 18per cent Internet penetration and its geographical location, has a lot to offer to landlocked Central Asian (CA) states with crucial bandwidth access which can turn Pakistan into regional connectivity hub for entire region.
The country, having over 185 million population, possesses the highest international connectivity in the region at 400Gbps out of Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Kirghyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
A document presented by Information Security Operations Center (ISOC) at INet Conference here, has revealed this is due to the fact that all other countries are landlocked and depend heavily on Russia for their international internet connectivity of any sort.
The ISOC - called Internet Society - is an international organization which provides leadership in Internet-related standards, education, access and policy.
Not to mention, these Central Asian countries have very low rate of international internet connectivity - Afghanistan, for example has less than 30Gbps international bandwidth with other countries even having lower bandwidth - which means Pakistan can tap a lucrative market and help internet uptake in these landlocked markets.
"With its coastline and direct access to submarine cable landing points, low bandwidth cost and throughput, Pakistan sits in an enviable strategic position," said the ISOC report that was exclusively shared with mediamen.
The report said that Pakistan has all the potentials in place to bridge access to international submarine cables and provide greater bandwidth to region as a whole. Pakistan, therefore, can become a natural "Southern Route" to connect Central Asia to international networks.
The report said as one might imagine, before eyeing lucrative Central Asian countries, Pakistan will have to enable and expand access to its own population. With 400Gbps, Pakistan currently has 9Kbps bandwidth per individual in the country and this is exactly where Pakistan has to improve in order to be considered as the connectivity hub for Central Asian markets.
If Pakistan is able to capitalize on its strategic geographical location and position itself as a service provider of international bandwidth to its land-locked neighbors, it will consolidate these early transitional developments and help accelerate transformation of local digital economy.
Moreover, a supply project called Central Asia - South Asia 1,000 megawatt (CASA 1,000) started by Tajikistan may also connect areas digitally, as discussion on a proposal is also underway to lay down a fiber optic cable along power transmission line.
The fiber optic cable currently in use uses a longer pathway to get to Pakistan since it goes to Europe from Russia before arriving at Pakistan.
Tajikistan has a lot of potential for power production because their energy sector had received a large amount of investment, and that this in turn presents a great opportunity for Pakistan and Tajikistan to lay down the line.
