Khamoshi ka Boycott: Booti Culture and its Relation with Night Packages: ProPakistani

Khamoshi ka Boycott: Booti Culture and its Relation with Night Packages
Cellcos-ISPs to Partner for Total Communication Solutions
0-1-2-3-4 The G’s of Mobile Communication
How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot
IBM and Holy Family Hospital Hosted Disaster Management Workshop

Khamoshi ka Boycott: Booti Culture and its Relation with Night Packages

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 02:37 AM PST

Khamoshi ka Boycott: Booti Culture and its Relation with Night Packages is a post from: ProPakistani

Letter published on ProPakistani last week on Telenor's latest campaign called "Khamoshi ka Boycott" generated lot of buzz in the industry. The writer had a viewpoint which she expressed in her own way – and it was extensively discussed in the comments section.

This criticism on "Khamoshi ka Boycott" didn't stop there. Today, Mudassar Jehangir a renown telecom journalist, produced a story showing his concerns over the campaign, with highly arguable thoughts.

Here is the link of the story published on ApnaTime

Along with other things that Mudassar discussed, following point caught my attention. Here's the crux of what he had to say:

Youth of the country will rely on booti as they remain awake in the nights to avail night packages offered by Telenor and other cellular companies.

Not only this, they remain busy in the days too when they keep themselves engaged with SMSes.

Mudassar Jehangir thinks that Telenor should have abandoned these night packages before launching the campaign if they had indeed wanted to put a cap on Booti culture.

By the way, we have written in past on night packages, and how they impact the social values and academic performance of the students/youth. Moreover, Punjab and KPK's provincial assemblies have passed bills to ban nights packages.

Such kind of questions being thrown at Telenor is very natural, based on their own slogan: "Khamoshi ka Boycott". This is just because company made a strategic mistake of coupling a CSR initiative with the brand itself.

We all understand that at the end of the day Telenor is a business entity and it has to earn money to sustain – but you will agree with me that businesses do unethical things too; night packages being one of them.

With "Khamoshi ka Boycott", Telenor may face other similar questions in future too.

Cellcos-ISPs to Partner for Total Communication Solutions

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 12:41 AM PST

Cellcos-ISPs to Partner for Total Communication Solutions is a post from: ProPakistani

open to partnership Cellcos ISPs to Partner for Total Communication Solutions

Recently held Mobile World Congress event in Spain provided a collective perspective on the industry's maturity around the world, especially the Middle East and South Asian regions. Operators from various countries seemed to share a consensus over the changing trends in the industry and accepted a growing realization; data services had become the need of the moment and remained primed for growth similar to voice services several years ago.

For most operators, the influx of smartphones has meant the need to incorporate new technologies at a rapid pace in order to sustain market share. While data service users in the region remain a relative minority compared to the overall cellular subscriber numbers, there has been rapid uptake of GPRS/EDGE and 3G usage as more consumers become Apple peeps, or Droid geeks or even part of the Berry brigade. And a large driver for this is the multi-billion dollar app development industry that has blossomed from the desktop computers of homes around the world.

Analysts have assessed cellular operators in Pakistan to be reaching a saturation point with voice and SMS usage. It is unlikely that the average minutes used by a subscriber will be show a significant positive trajectory or cause any excitement for the companies in terms of ARPU. However, the new stream of data usage revenue is continuing to be worked on as the next big thing for the local market.

Current estimates place around 4 to 5% of all cellular subscribers in Pakistan to be using GPRS/EDGE services. So, taking into account the latest figures released by the PTA that would make around 4 to 5 million subscribers having access to mobile data. This would be inclusive of the approximately 60 thousand or so Blackberry service users, who since last year have been provided a low-fat version of the popular RIM service, while paying for the complete buffet.

A key deterrent to the large scale adoption of data services is the speed on offer; in the current age of downloads and online applications, GPRS and EDGE are the CNG of the mobile fuel world. Many smartphone users incorporate Wi-Fi as the second source for a faster online connection, but this is limited to their homes and offices. So, while 3G remains a contested debate, cellular operators have to come up with strategic avenues to drive up revenue and become more than a one-trick pony.

One answer to this dilemma is Internet Service Providers (ISPs). A roadmap successfully implemented by many cellcos around the world is now taking shape in Pakistan, with operators seeking to offer people a uniform platform for all their communication needs. And the needs of the present day include landline, Cable TV and internet. By partnering with ISPs, cellular operators are seeking to shift the business model from purely ARPU-focused to RGU-focused. The latter, in simple words, identifies a single user as the revenue contributor for several services.

For most cellcos, the push towards this model is a simple integration with internal units. Mobilink has sister concerns of Infinity and Link DOT Net to count on, Ufone continues to court PTCL and its expansive network, and Warid and Wateen remain a couple through the tough times. That brings us to the two players who are devoid of any family ties with an ISP: Zong and Telenor.

While uncertainty exists if Zong would be interested in looking at internet as an alternative stream of business, Telenor in the recent period has begun the process to form a strategic partnership with some ISP player in the local market. Wi-Tribe appears top of the list at this stage, due to a larger presence. The Wi-Max operator has been making in-roads into a hotly contested market, but service issues have lost it much of the flavor it had once promised.

For the consumer, the continued competition in the market makes for better offerings to be made to it by the cellcos. Additionally, the value of having only one company to deal with for all purposes, especially when one needs to call a helpline, should make the choice shift from being purely about price, and something about service.

And while the country is far away from being a completely connected society, the hope that cellcos have sought an interest in the wider scope of communication than thousands of minutes and SMSs, should prove a boon for the customer in the coming years.

0-1-2-3-4 The G’s of Mobile Communication

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:40 PM PST

0-1-2-3-4 The G’s of Mobile Communication is a post from: ProPakistani

The goal of this article is to let the readers know of the different generations of wireless telephone networks we have been through or hopefully will see in the future. I assure you it will be an interesting and informative read.

0G Networks:

0G or pre-cellular network is here just for the sake of reference, always remember your 'roots' kind of thing. They operated mostly the same way as the landlines did the only difference was they were wireless. Some people would still wish for these types of networks for two reasons. One, it may be a good choice for long range communication in scarcely populated areas (a single tower, Base Station, can cover an area of 40-60 miles). Two, you could listen to them using your Radio ;)

Technology: IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone Service).
When? 1960's
Frequencies: VHF Low (35–44 MHz), VHF High (152–158 MHz), UHF (454–460 MHz).
Facilities/Benefits: Simultaneous two-way communication (full duplex) and Direct Dialing, no waiting for the operator.
Availability: scarce, discontinued.
Limitation/s: very limited number of subscribers could be added.

1G Network:

Again an analog communication system, almost same as the previous 0G network. It can also be a good choice for long range communication. The technology used here (AMPS) was later converted to D-AMPS (Digital-AMPS) which is a 2G standard.

Technology: AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service)
When? 1980's. first installation 1982.
Frequencies: 800Mhz
Facilities/Benefits: Could accommodate 5 to 10 times more users than IMTS by dividing an area into smaller cells (hence the tern 'cellular network').
Availability: Effectively discontinued & replaced by digital networks.
Limitation/s: Severe security issues. Not even you could listen into the conversation but could hack it for free calls (make someone else pay the bill).
Example: InstaPhone (remember you had to buy the handset from InstaPhone too?) InstaPhone later migrated to D-AMPS (discussed above).

2G Networks:

Here comes the most dominant form of wireless telephone network in Pakistan. From here after the term 'technologies' will be replaced by 'standards'. For you understanding you can just ignore this and keep on reading it as technologies.

Standards: GSM & CDMAOne.
When? GSM: 1990, Finland. CDMA: 1989, San Diego US. (A reason why GSM is widespread in Europe and adjoining countries while CDMA has a large penetration in US.)
Frequency: GSM: 850/900, 1800/1900Mhz. CDMA: 450 MHz for CDMA450.
Facilities/Benefits: Digital Communication, High security (encrypted calls, GSM was just recently hacked in 2010), Short Message Service (SMS), Effective use of bandwidth compared to previous generations.
Limitation/s: Digital communication is affected by weather conditions very severely than analog communication. Range is limited compared to 1G. Data rate (speed/Kbps) is too slow for modern era's needs.
Availability: GSM: an estimated 4,927,613,300 (4.927 billion) connections were issued by the time I was writing this article. CDMA subscribers as of September 2010: 564,024,400.
Examples: GSM: Ufone, Telenor, Warid, Zong, Mobilink and SCOM. CDMA: VPTCL, WorldCall Wireless, GoCDMA.
Extended 2G Standards: GPRS,EDGE, CDMA1xRTT.

3G Networks:

OK, so here things get a little bit tricky. Simply put it as 3G networks were not Revolution but Evolution. 1G & 2G networks are completely different; it was like moving from a horse-cart to an automobile. This is not the case with 3G, consider 3G to be the advanced and improved form of already existing 2G standards.

These standards were improved significantly and thus the newly emerging ones were named Third Generation or 3G.

So if a company is using GSM as it's 2G backbone (e.g. Telenor) to move to 3G it will have to use an improved form of the GSM standards and if a company was on CDMA (e.g. VPTCL) it will use an improved form of the CDMA standards for their network to be called 3G complaint.

Also, any mobile telecommunication service that fulfills the requirements of the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) can be classified as a 3G network/service.

Standards: UMTS (loosely based on GSM/EDGE), CDMA2000 (evolutionary upgrade to CDMAOne).
When? Around 2000 for CDMA2000 & 2002 for UMTS (official launch years by carriers).
Frequency: UMTS: (varies by carrier/region) 850/1900,1700,2100Mhz. CDMA2000: varies by operator/region.
Facilities/Benefits: Improved data rates allowing high speed downloads and desktop like web-browsing. 21Mbps for HSDPA (improved version of UMTS) and upto 14.1Mbps for EVDO Rev. B (a member of the CDMA2000 family).
Limitation/s: Actual download speeds can be less for power downloader.
Availability: Lot's of countries around the world have moved to 3G even in our neighborhood India and Sri Lanka have UMTS/HSDPA deployed.
Examples: In Pakistan 3G facilities are provided by VPTCL & WorldCall in the form of PTCL Evo (which is EvDO Rev. A & B, a part of the CDMA2000 family) & Worldcall Wireless Broadband. Unfortunately 3G hasn't been deployed yet by the GSM operators, means you can't have it on your phone.
Extended 3G Standards: HSPA/HSPA+, EVDO Rev. A, EVDO Rev. B.

4G Networks:

For 4G technologies I will limit myself to LTE (Long Term Evolution) as it is going to be the replacement for both the UMTS and CDMA2000 based technologies in the future.

Technologies: LTE (loosely based on UMTS).
When? TeliaSonera 2009 & Verizon Wireless 2010.
Frequency: 700Mhz
Facilities/Benefits: 100mbps download speed & 50mbps upload. Also, it improves the efficiency of the network and reduces congestion (less dropped calls). At least 200 active users in each 5Mhz Cell (remember cell from cellular network?)
Limitation/s: Upgrade of infrastructure will be required.
Availability: Deployed in selected regions, more specifically selected cities. Two examples are given above.
Examples: Two companies (4M Wireless & WiChorus) are actively involved in the development of LTE based products in Pakistan but there's absolutely no sign of it being deployed in the near future.

How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:35 PM PST

How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot is a post from: ProPakistani

This is a guest post by Ahmed Ali Khawaja who writes on Guppu.com

I use PTCL EVO as my primary Internet connection. As you may know Its a USB dongle which connects with my Laptop – Now, sometimes when I need to access Internet on my other devices such as net-book, cell phones, etc simultaneously I end up with no option to share my EVO's internet with them.

This feature of Windows 7 "Set up a wireless Ad Hoc Network" comes really handy in such situation. Just In few clicks I can access my EVO's Internet on my all other devices. This can work with all WiMAX dongles too, meaning that you can share your Wateen, wi-tribe, Qubee internet with other computers, devices too. So give it a try – it's a life savior.

How to Define AD Hoc Network:

The first thing to do is to access "Set up an Ad Hoc Network" wizard. To get the wizard going, search it from the start menu.

Click On Start Button
Type "ad hoc" in search box

clip image002 How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

Click "Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network"

clip image004 How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

Click Next

clip image006 How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

Now "Fill in the blanks". Your times starts now and no cheating :P

clip image008 How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

ummm ok let me help you on this "but don’t tell anyone".

In Network name write whatever you want to call your network. I choose "NGTECH"
Security type: Select "WEP" ( WEP is an older security method. But it works on most of the devices flawlessly. so choose this.)
Security Key : Type the security key.
In WEP Security method you can set up a key that is only 5 or 13 characters long.
Optional Step : Tick "Save this network" in case you don’t want to create a temporary network. But this option sometimes create an issue and gives limited access error when I hibernate pc. You can try what works best for you.
Click Next

Click "Turn on Internet connection sharing" and Tada you are done.

clip image0101 How to Use WiFi Modem as a Secure Wireless Hotspot

In case you face any problems while setting up AD HOC network then share in comments.

IBM and Holy Family Hospital Hosted Disaster Management Workshop

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:28 PM PST

IBM and Holy Family Hospital Hosted Disaster Management Workshop is a post from: ProPakistani

IBM and Holy Family Hospital recently arranged a train-the-trainer workshop on 'Review of Services for Disaster Management'.

Arranged for front line health workers and aid providers, from organizations including Rescue 1122 and The National Special Education Centre, the session covered lectures on Over view of Disasters –

Past Experience & Lessons Learnt by Prof. Asif Zafar Malik, FRCS, FCPS, Professor & Head of Department of Surgery, Rawalpindi, Medical College and Director Telemedicine & e Health TRAINING center, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi;
Psychological support for adult survivors of Disaster by Dr Sadia Rafiq, Clinical consultant IBM;
Blood Transfusion Services in Major Disasters: Myth & Reality by Prof. Tahira Zafar, MRCPath( London), FRCPath( UK), Professor of Haematology, Islam Medical College, Sialkot and Chairperson, Pakistan Haemophilia Welfare Society, Rawalpindi;
Psychological Support in Major Disasters by Prof.Fareed Aslam Minhas, FCPS, MRCP, Professor of Psychiatry, Rawalpindi Medical College;
Psychological Support for child survivors of disaster by Dr Taimur Khalil Sheikh, Medical officer Paeds department, Holy Family hospital.

The session was followed by a Visit to Telemedicine & eHealth Training Center and an Overview of Role of Telemedicine in Disasters was given along with demonstrations of live Teleconsultations with remote districts of Attock by Prof. Asif Zafar Malik and Dr. Sadia Rafiq.

Attock Telemedicine center is most advanced Telemedicine center in the country and Telemedicine capabilities of this center have been enhanced by Pakistan Telemedicine project – a Public private partnership of IBM, US State department, Wateen Telecom and Holy family hospital.

Dr. Tahira Zafar greatly appreciated IBM’s initiative of creating awareness among emergency health care providers and various NGOs to prepare them for disaster management. 'This will,' she said, 'create a major impact on care of people involved in disaster management in the future.' She recommended that such awareness programs should be carried out regularly throughout the country.

Free copies of the manuals: 'Psychological support for survivors of disaster' and 'Helping child survivors of disaster' were distributed by IBM at the event.

These manuals are meant for use by medical personnel, social and health workers, teachers and volunteers. Anybody interested in requesting these copies can write in to ibm_pakistan [at] ibm.com