Lahore, July 1, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), has signed a contract with PepsiCo Pakistan to provide premium connectivity services at their multiple sites across Pakistan.

Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief business Services Officer, PTCL and Sadaf Saad, Chief Information Officer, PepsiCo Pakistan, signed the contract during a ceremony held at PepsiCo Pakistan Head Office in Lahore, along with senior representatives from both organizations. Under this contract, PTCL will provide seamless telephone and internet services to PepsiCo Pakistan through its robust network infrastructure.

Speaking at the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, ‘We are glad to be partner of choice for PepsiCo Pakistan and provide them with connectivity across their essential sites in Pakistan. PTCL Business Solutions strives to provide state-of-the-art ICT solutions that are innovative, dependable and agile and exceed expectations of our corporate customers.”

On the occasion, Sadaf Saad, Chief Information Officer, PepsiCo Pakistan, said, “We are delighted to get PTCL on board that will enable our workforce to be efficient and stay connected in a seamless way. PTCL with its vast network spread across the country will definitely support our increasing demand for internet and telecom services that will ultimately benefit our business.”

PTCL has always been on the forefront to provide innovative solutions to both corporate customers and consumers. Ends

Islamabad, June 28, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), has signed strategic contracts with Huawei Technologies Pakistan for the transformation of its IP Edge and Optical Transport Network (OTN).

Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group CFO, PTCL & Ufone and Mark Meng, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, signed the contract during a ceremony held at PTCL HQ, Islamabad. Jafar Khalid, GCTIO (Development), PTCL & Ufone, Ahmed Bilal Masud, Deputy CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, also attended the ceremony, along with senior management from both organizations.

Aimed to meet the exponential growth in traffic, this transformation involves modernization of existing inter-city and long-haul network, with a state-of-the-art OTN network. Combined with the existing Optical Transport Network backbone, PTCL long-haul capacity will become Multiple Terabits per seconds, capable of delivering better services across the country. 

Furthermore, PTCL, in-line with its vision to revolutionize widespread availability of IP connectivity in Pakistan, will deploy a Unified IP Edge network, spreading across more than 130 sites, for providing next generation IP services. This upgradation, along with PTCL’s recently modernized Multi-Service Core & Internet Gateway network, will enable provisioning of high-speed & reliable ICT services across Corporate, Carrier & Consumers segments, supporting future customer-end demands of 100-400 Gigabit per second scalability.

Speaking on the occasion, Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group CFO, PTCL & Ufone, said, “PTCL continues to transform its network with scalable architecture and futuristic technologies, to meet growing bandwidth demand from our subscribers, corporate and carrier customers. We are glad to partner with Huawei on this strategic initiative, that will go a long way in enabling the widespread availability of quality ICT Services across Pakistan.”

On the occasion, Mark Meng, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, said, “We greatly value our long-term relationship with PTCL Group, and continue to support its vision for technological evolution. PTCL is playing a leading role in enhancing customer experience through innovation, and definitely this network transformation will empower and exceed customer expectations in times to come.” 

Being the national flagship carrier, PTCL is fully committed to the vision of a Digital Pakistan, by further strengthening its commitment for continual network infrastructure evolution and resolve for consistent improvement of our valued customer experience. End

Islamabad, June 18, 2021: Seeing the impact of third wave of COVID-19, PTCL Group, as part of its social responsibility, has announced its commitment to support its 26,000 employees including its contractual employees and their dependents with COVID-19 vaccination in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan.

PTCL Group, one of the country’s largest telecom groups and backbone of connectivity in Pakistan, has the highest number of employees across the country from metropolitan cities to the smallest villages of Pakistan. Through this initiative, PTCL Group will be taking care of its large employee base in both PTCL & Ufone. This will also ensure support to the Government of Pakistan in their efforts to direct resources to more impoverished strata of society.

As an organization that is committed to support its employees and their dependents, two major PTCL Medical Healthcare Centers in Islamabad and Karachi have been assigned with dedicated medical staff and converted a section of the facilities into government-assisted Vaccination Centers. In addition to this, PTCL Group is further assisting its employees in reimbursing the expenses for private vaccination as well.

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL and Ufone, said, “We are glad to see that majority of our employees have received their second dose or are in the process of getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination. Converting our medical centers into vaccination centers is a major feat for our organization and is a testament of the trust and credibility for our Medical Services Team. As PTCL Group, we are proud of our employees who have stood with us during this tough period of pandemic and have provided seamless connectivity throughout Pakistan.” 

PTCL Group has already undertaken a comprehensive Corona virus relief and support effort that helped people across the country to stay connected and also provided access to facilities, mainly food and healthcare, to the most vulnerable communities. Moreover, the Group is proud of its 12,000+ frontline workers, who are ensuring country’s connectivity and business continuity round the clock, even in the remote and far-flung areas of the country. Ends.

Peshawar, June 17, 2021: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa successfully tested 5G technology in collaboration with PTCL Group and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB), under the umbrella of Department of Science and Information Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The 5G trial conducted in a limited environment on a non-commercial basis was organized at Durshal Incubation Center, Peshawar, where Atif Khan, Senior Minister IT, Science & Technology, Food, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, graced the occasion as the chief guest.

The demonstrations included successful remote surgery concept, Cloud Gaming and an overview of anticipated 5G technology applications in Pakistan. Once the infrastructure and systems are operational, surgeons will be able to perform surgeries remotely in the far-flung areas.

On the occasion, Atif Khan, Senior Minister IT, Science & Technology, Food, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chief Guest, said, "I am glad to participate today at this significant milestone event in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where we have successfully conducted trials for 5G technology, in collaboration with PTCL Group that will pave the way for supporting the Prime Minister's vision of a Digital Pakistan. This technology, once deployed, will enable provision of best medical and healthcare facilities to remote areas, provide international level education opportunities to the underserved areas, and have a significant overall impact on the socioeconomic landscape of the country. I congratulate all the stakeholders to make significant contribution in arranging this latest technology demonstration.”

On the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, "PTCL, being the national carrier, is committed in fulfilling aspirations for digital transformation in the provinces and is proud to partner with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to conduct successful 5G trials in a limited environment today. It will accelerate the process of digitalization and economic growth by connecting masses with the robust purpose-built technologies and create new opportunities. Being the backbone of connectivity in the country, we support the efforts of the government by providing innovative IT infrastructure and solutions that will surely turn the vision of a Digital Pakistan into a reality."

This futuristic technology will enable innovation in diverse sectors including remote education, public safety, transportation, health, manufacturing, and many others. Furthermore, KPITB and PTCL signed an MoU for mutual collaboration and agreed to work together to promote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Digital Policy and realize the Prime Minister's vision of a Digital Pakistan. Ends

Lahore, June 16, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government College University (GCU), during a ceremony organized at GCU campus in Lahore. Under this MoU, PTCL will offer students, alumni and staff members with exclusive discounted packages for premium ICT services including seamless telephone and internet services.

On the occasion, Nauman Durrani, Executive Vice President (EVP) Sales, PTCL, said, “We are glad to partner with GCU and contribute to the education sector by providing students and staff members with discounted packages to enjoy seamless ICT service. With this collaboration PTCL strives to provide cost-effective connectivity solutions equipped with the latest ICT services that will empower students to focus on their ideas and execute them for a better future of Pakistan. Through such partnerships, we endeavor to further strengthen educational institutions across Pakistan such as GCU that play a pivotal role in grooming of the students for nation-building.”

On the occasion, Prof. Dr. Asghar Zaidi (T.I), Vice Chancellor, Government College University, Lahore, said “We are delighted at this partnership with PTCL that will enable our education system to efficiently serve all stakeholders with access to quality ICT services. With advancement in technology, better connectivity has most certainly become a prerequisite for academic excellence. Tapping into PTCL’s vast infrastructure and expertise, it will certainly support our increasing demand for internet and telecom services that would most certainly benefit our students and teachers in a multifaceted way.”

PTCL has always been at the forefront to provide latest and innovative solutions to cater to the ever-growing demand for best-in-class internet services in Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, June 03, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a long-term research and development activities that will mutually benefit academia and the industry. As a first step both are working to develop Artificial Intelligence based Speech Analytics that uses cutting-edge research and technology to find customer sentiments using AI based analytics and to evaluate recorded calls for the purpose of Quality Assurance of Customer Services.

The signing ceremony was attended by Moqeem ul Haque, Chief Commercial and Group Strategy Officer, PTCL Group and Dr. Mohammad Ayub Alvi, Rector, NUCES, along with senior officials from both sides. This state-of-the-art system of Speech Analytics will be able to analyze customers’ sentiments by scanning calls based on a defined set of Call Quality Metrices. As a result, the system will flag calls in which quality of Customer Services was not up to the standard.

On this occasion, Moqeem ul Haque, Chief Commercial and Group Strategy Officer, PTCL Group, said, “We are glad to partner with NUCES for this initiative as latest techniques and solutions will be explored for better customer services through this collaboration. Using this research, it can possibly be scaled to solve several similar issues that are prevalent in the telecom industry of Pakistan. It is a unique and one-of-a-kind development initiative for Urdu language with wider applications in Customer Care and Contact Center domain that will positively impact multiple industry verticals.”

On this occasion, Dr. Mohammad Ayub Alvi, Rector, NUCES, said, “We are excited to collaborate with PTCL who has taken a leading role towards agile processes and automated systems. The development of this Avant methodology will enable PTCL Customer Care Quality Assurance team to analyze innumerable recorded customer interactions with Contact Centers without any major workforce and manned hours. Such collaboration between corporate sector and academia plays a key role for mutual benefit and to develop a long-term R&D partnership.”

Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) have enabled researchers to develop systems that can analyze and generate language constructs close to human level accuracy. Using such technologies, PTCL continues to innovate for providing improved services to its customers. Ends

Islamabad, April 20, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), signed an agreement with National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT), to enable and promote its online platform that will allow customers to pay their bills online conveniently and securely through NIFT’s ePay digital payment gateway on PTCL’s website.

The agreement was signed by Muhammad Amir Siddiqi, EVP Group Financial Planning & Treasury, PTCL and Haider Wahab, CEO, NIFT. Being one of the largest payment processors in Pakistan, NIFT enables secure digital commerce payments through its DFS platform, under the brand name ‘NIFT ePay’.

PTCL customers can now make online payment using any bank account in Pakistan for e-commerce transactions on PTCL website, along with other existing digital payment instruments such as debit/credit cards and digital wallets to pay for their online purchases.

On the occasion, Muhammad Amir Siddiqi, EVP Group Financial Planning & Treasury, PTCL, said, “This partnership will surely pave way for more efficient, easy and secure bill payment options for our customers. The opportunity to pay the bills directly through bank accounts or wallets in addition to the existing card-based transactions will create a sense of reliability, along with ease of use for our customers. We are constantly striving to provide our customers with services that add value to their experience.”

Speaking on the partnership with PTCL, Haider Wahab, CEO, NIFT, said, “NIFT is extremely delighted to onboard PTCL and sees this as a strategic collaboration that will serve a large customer base across Pakistan for digitizing bill payments through our reliable and secure NIFT ePay platform. This is a step in the right direction as there is a dire need for providing customers with secure ways to do convenient online transactions in Pakistan. With such partnerships, we aim to achieve and expedite the adoption of digital payments in the country.”

Through such collaborations, PTCL is constantly on a relentless pursuit to provide convenience to its customers, so that they can enjoy all services while paying their bills from the safety and comfort of their homes. Ends

Islamabad, April 12, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on April 11, 2021.  

The significant growth in revenues was mainly driven by strong performance in Consumer segment and continued growth momentum in Business Services that supported PTCL in posting 7% growth in revenues for the first time since Q1 of 2014. This was achieved despite the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speedy deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network under project ‘Sunrise Pakistan’, aggressive commercial strategy that aimed at improving customer experience and expansion of digital portfolio successfully helped the company get topline growth back on track. This topline growth and efficient cost control program improved bottom line significantly.

PTCL Group Highlights

• PTCL Group’s posted revenue of Rs 33.9 Billion in Q 1, 2021 that is 6.7% higher as compared to the same period of last year, which was mainly contributed by PTCL and U Bank.
• U Bank continued its growth momentum and has achieved a 26.5% growth in its quarterly revenue over same period of last year.
• PTML’s (Ufone) revenue remained stable despite stiff competition in the cellular market.
• PTCL Group posted a net profit of Rs 1.6 Billion as compared to loss of Rs 0.4 Billion for the same period of last year.
• The Group also successfully conducted 5G trial in a limited environment showcasing a remote surgery test case for the first time in Pakistan.

PTCL Highlights

• PTCL’s revenue of Rs 18.9 Billion for the quarter is 7% higher than Q1 2020, mainly driven by Broadband and Corporate & Wholesale business segments.
• The operating profit of the company has increased by Rs 1.3 Billion compared to the same period of last year as a result of growth in the topline, coupled with varied management initiatives for cost optimization.
• Net Profit of Rs 1.7 Billion has significantly increased by 42.6% from last year.

PTCL Consumer Business: Consistent and Exceptional Performance

PTCL Consumer Business reported 4^th straight quarter of growth. Fixed Broadband customers crossed 1.48 Million mark, with 30,000 net additions recorded for the quarter. Apart from Voice Business, which is severely impacted by COVID-19, all the business segments reported revenue growth in double-digits.

• PTCL Fixed Broadband business grew by 12.3% YoY, whereas PTCL IPTV Segment also grew by 11.1% YoY.
• PTCL Flash Fiber, FTTH service offered by PTCL, showed a tremendous growth of 47.1% YoY.
• PTCL Charji /Wireless Broadband Segment grew by 11.1% YoY.

Universal Service Fund (USF) awarded two contracts to PTCL worth Rs 3 Billion for the provision of Optic Fiber Cable in interior Sindh to connect the underserved areas.

Business Services: Continued Positive Growth Trajectory

Corporate and Wholesale businesses continued their growth trajectory proving its market leadership in IP Bandwidth, Cloud, Data Center and other ICT services segments.

• Corporate business grew by 11.9% as compared to the same period last year.
• Carrier business continued its growth momentum and achieved 13.5% overall revenue growth YoY.

PTCL embarked on a journey in developing partnerships to offer software as a service (SaaS) in the banking, education, Cloud and cyber-security verticals. Additionally, PTCL was awarded major digital enablement projects that included Utility stores in the digital transformation of 4,000+ branches, UBL for hosting of the primary infrastructure in a purpose-built Tier-3 site, among other projects.

With the renewal of its integrated services license for the next 25 years, the company has accelerated investments in developing state-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure in Pakistan, which further strengthened its position as the backbone of connectivity in the country. Ends

Islamabad March 16, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) got recognition for its progressive practices in Inclusive Communication and Social Responsibility at the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmark Standards (GDIB) Awards 2021.

Being a large organization with a nationwide reach of staff and customer-base, it is a tremendous feat to be acknowledged for communication practices that are effectively tailored to the diverse characteristics of our customers and employees. Email bulletins, digital screens, IVR messages and SMS alerts are some of the many ways the company chooses to facilitate two-way communication. Pulse surveys are conducted to gauge feedback and interventions are designed to ensure optimum customer service.

Furthermore, the company’s social responsibility practices have put PTCL at a unique spot among its contemporaries. The organization’s growing commitment to diversity and inclusion in terms of gender representation and development opportunities to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) has further fostered a workplace culture of inclusiveness. With the launch of the Justuju Internship Program for PWDs this year, PTCL commits to go only forward with its pledge for excellence. Our employee volunteer force; PTCL Razakaar has set a benchmark for corporate philanthropy and continues to spread smiles year after year.

On the occasion, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “We are proud to have won these two prestigious awards by Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDIB). We are fully committed to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion in not only making PTCL a more inclusive place, but we are also taking conscious steps in making our society at large more inclusive as well.”

These awards recognize and encourage organizations that use GDIB standards to align organizational policies for sustainable financial and social performance. Approximately 30 companies were honoured in various categories at the prestigious awards ceremony in Karachi. With such recognition, the GDIB awards motivate companies to become more inclusive, diverse and agile. PTCL being honoured in the list of winners is a testament to its commitment towards its employees as well as the community at large. Ends

Islamabad, March 11, 2021 (Thursday): Etisalat delegation comprising of top management held meetings with Federal Ministers and other key government stakeholders in Islamabad on Thursday.

The delegation led by Group CEO Etisalat Hatem Dowidar met with the Federal Minister for Finance, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Federal Minister for Privatization, Muhammad Mian Soomro and Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Maj Gen. (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa.

During the meeting, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh welcomed the delegation from Etisalat to Pakistan. Matters of mutual interest were discussed with a focus especially on Telecom Sector and its significance on the national economic growth.

Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh commended the efforts of Etisalat and PTCL for their tremendous coordination and support in developing a strong infrastructure that would surely transform Pakistan into a digitalized economy. The Minister elaborated Prime Minister of Pakistan’s vision for a Digital Pakistan and highlighted its role in today’s digital world.

Federal Minister for Privatization, Muhammad Mian Soomro, during his meeting, appreciated their interest in Pakistan and contribution in the Telecom Sector. He emphasized that there are tremendous opportunities which should be availed. The per capita ratio of cellular phones in Pakistan is amongst the highest globally. Etisalat and Privatization teams resolved to expedite the pending issues and to have continued sittings.

Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, Etisalat, commended the efforts of the Government of Pakistan including Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Privatization. He further emphasized on their role in re-shaping Pakistan’s Telecom Sector on the pattern of leading economies of the world. Ends

Islamabad, March 11, 2021 (Thursday): A high powered delegation of Etisalat Group, led by Group CEO Hatem Dowidar, visited Pakistan to meet with Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Syed Amin ul Haque here on Thursday.

During the meeting, Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication welcomed the delegation from Etisalat and discussed matters related to the Telecom Sector in Pakistan. Secretary IT and Chairman PTCL Board, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, along with senior officials from the Ministry and PTCL management, attended the meeting. Both the sides stressed on the need for digitalization in the country and agreed to enhance cooperation towards this vision.

Syed Amin ul Haque, Minister for IT & Telecommunication, said, “For the first time in the history of Pakistan, after the formulation of the Right of Way Policy, the MoITT also credited with taking the revolutionary step of getting its approval from all forums. The policy sets out a fee structure for working in the required areas. Similarly, telecom facilities will be considered as ‘Critical Infrastructure’ and no obstruction or unnecessary problems will be allowed for this purpose. Other important issues, including ‘Common Services Corridor’, Security of Telecom infrastructure, Safety measures on Health principles, have been included in the Right of Way policy, which will be binding on all concerned agencies and administrations, and it is a kind of ‘One Window Operation’.”

Federal Minister also said that on recommendations from Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, the Federal Cabinet has unanimously approved a gradual reduction in various heavy taxes imposed on the Telecom Sector and mobile phone users. This is a major achievement that will directly benefit, not only consumers, but will also help spread the spirit of digital Pakistan, i.e. connectivity, to remote areas of the country. Moreover, FBR agrees to the implementation of the Cabinet’s decision to classify the Telecom Sector including cellular operations as an industry.

Hatem Dowidar, Etisalat Group CEO, acknowledged and appreciated HE Minister IT and his team for taking positive, pro-active steps for the progress of the telecom market in Pakistan. He commended their role on the recent developments on the Rights of Way (ROW) and their championing the need for a healthy and sustainable telecom market. He further added that IT & Telecommunication sector in Pakistan has huge potential and it is heartening to see the government’s drive towards the vision of a Digital Pakistan. “The Tax reduction on Telecom sector will benefit both consumers and Telecom operators as it will reduce tax burden on consumers while supporting Telecom Operators in expanding their infrastructure and services,” he added.

The delegation was also thankful to the Federal Minister for his support on various successful projects that were executed in collaboration with the government. The meeting concluded on a positive note, along with renewed commitment from PTCL and Etisalat to serve the people of Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, March 10, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) signed a partnership with NdcTech, an award-winning regional partner of Temenos, to offer Banking Services on Cloud for the first time in Pakistan.

Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO and Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL Group, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, Saad Muzaffar Waraich, Group Chief Technology & Information Officer (Operations), PTCL and Ammara Masood, CEO & President, NdcTech attended the signing ceremony held in Karachi, along with senior officials from both sides.

This collaboration will allow NdcTech and PTCL to offer Cloud-based Digital Banking and Core Banking solutions. This will be offered to banks and non-banking financial institutions for the first time in Pakistan. This partnership will open new avenues and facilitate banks to provide banking services digitally to their customers in less than 90 days. Furthermore, it will also allow banks to configure the model they want to operate and prepare for agility and change from the very start.

On the occasion, Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL Group, said, “With the rising need to keep financial sector data secure, PTCL is the right choice for an in-country Cloud-based hosting solution for this sector. We are serving corporates and enterprises with a truly robust and secure solution with the capability to host the data within Pakistan. This agreement will enable PTCL and NdcTech to jointly facilitate banks and financial organizations to create a safer and more secure Cloud solution for storing financial data within the country.”

On the occasion, Jean-Paul Mergeai, President, APAC and MEA, Temenos, said, “We welcome this partnership between NdcTech and PTCL to provide a local Cloud hosting solution for banks in Pakistan. Temenos software is cloud-native and designed for the digital banking age. Temenos is the platform of choice for banks that want to create hyper-efficient cost models, get to market faster and rapidly launch innovative personalized products.”

On the occasion, Ammara Masood, CEO & President, NdcTech, said, “This is a strategic partnership for us with PTCL, who clearly stands out as a trusted partner with state-of-the-art and secure facilities in Pakistan. Through this collaboration, we will jointly host world’s leading Temenos Software for Banks wanting to use value added services on PTCL Cloud. Temenos cloud-native and cloud agnostic products and our offering of Pakistan Model Bank built with local country specific products and services is fully integrated with the National switches and gateways allowing digital banks to launch rapidly.”

As part of this collaboration, PTCL will offer data center and infrastructure services, whereas NdcTech will provide implementation, upgrades and managed services of the solutions by Temenos. Ends

Islamabad, March 08, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), organized an interactive session on ‘Women in Leadership’ to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, where Zahida Awan, Group Chief Legal Officer, PTCL & Ufone, addressed the female employees of PTCL and Ufone. The event promoted the international theme, #ChoosetoChallenge, where challenges promise a positive change.

This online interactive session covered key challenges faced by women in the world and Pakistan in particular and discussed ways to further improve workplace environment. Moreover, PTCL also recognized the achievements of women at leadership positions and key roles whether these women are serving as frontline workers in the medical teams at PTCL or domains such as ‘technology’ that are thought to be associated with a single gender.

On the occasion, Zahida Awan, Group Chief Legal Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “Organizations are now keener to break stereotypes to endorse a much more inclusive and diverse workplace for their female employee base. One such example is of Ufone and PTCL, where the art of being an equal opportunity employer has been perfectly displayed in the working environment. Conversations that will help break gender stereotypes typical to our society are promoted. An example of this could be the ‘Pink Club’ for all female employees across the PTCL Group which was established with the sole purpose of giving voice to female employees.”

To recognize and celebrate women in PTCL, a special campaign was also successfully launched across the nation where they were encouraged to share their inspiring stories. Women all across organization participated and shared their motivating success stories where they also attributed PTCL’s role in facilitating them. To provide an enabling work environment, PTCL took initiatives to facilitate women including daycare and working from home for two days in a month for the working mothers, amongst others.

The company celebrated this day with great zeal and enthusiasm to acknowledge the contributions of its female employees in the success of the company. This event is hosted every year where renowned and successful women from different walks of life share their experiences and talk about women empowerment.

PTCL, being a national company provides an equal opportunity and prospects for career growth across the country. Ends

Karachi, March 04, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and United Bank Limited (UBL) signed an agreement, for the hosting of UBL’s primary site at PTCL’s purpose-built Tier -3 certified Data Center facility in Karachi.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL Group and Mr. Shazad G Dada, President & CEO, UBL, along with senior officials from both companies, at the UBL Head Office in Karachi.

PTCL is providing UBL a state-of-the-art purpose built data center with precise and control environment, which is equipped with latest technology of networks and IT fabric architecture. With this partnership, PTCL will enable UBL to have the highest levels of security, resilience and flexibility for its infrastructure.  

On the occasion, Mr. Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL Group, said, “We are glad to be a trusted partner of choice for UBL in providing them with a modern, safe and reliable facility to meet their business and IT needs. PTCL endeavours to provide innovative solutions to its corporate customers that enables them to be agile and dependable for their customers. Being a national carrier, our focus is to empower our customers for meeting their objectives and further support them in their business growth.”

Mr. Shazad G Dada, President & CEO UBL, added, “As the ‘Best Digital Bank’ of Pakistan, UBL has always pioneered the use of state-of-the-art technologies. We continue to provide our customers the best in class solutions, in a secure and reliable environment. This partnership will go a long way in implementing our strategic priorities, which include operational efficiency and customer centricity.”

PTCL continues to provide robust IT solutions and services to its enterprise customers that enables them to work with efficiency while their data remains safe and secure. Ends

Islamabad, March 02, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has introduced Balochi Language in its Customer Support Services through its automated helpline 1218.

The deployment of the Balochi Language is testament to PTCL’s commitment to serve its customers in their local dialects across Pakistan. Recently, PTCL had also introduced Sindhi language customer support in their service portfolio to serve its customers more effectively. The company’s philosophy is based on equality and service quality for all regions of the country that includes customers from all walks of life.

Expressing his views on this initiative, Moqeem ul Haque, Chief Commercial Officer & Group Chief Strategy Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “PTCL, being a national company, is continuously striving to provide quality services to its customers across Pakistan. Introducing Balochi language in our Customer Support Services is a step in the right direction as we believe in serving all communities and segments of our society. Moreover, PTCL endeavors to bridge the communication gap and provide more customer friendly channels to engage with its customers. We will continue with our efforts to cater and incorporate more regional languages.”

As Covid-19 is still prevalent, PTCL’s customers can easily continue to enjoy uninterrupted services from the safety of their homes, while also being served in their regional languages. Ends

Islamabad, February 18, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has established its official presence on WhatsApp to better connect with customers and provide them with a convenient and customer friendly communication platform.

To start using PTCL WhatsApp, customers have to first save the PTCL WhatsApp number, which is 033 1218 1218 and then send a message on this number to get the required service. PTCL WhatsApp, a fast, simple and reliable communication tool, will provide quick answers to customers’ frequently asked questions and introduce customers to the various options such as complaints registration, order new products or services. Moreover, customers can get information about all kinds of packages and promos, along with getting their bill information and much more. This service will be round the clock facilitation for the customers and will help bridge the communication gap.

On the launch of WhatsApp service, Moqeem ul Haque, Chief Commercial Officer & Group Corporate Strategy Officer, said, “Despite COVID-19, we have adapted to changing business environment and have taken proactive measures to provide convenience to our customers. As one of our core values is ‘We Put Customer First’, we are always exploring new avenues to adopt latest technology that will help in digitalization. The successful launch of our WhatsApp service will provide seamless services to our customers and enable them to get timely response on their queries and complaints, thus ensuring enhanced customer experience.”

Customers will have a more streamlined experience as this service will provide immediate responses to their queries and they can engage themselves at their own convenience without the need to call on PTCL helpline. PTCL, being a national carrier, endeavors to provide a hassle-free digital lifestyle to its customers across Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, Feb 15, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), in collaboration with Huawei Technologies Pakistan Pvt Ltd, launch Smart Cloud Campus Solution for enterprise customers.

This solution includes the services of AI Enabled WIFI-6 Campus, Software Defined LAN and Software defined WAN (SD-WAN) as a service. The infrastructure of these services employs PTCL’s industry proven connectivity, capacity and Data Center infrastructure with Huawei’s next-generation autonomous driving network management and control system Cloud platform for enterprise networks.

This is a first-of-its-kind intelligent network automation Cloud platform that integrates management, control and analysis functions, along with providing complete life cycle automation of enterprise networks that implements intelligent fault closure through big data analytics.

Speaking on the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, “PTCL Business Solutions is catering to the ever-growing business needs of our enterprise customers. As software-defined networks are key enabler for providing robust, scalable and secure architecture, it will surely help our enterprise customers to build more agile and reliable networks. Being a significant milestone, PTCL brings technological innovation to accelerate enterprises achieve digital transformation.”

On the occasion, Gaoweijie, Managing Director, Huawei Technologies Pakistan Pvt Ltd, said, “We are glad to collaborate with PTCL, national carrier of Pakistan that has strong corporate presence in the country. With this solution, enterprises will be empowered to run critical applications with complete security and ensure data privacy. Not only that, enhanced performance would be delivered with higher capacity bandwidth, network visibility, and a seamless on-ramp to the cloud with significant application performance.”

Smart Cloud Campus Solution has innovative features that help enterprises reduce OPEX and O&M costs to achieve automation with a more intelligent network operations management. Ends

First ever Remote Surgery Demo conducted in Pakistan

Islamabad, Feb 11, 2021: PTCL Group, one of the country's largest telecom groups and backbone of connectivity in Pakistan, has successfully tested 5G technology at a special ceremony held at PTCL Headquarters, which was graced by Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication as the Chief Guest. The 5G trial was conducted in a limited environment on a non-commercial basis.

The ceremony was attended by Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary IT & Telecom and Chairman Board of Directors, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), Major General (R) Amir Azeem Bajwa HI (M), Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), H.E. Hamad Obaid Ibrahimi Alzabbi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, along with senior government and PTCL officials and members of PTCL Board.

Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication, along with other dignitaries, was presented an overview of the live 5G usage scenarios at the ceremony. The demonstrations included remote surgery, Cloud gaming and overview of anticipated 5G technology applications in Pakistan. Moreover, PTCL Group was able to achieve the fastest data rate with download speeds reaching 1.685 Gbps during 5G trial in a limited environment.

PTCL Group demonstrated a 5G remote surgery trial that will help in making the lives of people better. Once the eco-system is developed, doctors will be able to conduct surgeries remotely in far-flung areas. Thus, it will create new social and economic development opportunities that will make the dream of Digital Pakistan a reality.

5G will help digitalization of Pakistan by connecting more and more people with robust purpose-built technology opening up opportunities for industries as well as individuals. This technology will enable future innovation in sectors such as remote education, public safety, transportation, health, manufacturing amongst others. Importantly, the technology will provide enabling levers for delivering richer services and improving customer experience, not only for mobile operators such as Ufone, but also to fixed-line operators like PTCL, who are offering fixed-wireless services as well.

On the occasion, Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication, said, “I am glad to be present on this crucial event as PTCL Group takes a momentous step of successful trial of 5G technology in Pakistan. Ministry of IT & Telecom is committed on Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital Pakistan & Broadband for all its utility and is striving towards realization of PM's vision further as boundless, high speed & resilient. I believe that communication plays a major role in the social economic development and uplift of the financial inclusion of the country. 5G technology will surely enable an emerging technological environment & eco system conducive for economic prosperity in Pakistan.”

On the occasion, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary, IT and Telecommunication & Chairman PTCL Board of Directors, said, “We are committed to the vision of a Digital Pakistan. PTCL Group’s successful 5G trial today is a major step that will pave the way towards digitalization of Pakistan. This technology will open new avenues in many fields such as education, health, security and communication that will have a positive social and economic impact for our country.” 

On the occasion, Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL Group, said, "PTCL has been serving the nation since 1947 as an integral part of everyone's lives in the country. With today's successful 5G trial in a limited environment, we believe that this technology will unlock new realities for eHealth, smart homes & cities, agriculture, autonomous vehicles, Cloud computing, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. PTCL Group's remote surgery demo enabled by 5G, successfully tested for the first time in Pakistan, will enable people living in far-flung areas to potentially have access to the best medical facilities available anywhere in the world." 

PTCL Group is committed to take the country towards digital transformation that will truly redefine the future of communication in Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, February 10, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020 at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on February 10, 2021.

PTCL Group maintained its revenue at Rs. 129 billion, however, if normalized for the impact of Covid-19 and certain regulatory changes, Group revenue is 5.2% higher than 2019 on a like-for-like basis. Ufone performed well despite Covid-19 challenges and was able to successfully cross 10 million data customers by smartly expanding its LTE footprint. Ubank continued its growth momentum and has achieved a 50% growth in its revenue over last year by increasing its customers loan portfolio and deposits. The topline stability coupled with cost optimization initiatives and favorable interest and exchange rate movements, translated into 38% improvement in Group’s net profit for the year.

PTCL standalone revenue for the year is 0.4% higher than last year; the topline witnessed a decline of 0.7% until Q3, however, it picked up in Q4 to 3.7% YoY growth on the back of healthy customer acquisition. Year 2020 was an extremely challenging year, however, PTCL retail business managed to perform in all segments due to successful strategies applied by the management in the beginning of the year, which started yielding results in the second half of the year. Fixed Broadband continuously achieved positive Net Adds during the last 9 months and recorded highest ever net adds in 5 years in December 2020. Similarly, broadband revenue continued to grow in last 7 months while various customer experience initiatives helped reduce churn by 23% YoY. Wireless segment, which was on a declining trend for the past 5 years was turned around in 2020 recording 8% YoY increase in revenue, on the back of aggressive pricing and sales strategies without any major investments. IPTV revenue improved by 3% as compared to last year. FTTH footprint continues to expand with consistent growth in subscribers and revenues with a promising outlook for the future.

Business services revenue achieved an overall YoY growth of 6%.Corporate business exhibited significant growth of 11% whereas, carrier services business grew by 5% compared to the same period last year. Similarly, international business growth was recorded at 4%. PTCL posted net profit of Rs. 6 Billion for the year despite negative impact of Covid-19.

PTCL has successfully maintained its dominant position in the market with reference to ICT, IP bandwidth and managed capacity services. PTCL secured substantial long-term deals with key customers both on short term and long-term basis in Data Center, Cloud, IP and managed capacity services. The Universal Service Fund (USF) awarded two Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) project contracts to PTCL in November 2020 for providing connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur & Khairpur districts. PTCL will provide connectivity to Educational Institutions, Rural Health centers, Government Offices, and corporate institutions.

This year, PTCL took unparalleled customer centric initiatives to enable and enrich all service verticals with state-of-the-art customer experience management platforms and became the first Opco in Etisalat group to successfully implement customer happiness index for effective measurement of customers satisfaction. Being a socially responsible organization, PTCL Group played a pivotal role through support efforts worth PKR 1.9 Billion including Rs. 100 Million donations to PM’s Pandemic Relief Fund for supporting the nation in trying times. During Covid-19, through campaigns like ‘Heroes of PTCL’ and ‘Nation ka Connection’, PTCL assured its customers that the company and its staff are always there to provide seamless connectivity. End

Karachi, January 04, 2021: The Universal Service Fund (USF) awarded two Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) project contracts worth approximately PKR 3 Billion to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) for providing connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur & Khairpur districts at a special ceremony held at Governor House, Karachi.

Chief Guest of the ceremony, Imran Ismail, Governor of Sindh inaugurated the projects accompanied by Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication. The contracts were signed by Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO, USF and Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL. Senior officials of the Government of Sindh, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, USF and PTCL were also present at the ceremony.

On the occasion, Imran Ismail, Governor of Sindh said: “Today’s event marks another landmark achieved in the history of Pakistan and will go a long way in taking the developmental work being done by Government of Pakistan to a greater level. I also take today’s event as an opportunity to assure all of you that with consistent efforts and spirits, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication will continue to undertake more challenging and productive programs in the future, for the promotion of IT and Telecommunication related services. I would like to congratulate Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin ul Haque, the dynamic teams of USF & PTCL on award of these projects that have been designed to connect 372 Educational Institutions, 170 Health Facilities, 217 Government Offices and 131 Banks within 5 KM radius of the node. I wish them all the very best for implementation of project objectives.”

On the occasion, Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication said: “I believe that Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, realizes the importance of information technology for the country as he envisioned Digital Pakistan and proved his commitment to turn this vision into reality. It affirms that when you have support from the premier, even bigger challenges can be turned into opportunities.

With this renewed commitment, we took charge of this Ministry and of course, the new way of working to bring instrumental change was not visible to the people at the start of our journey as they did not expect such positive results so soon. However, we have proven ourselves as Pakistan Software Board’s export remittances has reached record level.”

Syed Amin ul Haque lauded the great performance of Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and its affiliated organizations. Moreover, IT parks are being created across the country, along with Data Centers, policy on Cloud, cyber security, manufacturing of Smart phones and much more.

The Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication highlighted that Universal Service Fund’s innumerable projects of providing broadband services and laying optical fiber cables in rural and remote areas of the country is a testament of their undeniable performance. Summarizing these key initiatives and projects, he mentioned the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Ex-FATA) and the under-served areas of Balochistan that have witnessed record development projects worth PKR 8.81 Billion. These projects comprise of broadband and optical fiber cables in the under-served and remote areas of Chaghi, Nowshki, Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur, whereas various other projects have been approved for Jhelum and Chakwal, covering an area of 86,773 sq km. A total of PKR 4. 15 Billion is being invested for the provision of voice and broadband services for approx. 88,477 people.

The Federal Minister emphasized that these Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects ensure that we are concerned about the well-being of every citizen of Pakistan without any bias based on language, region or province. He reiterated his support and commitment for every resident of Pakistan. Furthermore, he added “If we had bias, we would never have initiated projects for Sindh including cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Ghotki and Kashmore, however, these are all our cities, being part of Pakistan, and we endeavor to provide the latest facilities to our people for a digitally connected world.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Nadeem Khan, Acting CEO & Group Chief Financial Officer, PTCL said: “Being the national carrier, PTCL is the backbone of country’s communication infrastructure and primary internet service provider. We serve people of Pakistan from large metropolitan cities to remote rural areas. We are glad to collaborate with USF for establishment and operation of optical fiber connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur districts. Aligned with the vision of a Digital Pakistan, we are committed to play our role in supporting the underserved communities and empower them for a better future.”

While sharing his views at the ceremony, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO, USF said: “I take the opportunity to say here that all these achievements have only been possible due to constant efforts of the Government of Pakistan. Federal Minister and Secretary for IT and Telecommunication have been torchbearers of the vision for a “Digital Pakistan” and have enabled USF to transform the lives of people of the country. They have given us tremendous cooperation, help and support, without which all this could not be achieved. I also want to congratulate the very hard-working team of PTCL, who are being awarded the projects worth PKR 03 Billion that aim at laying of 1,078 km of optic fiber cable to connect 140 unserved Union Councils & Towns, benefitting a population of around 4.7 Million people. I am also very proud of my team at USF who has done its best to make these projects successful.”

Moreover, these projects will not only provide a digital highway for seamless broadband coverage to people residing in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur Districts but also improve the lives of people, create job opportunities for them, empower local communities, along with women, who can reap the benefits. Ends

Islamabad, February 3, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), as part of its coronavirus support program, has handed over face masks and hand-sanitizers for the Islamabad Traffic Police frontline officers during a ceremony held at the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Security Office in Islamabad.

The ceremony was attended by Group Chief Marketing Officer, PTCL & Ufone, DIG Security Division, Islamabad Police, along with officials from both organizations. DIG Security, Islamabad, was presented with face masks and hand-sanitizers by the PTCL representatives, to acknowledge the efforts of courageous Traffic Police frontline officers.

On the occasion, Waqar Uddin Syed, DIG Security Division, Islamabad Police, said, “We laud PTCL’s contribution and appreciate their support during the pandemic. This will surely help to further curb the spread of Coronavirus amongst our frontline officers, who are performing their duties fearlessly. We also appreciate and pay tribute to the PTCL frontline workers, who are keeping our country connected and are standing with the nation during these testing times.”

PTCL, being a national company, has made concerted efforts to support the people of Pakistan by providing seamless services. Furthermore, PTCL officials also appreciated the role of Police, who go above and beyond their duties to provide a safe and secure environment. Both organizations stand with the people of Pakistan and are committed to support individuals, their families and communities countrywide. Ends

Islamabad (January 13, 2021): Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has renewed its integrated telecom services license with Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) for next 25 years.

PTCL had initiated the renewal process by formally requesting PTA on June 29, 2018. After conclusion of the ongoing discussions, the license is now renewed in accordance with the existing government policies.

PTCL, being the backbone of connectivity in the country, is at the forefront to provide uninterrupted and better quality of services to the people of Pakistan. Seamless and reliable connectivity provided by PTCL is playing a key role in bringing economic and social uplift in the country. Aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital Pakistan, the national carrier is undertaking a strategic approach to roll out fiber network across Pakistan. It will not only support the business community, but will also ensure convenience and ease for customers through provision of unlimited high-speed internet.

Moreover, PTCL endeavors to further strengthen its network infrastructure by adopting the latest technologies to offer secure and modern Cloud solutions, Data Centers, fiber internet, domestic & international leased lines, wholesale IP Bandwidth, IPTV services and voice telephony.

Expressing his views, Naveed Khalid Butt, Group Chief Regulatory Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “We are happy to announce the news of our license renewal for the next 25 years with PTA. PTCL, being the national carrier, has always remained dedicated in its efforts to provide connectivity to the people and organizations across Pakistan. The company has gone through massive transformation since its inception and is now focused to keep Pakistan digitally connected to better serve its customers, partners and stakeholders.”

With the renewal of its license, PTCL is geared up to take the challenge for taking Pakistan to the next level of growth and progress. With an expanding product and services portfolio, PTCL is one of the key stakeholders of the ICT industry in Pakistan, committed to meet the expectations of its customers. The national carrier has the largest optical fiber cable network comprising four international submarine cables that is serving millions of customers across Pakistan, including other telecom operators. Ends

Islamabad, January 7, 2021: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Avaya Holdings Corp (NYSE: AVYA) have signed a partnership agreement where PTCL will launch Avaya Spaces, the all-in-one workstream collaboration app for the digital workplace, for the first time in Pakistan. The partnership will enable organizations to implement blended and flexible environment for their employees.

In collaboration with PTCL, Avaya will provide free, full-feature access for a limited time to customers in Pakistan. Avaya Spaces is an all-in-one video meeting and workstream collaboration platform for the digital workplace that changes the way work gets done in nearly 100 countries. It helps businesses, schools, governments and other organizations to bring together distributed groups of people instantly with immersive workspaces where they can message, meet, share content, manage tasks and collaborate in the Cloud.

Speaking on the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, “We are continuously working towards empowering organizations within Pakistan and supporting the vision of a Digital Pakistan. In the present circumstances, where most of the organizations are offering flexible working environment, our partnership with Avaya is the step in the right direction. Not only that, such solutions are much needed in the educational sector as it offers a more blended learning and working model. It will certainly create opportunities to streamline and support schools and universities as it introduces an innovative way to learn and deliver lectures.  

Speaking on the collaboration with PTCL, Nour Al Atassi, Director, Service Providers, Middle East, Africa & Asia, Avaya, said, “Globally our customers are leveraging Avaya Spaces to create the future digital workplace and to enable new and innovative education delivery models. With PTCL introducing solutions such as Avaya Spaces, Pakistan will be well on its way to achieving its digitalization goals. PTCL has already invested in an innovative and robust telecommunications network that is serving as an enabler of business continuity across the country. Together, we look forward to supporting the blended delivery of essential services with Avaya Spaces.”

Avaya Spaces has seen significant growth since its introduction and has been an especially important solution for organizations addressing the challenges of COVID-19. At the peak of the pandemic, Avaya Spaces was offered for free to enable companies, schools, governments and organizations of all kinds to adapt to remote work and collaborate, stay connected and be productive while keeping employees safe.

With support being offered by PTCL, one of the country’s leading ICT solution providers, Avaya Spaces will better enable local organizations to choose the right working models for themselves and their customers. Ends

PTCL Media Contact:
Fariha Tahir Shah
GM – Corporate Communications

PTCL
fariha.shah@ptcl.net.pk

Avaya Media Contact:
Tom Paye
PR Manager – Middle East, Africa & Turkey

Avaya
tpaye@avaya.com 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain “forward-looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking” statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," “our vision,” "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or “would” or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) available at www.sec.gov, and may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company’s SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

GITEX Technology Week, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – December 7, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), one of the leading telecom and ICT services providers in Pakistan, has partnered with Avaya (NYSE: AVYA) on QTaleem, an online digital learning education platform, part of the PTCL Education Cloud solution offering.

Launching nationwide, PTCL QTaleem delivers a 360-degree digital education experience, enabling school administrators, teachers and students to be as productive online as they are on-campus. Being fully cloud-based, it delivers an end-to-end school management system, offering multitenancy, regional language support, quick installation and onboarding, and the ability to host live and recorded video classes.

Hosted on the secure PTCL TIA942 Rated-3 Data Center, PTCL QTaleem enables the delivery of an entire educational experience, from online training to support for boarding and operations, through a single window. The application-based platform will make learning more engaging, creating a holistic learning experience.

Speaking on the partnership, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, “As a national carrier, PTCL is enabling an online education framework that has the potential to help more than 53 million students across the country. With this strategic partnership, we are able to address the current challenges facing the education sector in the country by bringing transformational change to delivering education, which is in line with Digital Pakistan.”

Speaking on the occasion, Nour El Atassi, Director, Service Providers – APAC, Middle East and Africa, Avaya, said, “Our partnership with PTCL brings a video collaboration solution to schools across Pakistan, enabling learning to take place anytime and anywhere. The current scenario has proved that the dissemination of knowledge is not dependent on a physical campus or traditional classroom. We look forward to supporting the country as it massively expands its reach of knowledge across the board.”

Avaya Spaces, the all-in-one video collaboration app for the digital workplace, integrates with PTCL’s QTaleem and enables the delivery of seamless video classes. This integration brings a campus-like experience to virtual classes, leveraging Avaya Spaces’ ability to centralize voice, video, messaging, chat and task management into a single application accessible through a desktop or mobile. This solution will facilitate educational institutions, both on- and off-campus, as they move towards blended education models. End

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain “forward-looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking” statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," “our vision,” "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or “would” or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) available at www.sec.gov, and may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company’s SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

Islamabad, December 3, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) concludes Webinars-for-a-Cause series under its Razakaar initiative, which was attended online by more than 160 young graduates from a multitude of backgrounds and economic strata. The series also included students with hearing and speech impairment, with two exclusive webinars for their benefit to develop their skills and confidence building.

The webinars, in collaboration with emerging employment portals such as Kamayi, DeafTawk and Whynot, aimed to bridge the gap between industry and academia by nurturing and upskilling the youth, such as building their personal and professional network, importance of verbal and non-verbal communication, career growth, etc.

Speaking about the initiative, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “We are proud of our Razakaars, who play a significant role in undertaking various CSR activities across Pakistan. Webinars-for-a-Cause series is indeed a great achievement, where youth was engaged in gaining knowledge and learning from the practical experience of our employees before stepping into the corporate world.”

The topics included: How to Ace Interviews, Professional Growth through LinkedIn, Building Your Network, Digital Learning, amongst others. Speakers were self-motivated and highly driven to volunteer in sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with the audience.

This series is a part of PTCL Razakaar initiative, which is an in-house employee volunteer force, with approximately 800 Razakaars across Pakistan that undertakes philanthropic initiatives on behalf of the company every quarter. PTCL endeavors to provide learning platforms and knowledge-sharing opportunities to support the youth in their capacity building. Ends

Islamabad, November 12, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Medialogic Pakistan Private Limited have signed an agreement for enriching TV Audience Measurement (TAM) data in Pakistan, which is an essential branch of media research with the objective of providing necessary insights and information related to the viewing habits of TV audience.

PTCL will provide its Smart TV data to Medialogic, which is one of the leading TAM data suppliers licensed by PEMRA. Medialogic’s TAM service is used by broadcasters, advertisers and media agencies. Integration of PTCL Smart TV Data will enable superior research data, hence providing Broadcasters and Advertisers with opportunities to connect with their audience as they get to know their preferences. This data plays a pivotal role in the decision-making process for broadcasters, advertisers and media agencies across Pakistan, where they can effectively quantify the monetary value of TV audience.

To generate TV ratings, Medialogic currently uses people meters data of approximately 2,000 households from 27 top cities of Pakistan. However, with PTCL’s collaboration, it will be able to generate a hybrid currency by infusing PTCL Smart TV’s Return Path Data into people meters data from additional 200,000 Smart TV households from 150+ cities of Pakistan. This Hybrid Data will, not only add a broader sample base, but also bring greater geographical diversity to the dataset.

On the occasion, Adnan Anjum, Group Chief Marketing Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “We are glad to sign an agreement with Medialogic as it will provide a robust and real-time TV audience measurement system to the advertising industry in Pakistan. It will help businesses to tailor their media strategy more effectively and achieve better results. Through such partnerships, PTCL continues to play its key role in the further development of TAM data and rating engagements.”

Speaking on the partnership, Aly Mustansir, CEO, Medialogic, said, “We are delighted to collaborate with one of the largest ICT providers of Pakistan in this endeavor. PTCL Smart TV’s diverse and extensive audience will help us to provide great value to the advertisers and media houses in Pakistan. We look forward to more opportunities for providing strong and robust data to our clients.”

PTCL Smart TV, the country’s first digital TV service, was launched in 2008 and has 120+ digital quality Live TV channels, hundreds of movies, dramas and content for children. Live TV channels are available with play, pause and rewind options, TV-on-Demand feature, catch up TV, parental control, along with many more features. PTCL Smart TV is geared towards delivering high quality entertainment and information content for viewers nationwide. Ends

Islamabad, November 9, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) collaborates with DETASAD (DETECON Al Saudia Co. Ltd.) a Saudi-German joint venture and a leading contributor to the ICT sector of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), to establish digital Cloud Marketplace in Pakistan.

This was announced at a special e-signing ceremony that was attended by Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary IT & Telecom and Chairman Board of Director, PTCL, Eng. Nawaf Alhoshan, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia, and Hisham Al Sheikh, Deputy CEO YESSER Saudi e-Govt. Program. Other dignitaries included Rashid Khan, President and CEO, PTCL, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, Muhammad Omar Malik, Member Telecom, Ministry of IT & Telecom, Pakistan, Felix Thomas Wass, President and CEO, DETASAD, Nauman A. Vawda, Founder and CEO, iVolve Technologies, along with senior officials from all sides.

With a track record of 38 years, DETASAD (DETECON Al Saudia Co. Ltd.) is the first international player to take the lead in Pakistan and collaborate with PTCL to launch public Cloud platform. This will be the first of its kind international collaboration, where data is going to be hosted locally in Pakistan with PTCL rated-3 Certified Data Center.

With its enterprise-grade & cost-effective services, Cloud Market Place will offer its customers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) on a highly scalable and secure public Cloud platform. The flexible Cloud will offer a rich catalogue, backed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA), making it an attractive offer for businesses. It will also provide a self-service portal and will bring Pakistan's first digital Cloud marketplace with a huge range of products and services. It has been designed to be performance optimized and affordable, therefore will provide the customer with the solution to transform their traditional IT infrastructure to a modern and scalable Cloud-based infrastructure.

Speaking on the collaboration, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary IT & Telecom and Chairman Board of Director, PTCL, said, “I would like to congratulate both the companies on this partnership to bring innovative business solutions to Pakistan that will make local businesses more agile and secure. In our journey to digitize the country under the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital Pakistan, PTCL is taking a leadership role in engaging with key international partners to make technology both accessible and affordable. Moreover, I am glad that this collaboration will further strengthen the friendly bond that exists from many years between Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Speaking on the occasion, Eng. Nawaf Alhoshan, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia, said, “This partnership is an example of the importance of collaboration and cooperation in the digital world between governments, between companies, and most critical, between public and private sector. Driven by Vision 2030, our blueprint for social transformation and economic diversification, the Kingdom today is reaching out to the world using digital as a language that transcends borders and cultures. A language common to anyone working to build a better world. Today, we reach out to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The partnership between the two companies is an extension of the synergies between our two countries, and the synergies between Digital Saudi with Vision 2030 and Digital Pakistan. The partnership is also a living example of how digital bridges between people and nations. Together, the two companies will participate and drive digital transformation across Pakistan as they rollout Cloud Marketplace.”

PTCL, in line with the vision of Digital Pakistan, brings this key initiative to have a positive impact on the local businesses in Pakistan. Cloud Marketplace will enable organizations to equip themselves and conveniently opt for the innovative and secure Cloud solutions, with full compliance on data confidentiality and security regulations for both Pakistan and Internationally. Ends

Karachi, November 2, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has agreed to offer the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) exclusive discount packages for seamless telephone and internet services for all ICAP members.

Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer PTCL, presented offer pertaining to PTCL services to Syed Masood Akhtar, Secretary, ICAP, at a special ceremony organized at ICAP office in Karachi. Khalilullah Shaikh, President ICAP and Hina Usmani, Vice President ICAP, attended the ceremony, along with Abdul Zahir Achakzai, EVP Business Zone South PTCL, Azhar Saeed, GM Sales South PTCL and Omair Jamal, Senior Director, Education & Training ICAP.

This offer will include Managed IT & Telecom services such as Voice, High Speed Internet, International connectivity, Static IP and GSM consumer solutions. Ufone, being a subsidiary of PTCL, plans to offer state-of-the-art Call Center solution to ICAP. Through the establishment of an in-house Call Center at ICAP, Ufone will also be offering expert technical support. Moreover, this facility will enhance ICAP’s connectivity with all its stakeholders.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer PTCL, said, ‘We are delighted to partner with ICAP where the community of chartered accountants will experience high quality telephone, internet and managed digital services across Pakistan. We are at the forefront to serve our nation through concerted efforts in line with the vision of Digital Pakistan. Through such partnerships, we endeavor to support organizations such as ICAP that is a part of the education sector and the regulator of the accountancy profession in Pakistan to play a pivotal role in nation building.”

Khalilullah Shaikh, President ICAP said, ‘Academic excellence demands better connectivity these days. PTCL, being the national telecommunication service provider, has vast infrastructure and expertise to support our increasing demand of internet and telecom services. We believe that the establishment of ICAP Call Center will enhance capacity building and is aimed to improve service delivery to our members and students, along with the provision of hi-speed internet services to fulfill their digital needs. We are sure that PTCL will be an enabler for us as we aim to add value to businesses and economy. We look forward to building a strong relationship with PTCL.

Through such initiatives, ICAP and PTCL will lead the digital transformation by enabling the development of IT-based infrastructure. This collaboration will provide cost effective connectivity solutions equipped with the latest ICT services. It will empower the Institute to focus on their ideas and execute them seamlessly with the help of pioneering ICT solutions. Ends

Islamabad, October 23, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has been awarded a turnkey ICT contract to deploy state-of-the-art IT infrastructure for Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (PAF-IAST) University, a leading center of excellence in higher education and research in Haripur.

Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL and Dr. Nasir Khan, Rector, PAF-IAST signed the contract at the university campus in Haripur. The signing ceremony was attended by Suleman Awan, General Manager, Digital Services, PTCL, Dr. Mohammad Mujahid, Advisor, PAF-IAST, Wasim Hashmi, Advisor PAF-IAST, along with senior other officials from both sides. Anwar Amjad, Advisor IT, PAF-IAST, explained the significance of this project and university’s future plans with respect to IT and communication facilities.

PTCL will deploy state-of-the-art IT infrastructure for campus networking & Wi-Fi, surveillance, Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs), Data Center and information security across university campus. The solution will facilitate the students and faculty to use best-in-class technologies equipped with latest ICT services. Being one of its kind, Wi-Fi 6 and VDI is being implemented in an education institution in Pakistan for the first time.

Speaking on the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, “We are glad to partner with PAF-IAST through this unique collaboration whereby enabling smart campuses equipped with latest IT solutions, hi-speed internet and seamless network. PTCL is committed to play its due role to strengthen education sector in Pakistan. Being a national carrier and backbone of connectivity in the country, we support digital transformation through provision of modern IT infrastructure and Cloud hosting services in Pakistan.” 

Speaking on the signing ceremony, Dr. Nasir Khan, Rector, PAF-IAST, said, “We are excited to take PTCL on board to deploy latest technology that is in line with the university’s long-term plans for strategic research and self-reliance. We are confident that our partnership with PTCL will prove to be a landmark achievement in providing enhanced and one of its kind solutions that will help students and faculty to realize their true potential.”

Being a national company, PTCL continues to focus on education sector as it is a key pillar and is necessary to achieve the vision of a Digital Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, October 21, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) continued with its tradition to create Breast Cancer awareness in the organization across Pakistan. In collaboration with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center, a special webinar was conducted, not only for PTCL female employees, but also for female family members of company’s male employees.

The online session aimed to raise awareness on self-examination and denounce common myths that surround this disease. Guest speaker, Dr. Umm-e-Farwa Ali Zaidi from Jinnah Sindh Medical University explained the risks of Breast Cancer and how early detection can allow people to live a healthy life. Moreover, the speaker gave detailed information on the self-examination procedure and answered questions from the participants.

Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “PTCL, being a caring organization, strives to provide a healthy work environment and hosts sessions on creating awareness on various issues such as mental & physical well-being, stress management, work-life balance, amongst others. Breast cancer is increasing day by day in Pakistan and there is dire need to educate people and to spread awareness on early detection to save lives. Our collaboration with Shaukat Khanum is a testament to our commitment towards this cause.”

In addition to the webinar, PTCL is running a comprehensive digital awareness campaign on Breast Cancer for its female staff under ‘The Pink Club’. Furthermore, PTCL has turned its corporate logo pink on all social media platforms to show solidarity with the cause.

PTCL, through such initiatives, endeavors to educate its employees and their friends and families to live a healthy and prosperous life. Ends

Islamabad, October 18, 2020: The PTCL Board of Directors has appointed Matthew Willsher, currently CEO of Etisalat Afghanistan, to the post of CEO PTCL Group (PTCL & Ufone) effective 1st December 2020. He succeeds Rashid Khan, who was President & CEO of the PTCL Group since March 2019 and decided to leave due to personal reasons.

Matthew has been working in the telecom industry for over 25 years. Previously he has been CEO of Etisalat in Afghanistan and in Nigeria, and held CXO roles for Etisalat in UAE, Maxis in Malaysia, and CSL in Hong Kong. He has also worked in Australia, South Korea, Holland and the UK in a variety of commercial, operational and corporate roles. Matthew’s career started in marketing for Procter & Gamble.

He holds a degree in Physics from Oxford University in the UK, a Masters in Management from McGill University in Canada, and a Diploma in International Practicing Management from INSEAD in France.

During Rashid Khan’s leadership, multiple initiatives were taken at PTCL to improve network availability, stability & customer service levels which have helped improve customer experience today, resulting in PTCL consistently achieving positive net adds since last 6 months. All these positive indicators have helped PTCL retail business to return to growth in Q3’20. Ufone’s turnaround also took place in his leadership where the subscriber base grew 22% and data subscribers grew by 86%. Despite several limitations, for last two years, Ufone has managed to beat expectations.

The Board thanked Rashid Khan for his leadership and commitment, and welcomed Matthew to the PTCL Group. Ends

PTCL records highest Broadband customers in a month in the last 5 years

Islamabad, October 14, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on October 14, 2020.

PTCL Group reported revenue of Rs 96 billion for the nine months ended September 2020; when normalized for the impact of Covid-19 and certain regulatory changes affecting Ufone, Group revenue is 4.2% higher than 2019 on a like-for-like basis. UBank continued its growth momentum and has achieved a double digit growth in its revenue over last year. PTCL standalone revenue for the nine months period is 0.7% lower than last year; when normalized for the impact of Covid-19, the like-for-like revenue is 1.2% higher than the same period of last year.

As the post-Covid situation got better and the markets opened up after the lockdowns, PTCL Group performance has shown signs of improvement. Group’s Q3, 2020 revenue is higher by 3.4% over the same quarter of last year. The topline growth coupled with cost control initiatives translated into 167% and 356% improvement in Group’s operating profit and net profit for the quarter respectively.

During the 3^rd Quarter, PTCL wireline segment showed positive trends. PTCL has recorded the highest ever sale in Broadband for any Quarter since Q4 2014. Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) continues to grow with consistent growth in subscriber base during the period with a promising outlook. The positive momentum in wireless (CharJi) segment continued with subscriber base increasing by 21% on YoY basis. Retail business recorded 6% growth in revenue between Q3 2020 vs Q2 2020.

Corporate and Wholesale businesses continued their growth momentum and have achieved a 6% overall revenue growth YoY. Similarly, international revenue has also shown 6% growth as compared to the same period last year. PTCL, in collaboration with SCO has successfully established strategic partnership to monetize CPEC cross border connectivity. PTCL has been successful to maintain its dominant position in the market with reference to IP bandwidth and managed capacity services.

PTCL Customer Care continued its efforts to enhance customer experience through various initiatives taken during this period. Moreover, PTCL undertook a comprehensive Coronavirus relief and support effort, through its various CSR initiatives, standing with the nation in these tough times. Also, PTCL is geared up to increase high-speed internet penetration in the country to support Prime Minister’s vision for Digital Pakistan.

Based on the financial strength and improved performance, VIS Credit Rating Company Limited (VIS) has reaffirmed entity ratings of PTCL at ‘AAA/A-1+’ (Triple A/A-One Plus). The medium to long term rating of ‘AAA’ denotes highest credit quality with negligible risk factors. Ends

Islamabad, September 29, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited have signed an agreement for provision of physical and Virtual Data Center (VDC) Hosting Services bundled with industry’s leading Managed Security solution.

Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL and Khurram Gul Agha, Chief Information Officer & Operations Support, Telenor Microfinance Bank, signed the agreement at a special ceremony recently held at PTCL Zonal office in Karachi. Umar Farooqi, General Manager, Digital Services Sales, PTCL, Javaid Sher Ali, Executive Director, IT Planning & Architecture, Telenor Microfinance Bank and Nadeem Ashfaq, Director Information Technology, Telenor Microfinance Bank, were also present on the occasion, along with other senior officials.

PTCL is providing Telenor Microfinance Bank with its state-of-the-art infrastructure and platform solutions that are equipped with latest technology, managed security and DDoS filtering solution.

During the signing ceremony, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Chief Business Services Officer, PTCL, said, “We are pleased to sign an agreement with Telenor Microfinance Bank to support them in fulfilling their business needs. PTCL, being a national company, is leading the digitization effort across the country to support the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital Pakistan. Through such partnerships, PTCL continues to play its key role in the development of telecom infrastructure by providing innovative and secure solutions to the corporate sector that will further contribute towards the overall economic growth of the country.”

On the occasion, Khurram Gul Agha, Chief Information Officer, Telenor Microfinance Bank, said, “In light of the current fast-paced banking activities specially through mobile and online platforms, regular upgrades to the security apparatus are crucial. We are pleased to sign this agreement with PTCL as our trusted partner for our Virtual Data Centers. Keeping our data secure is of utmost significance and we believe in providing our customers the best financial solutions which can provide them with the peace of mind required to fully embrace a digitally enabled financial lifestyle. This partnership with PTCL is a step in the right direction given the scale and quality of services that we offer.”

PTCL endeavours to provide best-in-class services to its corporate customers across various industries in Pakistan. This agreement is part of the growth momentum in the diverse areas of ICT and Security Solutions, which is key to a digital banking eco-system in Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, September 24, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), in collaboration with Huawei, deploys first 10-Gigabit-capable Symmetric Passive Optical Access Network (XGS-PON) in Pakistan, becoming the first operator in South Asia and Middle East to introduce Quick Optical Distribution Network (QuickODN) in their network.

PTCL, in collaboration with Huawei has successfully conducted the pilot project of XGS-PON Technology in Korang Town, Islamabad. XGS-PON can provide symmetric bandwidth of 10Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink speeds to a single customer, which is more than five times speeds provided by 5G technology. This technology will further enhance quality of service and user experience for PTCL’s customers and will prove to be a value addition in the already diversified services portfolio, ensuring increase in internet speed.

Moreover, PTCL has also successfully deployed the QuickODN solution in their network, which is splicing free. The solution will increase Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment efficiency threefold, while shortening the time to market by more than 30 percent. It will help bring FTTH services much faster to PTCL customers.

On the occasion, Saad Muzaffar Waraich, Group Chief Technology & Information Officer (Operations), PTCL, said, “PTCL has achieved another milestone by introducing first XGS-PON services in Pakistan. We continue to invest in new technologies and solutions to modernize our network, further expanding our services and bandwidth availability over fixed line. We are providing fixed line services on both copper and fiber, along with wireless services through our Charji. Deploying this solution in Pakistan will enhance the overall customer experience, thus enabling our customers to enjoy hi-speed internet and higher bandwidth.”

On the occasion, Mark Meng, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Pakistan, said, “We are excited to introduce XGS-PON technology in Pakistan through PTCL that will allow their customers to experience best-in-class internet services. This technology will serve fiber-based broadband services to residential homes and businesses at speeds up to 10Gbps. These hi-speeds will enable PTCL to be the primary internet connection provider to millions of customers across Pakistan.”

PTCL is constantly upgrading its technological infrastructure both from customer perspective and network availability to serve all segments, whether Consumers, Carriers, Corporate Sector or International Voice & Data. Ends

Islamabad, September 18, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) successfully concludes Justuju, an exclusive internship program for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The six weeks internship included a structured professional development plan for 20 interns based in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The selected cohort of interns came from a varied background of education and required accommodation for either hearing/speech impairment, visual impairment or restricted mobility.

The program was conducted via PTCL mentors who assisted the interns against a weekly scorecard on time management, official communication, task delivery, organizational/functional knowledge and Microsoft Teams. Sessions were facilitated by Sign Language Interpreters courtesy of DeafTawk. The program further included webinars on overcoming adversity and customized feedback sessions. The aim was to equip these young graduates with professional skills necessary to kick-start their career in the corporate world.

Speaking about the internship program, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “With the Justuju program, PTCL endeavors to enable PWDs in honing their skills so that they can be well-equipped for today’s competitive working environment. We encourage them to use their unique approach and critical thinking for problem solving and decision making. PTCL being a national company endorses and practices inclusivity where all individuals can contribute to business growth and the country’s economy.”

The program was largely conducted on digital platforms. However, the interns got an opportunity to visit PTCL offices and experience the corporate working culture in person during the last few weeks.

PTCL remains committed to taking similar initiatives in the future, focusing on capacity building of youth from all walks of life. Ends

Islamabad, September 9, 2020: Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication (MoITT), along with Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary for Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication visited PTCL HQ in Islamabad where they participated in a tree plantation activity to endorse Prime Minister Imran Khan’s 10 Billion tree plantation tsunami drive.

Along with that, they also had a presentation and meeting on PTCL progress and development with Rashid Khan, President & CEO, PTCL and top management. All participants followed the safety guidelines and kept social distancing throughout the activity.

On this occasion, Syed Amin Ul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication said, “We are glad to see PTCL playing a key role in providing connectivity across the country and is paving the way towards a Digital Pakistan. Being a national company, PTCL is also contributing to environmental preservation that is line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a clean and green Pakistan.”

Talking at the ceremony, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary IT & Telecom and Chairman Board of Director, PTCL, said, “It is an honor to be here at PTCL to create awareness regarding low forest cover and pollution in the country. He further said, I am proud that the national carrier is taking a special interest in Prime Minister’s vision for a Digital Pakistan to ensure country’s economic growth and support the tree plantation tsunami movement for a green Pakistan.”

Speaking at the event, Rashid Khan, President & CEO, PTCL, said, “We are honored to have the Federal Minister and Secretary visit PTCL HQ and take part in our plantation drive. PTCL is a great supporter of Prime Minister’s 10 Billion tree plantation tsunami movement that will help in mitigating the effects of global warming and increase forest cover throughout Pakistan.”

PTCL has always participated actively in climate and environment related initiatives and its HQ is amongst the few Green Offices certified by WWF in Pakistan. Ends

Islamabad, September 3, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) successfully concluded its flagship internship program Experia 2020 with a closing ceremony held at the PTCL HQ, Islamabad. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the company engaged with the students virtually and provided them with ample learning opportunities and mentorship.

For this flagship program, 25 students from well-renowned universities such as LUMS, IBA Karachi, NUST, FAST and Bahria University were selected out of 1200 students through online Gamified Assessment.

On the occasion, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “Our commitment to the youth of Pakistan remains strong as we create ample opportunities of learning and mentoring. Experia is one of the flagship internship program at PTCL, where we nurture and groom the best talent from various universities in Pakistan. We made efforts to ensure that this program continues in its true spirit even in COVID-19 by adding virtual mechanism in place.”

Selected students were given an online orientation of a detailed six-week plan and were assigned to their respective projects and departments. As part of Experia’s holistic learning, the interns were provided access to PTCL’s internal Learning Management System known as ‘LearnX’ along with a recommended in-house built program ‘Developing Managerial Skills’. They were also given exclusive access to world renowned Digital Learning Platform ‘LinkedIn Learning,’ which they will continue to access and learn from even after their internship.

In a fun and innovative way, the interns were given an opportunity to learn about PTCL’s culture, Code of Conduct, CSR initiatives and its Corporate Values. They were also given virtual tours of the Network Operations Center, Telephone Exchange, Smart Shop and Data Centers.

The final presentations took place online with the top three students presenting their projects during the closing ceremony. The students were also taken on a field trip to PTCL Satellite Earth Station, located on the outskirts of Islamabad known as ‘Malaach Earth Station’.

PTCL is committed to develop young talent of Pakistan by providing learning and growth opportunities to build confidence, skills and pride for their bright future. Ends

Islamabad, August 14, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) celebrates Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, 2020, at its headquarters in Islamabad at a special ceremony organized on the occasion.

Ensuring COVID-19 guidelines, a special flag hoisting ceremony took place at 9:00AM, which was followed by prayers for the prosperity of the nation. Syed Mazhar Hussain, CHRO, PTCL, along with key PTCL officials and employees were present at the occasion to celebrate the Independence Day with full zeal and enthusiasm.

PTCL management and employees, along with CHRO, proceeded for a cake cutting ceremony to mark this auspicious day. All participants ensured proper safety measures and adhered to safety guidelines by wearing masks, using hand sanitizers and keeping adequate social distance for protection.

On the occasion Syed Mazhar Hussain, CHRO, PTCL, said, “We have followed our patriotic tradition to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day with proper safety protocols through the pandemic. PTCL has worked tirelessly to support the people of Pakistan as its frontline workers have been keeping the nation connected during these trying times. For the safety of our employees, we have implemented ‘Work from Home’ policy where required and ensured that all protocols are in place for both field staff and customers. We celebrate this Independence Day with a renewed hope as we move towards a healthier and prosperous future.”

On the eve of Independence Day, PTCL HQ building was decorated with lights and a massive flag covering the tall building.

PTCL also began its journey since the inception of Pakistan and it has always been at the forefront in celebrating all the national events with a passion and fervor. PTCL continues to serve the nation even in times of adversity. Ends

Islamabad, July 15, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2020 at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on July 15, 2020.

After the onset of Covid-19 pandemic earlier this year, the country is witnessing a gradual come back to a new ‘normal’ in which the economic activities are carefully being resumed while adhering to due counter measures for containing the effects of the pandemic. With its extensive network footprint, PTCL has successfully played its role as the communication backbone of the country in these testing times. Our dedicated frontline workers, who have been continuously on the ground despite the pandemic and our diligent customer care teams have ensured uninterrupted service delivery for our valued customers.

PTCL Group’s revenue of Rs 62.9 Billion for the half-year is lower by 5% as compared to the same period of last year. If normalized for the impact of Covid-19 and certain regulatory changes affecting Ufone, PTCL Group’s revenue is 2.5% higher than 2019 on a like-for-like basis. U Bank, a microfinance banking subsidiary of PTCL, continued its growth momentum and has achieved a 45% growth in its revenue over last year. The Group’s operating profit and bottom line have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and rupee devaluation.

PTCL’s revenue of Rs 35.3 Billion for the half-year is 1% lower than last year. If normalized for the impact of Covid-19, the like-for-like revenue is stable and slightly higher than the same period of last year.

PTCL witnessed an exponential growth in the internet traffic during the pandemic which was facilitated through timely expansion at Content Delivery Network (CDN) domain to improve customer experience and optimize international bandwidth. As the pandemic still continues to be a challenge for Pakistan, PTCL ensured connectivity for more people with its wireline and wireless products during this quarter which has resulted in improved Charji revenues, along with addition of more than 15 thousand fixed broadband customers in Q2, 2020.

PTCL was able to curtail the churn rate, convert more customers to digital payments and resolve more than 50% complaints on spot through its efficient Customer Services by focusing on customer experience and engagement. To enhance the overall customer experience, PTCL has taken various customer centric initiatives during this year. These include the adoption of Nokia Service Management Platform for effective service delivery, improved line stability through dynamic line management, enhanced customer communications and reduction in overall fault resolution time. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company’s mean time to resolve the customer complaints was well above 90% of the service level i.e. to resolve the complaints within 24 hrs.

Corporate and Wholesale businesses continued their growth momentum and have achieved an 8% overall revenue growth YoY. This has been possible through PTCL’s leading market position in IP Bandwidth and its strong presence in Managed Services, Cloud and other ICT services segments. Similarly, international revenue has also shown 6% growth as compared to the same period last year.

PTCL’s Operating Profit of Rs 1.4 billion and Net Profit After Tax of Rs 2.7 billion for the half-year have declined as compared to last year due to effects of Covid-19 pandemic, increase in operating costs and higher depreciation on fixed assets as a result of significant capital expenditure on network upgrade in the last year. However, increase in non-operating income on account of disposal of obsolete assets that had become redundant due to upgrade of legacy exchanges and fiberization of access network, has helped lessen the gap at the bottom-line level with comparative period.

PTCL has undertaken a comprehensive Covid-19 relief and support effort to help people in these difficult times. In addition to assisting customers with reduced tariffs, free access to government helplines and digital awareness campaigns, PTCL Group donated Rs 100 million and PTCL employees have contributed their two days’ salary to the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Relief Fund. PTCL has provided support to Shaukat Khanum Research Center, collaborated with Pakistan Red Crescent Society and provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Seven thousand deserving families, all across Pakistan, were facilitated with monthly ration in Ramzan. PTCL has taken all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of its employees through provision of protective gears, etc. PTCL Razaakar Trust continues to assist its non-management staff, infected with the Coronavirus, with a month’s worth of ration items.

The management and employees of PTCL remain committed to provide quality services, through concerted efforts, to our valued customers. Ends

Islamabad, July 9, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has announced the launch of Customer Support Services in Sindhi Language from its helpline 1218. The company had initially planned to offer the Sindhi language service earlier; however, the launch was delayed due to COVID-19. PTCL’s philosophy is based on equality and respect for all, while always striving for inclusion of all customers from different ethnicities, race, culture, religion and languages.

Fariha Tahir Shah, PTCL spokesperson, expressed her views, “As a national company, our focus is to serve our customers across Pakistan and we have worked towards the inclusion of people from all segments. Going forward, we will continue to look for similar opportunities to include other regional languages in a systematic way as we respect and own all regional languages. PTCL is determined to provide superior experience and satisfaction to its customers.”

The Sindhi language was already under development but, unfortunately, the deployment got delayed due to the COVID-19 and the strict lockdown that followed in Sindh subsequently. After the launch of the Sindhi language, PTCL is focused on incorporating other regional languages in the near future to ensure their service caters to people throughout the nation.

As PTCL adjusts to the ‘new normal’, it is expected that the national telecommunication service provider will keep on exploring new fronts in ‘Information and Communication Technologies’ and dedicate its resources to innovations that will help support the country usher in a new social and economic era as the pandemic continues. Ends

Islamabad, June 10, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has deployed Nokia automation, analytics and machine learning software to enhance the customer experience and improve customer service accuracy and efficiency.

Among the products rolled out are Nokia Service Management Platform (SMP), which automates and simplifies the entire customer care process, and significantly reduces the time to resolve customer issues while improving accuracy.

Nokia SMP was deployed across all PTCL Contact Centers in Pakistan. With this, customer service representatives are more efficient with all relevant information including guided resolution steps – now available on a single pane of glass.

PTCL customers can now enjoy a better overall experience as Nokia SMP constantly improves trouble prediction and resolution capability, while reducing customer service costs. The software is based on Nokia Bell Labs machine learning algorithms.

Moreover, PTCL customers can now have an improved quality of experience across internet connectivity, IPTV and communications services by using Nokia’s software solution.

PTCL and Nokia’s collaboration includes the already deployed Nokia Network Analyzer – Copper, as well as Nokia Network Analyzer – Fiber, to gather insights that provide remote diagnosis and troubleshooting of last mile issues, further enhancing service quality and reducing customer service time and operational expense.

Moqeem ul Haque, Chief Commercial and Group Strategy Officer, PTCL, said, "We are committed to digitizing our customer experience and reduce customer effort by meaningful customer interactions with higher on-the-spot resolution. This project has enabled us to re-design our workflows with increased effectiveness at a lower cost. Our collaboration with Nokia has greatly accelerated our experience and organizational transformation."

Henrique Vale, Head of Nokia Software for MEA, said, "This go-live deployment provides several efficient tools that enhance PTCL’s customer service capabilities and the user experience across the board. We are pleased with the deployment with PTCL and look forward to further supporting one of the leading telecom service provider in Pakistan for its digital transformation efforts." Ends

Islamabad, May 20, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), concluded a massive nationwide drive to support underserved communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during the month of Ramazan. 

PTCL has taken numerous measures to provide support to the people in these trying times. A comprehensive nationwide Ramazan ration drive activity concluded, where ration packs were distributed to over 7000 families in 30 cities across Pakistan including Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The ration drive was conducted with the assistance of philanthropic partners; Alkhidmat, Saylani and Akhuwat.

PTCL has also provided support to the Shaukat Khanum Research Center for the purpose of augmenting its testing facilities. Moreover, the company has sponsored the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) 120-bed Quarantine Facility in Rawalpindi and also provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for approx. 500 frontline workers to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Syed Mazhar Hussain, Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL, said, “This is a moment of great pride for PTCL as our Razakaar force has significantly contributed through their efforts to support the nation during the ongoing crisis. Furthermore, our employees have also donated generously to the PTCL Razakaar Trust to support deserving communities across Pakistan. During the pandemic, PTCL has made concerted efforts to not only keep the nation connected, but also spread happiness and positivity amongst people to observe Ramazan in its true spirit.”

PTCL, being a socially aware and responsible organization, is committed to extend its support for worthy causes that enhance the lives of individuals and communities during the pandemic. Ends

Islamabad, May 08, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), embarks upon a massive Ramazan ration drive to provide relief for families affected during the Coronavirus pandemic. The ration drive initiative will be covering 25 cities across Pakistan in the coming days.

The ration packs for an entire month comprising of essential food items, were distributed amongst a few beneficiary families at a special ceremony organized at District Commissioner (DC) Office, Kohat. The ceremony was attended by senior management from PTCL, along with high-ranking officers of the KP Government. Majority of the ration distribution was conducted by the District Administration at the Mohammadzai Union Council of Kohat. This ceremony marks the 1^st phase of the ration drive that will continue throughout the month of Ramazan.

On the occasion, Zia ullah Bangash, Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said, “We are grateful and much obliged at the support given by PTCL and its staff who have generously contributed to help the nation in these trying times. We appreciate their contribution and efforts at this time in need and I would also like to pay tribute to the services that they are providing to keep the country connected.”

Syed Mazhar Hussain, Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL, said, “PTCL remains at the forefront in supporting the nation during the ongoing pandemic. Our PTCL Razakaar force is committed to serve communities across the country through determination and hard work. I am proud of PTCL employees, who voluntarily donated a portion of their salary to the PTCL Razakaar Trust to support this ration drive. We, as a national company, take pride in being socially responsible by taking proactive measures to help the people of Pakistan.”

The Ramazan ration drive aims to help affected families to observe this holy month in its true spirit. PTCL continues to contribute to the society with its humanitarian activities and stand with people of Pakistan to get through this crisis together. Ends

Islamabad, May 4, 2020: PTCL Group, one of the country’s largest telecom groups and backbone of connectivity in Pakistan, is undertaking a comprehensive Coronavirus relief and support effort worth PKR 1.9 Billion. The package aims to help people across the country to stay connected and it will also provide access to facilities, mainly food and healthcare, to the most vulnerable communities.

The Group’s foremost priority is to keep Pakistan connected in this time of crisis, whether it be individuals, organizations or government institutions being able to work seamlessly. PTCL Group including Ufone, U Microfinance Bank and PTCL have undertaken numerous measures to provide support to the people in these unprecedented times. A major portion of this package will go towards providing subsidized and free of cost services to customers, so that they are able to stay connected virtually.

PTCL and Ufone have provided support to the people on their products and services in the shape of free offers and heavy discounts to minimise the burden on their pocket. They can remain connected with their loved ones and with their businesses, while staying safe at home. Similarly, all transaction charges on funds transfers through UPaisa to UPaisa wallets and to other banks have also been waived off during the current situation, thus greatly facilitating users.

PTCL is the largest provider of connectivity in Pakistan especially for banking and aviation sectors. Foreseeing a surge in internet usage nationwide during the pandemic, PTCL immediately expanded its submarine internet capacity significantly to ensure seamless connectivity, for both retail and corporate customers. Moreover, the Group is proud of its 12,000+ frontline workers, who are ensuring country’s connectivity and business continuity round the clock, even in the remote and far flung areas of the country.

Similarly, on the relief side, through PTCL Razakaar Trust, the employees of PTCL and Ufone have voluntarily donated part of their salaries to help in the relief efforts. The contribution worth PKR 100 Million collected was given directly to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. PTCL is providing support to Coronavirus affected families through its Razakaar Trust in the shape of a package comprising of food items, medicines and preventive gear in 25 cities across Pakistan. Along with that, the company will also provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for frontline workers and sponsor hospital beds for Coronavirus patients.

PTCL Group has introduced various offers and services to facilitate people during the pandemic. Both PTCL and Ufone are providing free calls on Coronavirus Helplines including Ufone’s collaboration with Pakistan Red Crescent’s toll-free Helpline 1030, where over 38,000 calls have been answered and over 12,000 volunteers have registered from the country. PTCL also raised public awareness on Coronavirus in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan and International Rescue Committee (IRC). Similarly, U Microfinance Bank is estimating to receive and honour requests for liquidity relief for nearly 100,000 loan customers through the deferment of their loans.

To support the government during the pandemic, PTCL is also providing connectivity to hospitals, Rescue 1122, Federal & Provincial governments, along with Law Enforcement Agencies including Police, Sindh Rangers, Pakistan Coast Guards, amongst others. PTCL has also set up Call Center infrastructure related to Coronavirus for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan governments.

PTCL Group stands steadfast with the nation during this crisis while the safety, security and well-being of customers and all stakeholders remains its top priority. Ends

Islamabad, April 27, 2020: Being one of the largest telecom group and backbone of connectivity in the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has contributed Rs. 100 Million to the Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 to support the government’s efforts and serve the nation during these trying times.

Rashid Khan, President and CEO, PTCL & Ufone, presented the cheque to Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Secretary, Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoITT) and Chairman Board of Directors, PTCL, was also present on the occasion.

Rashid Khan lauded the efforts of the government to curb the spread of Coronavirus and promised support in future also to all their relief efforts. He also informed the Prime Minister that PTCL’s subsidiary Ufone is facilitating its users to contribute to the PM’s Corona Relief Fund by sending an SMS at 6677.

During this crisis, PTCL Group stands with the people of Pakistan and is committed to support individuals, their families and communities countrywide. Ends

Islamabad, April 9, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the country’s leading telecom and ICT services provider, has announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 at its Board of Directors’ meeting held in Islamabad on April 9, 2020.

COVID-19 pandemic has created global shockwaves and its effects have changed the landscape of every perceptible area of ordinary life. PTCL stands with the nation in this tough time and continues to provide seamless connectivity across Pakistan. Our frontline teams, equipped with all protective gears, are at the forefront to serve our customers nationwide. The Company has enabled more than 1,200 contact center agents with ‘work from home’ facilities to ensure that due social distancing is maintained, while serving the connectivity needs of our customers. To ensure continuity of essential services for our valued customers, certain customer service centers have also been kept open. Our sales and customer care teams are constantly in touch with our corporate customers to cater, not only, to their existing requirements, but to also address any new customer needs emanating from COVID-19 pandemic.

PTCL Group’s revenue of Rs 31.8 Billion in Q1 2020 is lower by 5% as compared to the same period of last year. When normalized for the impact of certain regulatory changes, the revenue is 3% higher than Q1 2019 on a like-for-like basis. UBank, a microfinance banking subsidiary of PTCL, continued its growth momentum and has achieved a 44% growth in its quarterly revenue over last year. The Group’s operating profit and bottom line have deteriorated over last year due to rupee devaluation, increase in interest rates, higher power tariffs and the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

PTCL revenue of Rs 17.7 Billion for the quarter is 1% lower than last year but on a like-for-like basis the revenue is stable and at par with Q1 2019. In line with its ambition to be a customer centric organization, PTCL is focusing on uplifting customer experience by various initiatives. This, coupled with PTCL’s improved and upgraded network infrastructure, will enable the Company to be a service provider of choice for its customers.

Corporate and Wholesale businesses continued their growth momentum and have achieved an 8% overall revenue growth YoY. This has been possible through PTCL’s leading market position in IP Bandwidth and its strong presence in Managed Services, Cloud and other ICT services segment. Similarly, international revenue has also shown 5% growth as compared to same period last year. Wireless revenue for the quarter has shown a 3% YoY revenue growth as a result of a renewed business focus on this segment. In addition to increased spend on wireless customer acquisition, PTCL focused on rationalization of its wireless data products to make them competitive with the products offered by the cellular operators. Despite growth in the above segments, shrinkage in other segments has meant a like-for-like stable revenue in Q1 2020.

PTCL’s Operating and Net Profit after Tax for the quarter have declined as compared to last year due to increase in operating costs. However, increase in non-operating income on account of disposal of obsolete assets and higher income on investments due to higher interest rates, has helped lessen the gap at the bottom-line level with comparative period.

Being a national company, PTCL also proactively supported Coronavirus affected families in Sukkur through a special package comprising of ration, medicines and protective gears. The Company is playing its part by being socially responsible during the on-going global crisis.

PTCL, in collaboration with International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Government of Pakistan, launched awareness campaign on COVID-19 to ensure that verified information is available on PTCL digital mediums for general public consumption. For their ease and convenience, PTCL is facilitating its customers with online channels such as PTCL website, Touch App, online banking, mobile financial services, etc. so they can avail PTCL services while observing the recommended social distancing. Ends

Islamabad, April 03, 2020: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gulberg Greens Islamabad for provision of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services and infrastructure in the society.

The signatories included Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer, PTCL and Shujaat Ullah Qureshi, Secretary, Intelligence Bureau Employees Cooperative Housing Society (IBECHS) Islamabad.

PTCL and IBECHS endeavor to transform Gulberg Greens into a smart city base, where the residents will be able to enjoy hi-speed, unlimited internet & bandwidth, crystal clear voice and Smart TV services with quality content.

On the occasion, Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer, PTCL, said that “PTCL is committed to contribute towards the society by providing a robust ICT infrastructure and seamless services to the citizens in line with Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital Pakistan.”

Shujaat Ullah Qureshi, Secretary, IBECHS, said, “We feel privileged to partner with PTCL that will enable us to bridge the connectivity gap, provide uninterrupted services and move forward collectively to deliver better internet experience to residents of Gulberg Greens Islamabad.”

PTCL strives to provide communities with the necessary facilities and services that are pertinent for growth and endless possibilities. Ends

Islamabad, March 20, 2020: In the best interest of public health, PTCL & Ufone have announced closure of Sales & Service Centers and Joint Shops across Pakistan till March 31, 2020, due to the increasing number of Coronavirus cases emerging in Pakistan.

In order to serve customers better and ensure business continuity, services will be provided to both PTCL and Ufone customers through alternate business and digital channels.

We encourage PTCL customers to use PTCL digital channels such as PTCL Website, care@ptcl.net.pk, Complaint Registration, Self-Care Portal, PTCL Touch App and online digital bill payment options. To facilitate Ufone customers, digital services include Ufone Website, customercare@ufone.com, My Ufone app, UPaisa, Online Banking Services, Mobile Financial Services, Retailers and ATM Machines are available.

To promote social distancing and seamless communication, we encourage customers to use the digital services offered by both companies for their convenience. Furthermore, PTCL customers can call 1218 for any assistance. For Ufone, the customers can call on 333 from mobile & 0331-1333-100 from landline. Both companies’ helpline numbers are available 24/7, should there be any need of service request or a query.

Being customer centric organizations, the safety, security and well-being of customers, employees and all stakeholders is of utmost importance to both the companies. Ends