Ufone Profits Up 82 %, Revenues Up 16 % in First Half 2011: ProPakistani

Ufone Profits Up 82 %, Revenues Up 16 % in First Half 2011
PTCL Re-Launches its Pakistan Plus Package
Kiya Yeh Khula Tazaad Nahi – Part 2
Kamran Akmal: Comic Hero of Pakistan
Online Distribution Signs AOC for Pakistan

Ufone Profits Up 82 %, Revenues Up 16 % in First Half 2011

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PDT

Ufone Profits Up 82 %, Revenues Up 16 % in First Half 2011 is a post from: ProPakistani

The revenue earned by PTML (Ufone), the wholly-owned subsidiary of PTCL, was higher by 16%, while the profit of PTML (Ufone) was recorded 82% higher in first half 2011 as compared to same duration last year, said the half yearly financial report published by PTCL.

Figures for profits and revenues were not made public, but according to Telecom Recorder's estimates based on last year's reports, Ufone's revenues stood around Rs. 25 billion and profits remained at Rs. 2 billion during the reported duration.

Citing a PTA report, Telecom Recorder claims that Ufone received the highest traffic of SMS. It witnessed exchange of more than 10 billion SMS in July to December 2010.

In December only, the SMS sent on Ufone network was recorded 2.25 billion whereas the outgoing and on-net SMS numbers hit at 2.15 billion, further said the Telecom Recorder.

Ufone added a total of 725,902 subscribers during July-December 2010.

PTCL Re-Launches its Pakistan Plus Package

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:40 PM PDT

PTCL Re-Launches its Pakistan Plus Package is a post from: ProPakistani

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has re-launched Pakistan plus package with new rates.

Under this package, customers will be offered 1,100 NWD minutes and 100 kehdo SMS at the fixed monthly charge of Rs 219 per month.

Tariff Details:

Pakistan Plus Package, first introduced in December 2007 and then revamped several times, is now offering 11,00 free NWD minutes and additional 100 kehdo SMS at a fixed monthly charge of Rs.219.

Line rent (excl. taxes): Rs. 174
Package charge (including taxes): Rs. 219
Local call rate: Rs. 1.00/1 min
NWD call Free (upto 1100 minutes) – additional minutes would be charged at Rs. 1.00 /1 min
Kehdo SMS: Free 100 SMS
Mobile call rate: Rs. 2.50/min

Note:

Activation / Deactivation of Package will be applicable from 1^st of next month
For information and activation of Package, customers can call PTCL helpline 1236
This change will be applicable from April 1, 2011 to all Pakistan plus subscriptions.

PTCL Senior Executive Vice President, Commercial, Naveed Saeed said:

It is our endeavor to ensure that PTCL as market leader continues to take initiative to launch new and exciting offers for its subscribers, as the customers have been asking for addition in discounted minutes and PTCL has decided to increase talk time for customers to remain in contact with their loved ones, in addition Kehdo SMS will ensure that the message will get across when the other party is temporarily unavailable.

Mr. Naveed Saeed stated that in addition to our product offerings, PTCL strives to bring Quality and Convenience to its landline subscribers by providing best quality voice, instant connectivity, 24×7 helpline 1236, directory assistance 1217 and one Toll free number (0800-80800) for acquiring a new landline, WLL and broadband /IPTV.

Regarding this further information can be obtained from helpline: 1236

Kiya Yeh Khula Tazaad Nahi – Part 2

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 09:30 PM PDT

Kiya Yeh Khula Tazaad Nahi – Part 2 is a post from: ProPakistani

It was very depressing to go through the facts mentioned in an email that was sent to us by a ProPakistani reader.

Telenor, who has been pinpointing the cheating, or what they call "Booti Culture", has itself cheated the whole nation by copying an entire AD available on YouTube for on of its “Khamoshi ka Boycott” videos.

Copying a foreign ad isn't new in Pakistan. Earlier, we have seen Zong, Mobilink (for such logo), Ufone, PTCL and other companies copying the concepts for their Videos, TVCs and logos, however, Telenor's this act of lifting the whole AD and pasting it in their Keera video is a extraordinary example of Ctrl+Alt+A – Ctrl+C – Ctrl+V (Select All – Copy and then paste).

Telenor, on one hand, is discouraging the cheating culture, while on the other hand it is itself cheating its 25 million subscribers, Kiya yeh Khula Tazaad Nahi?

Following is what Shahid, a ProPakistani reader, wrote to us:

Dear Aamir,

First Djuice disabled comments on its YouTube channel and then enable it when people started talking about their hypocrite approach against Khamoshi Ka Boycott.

Now guess what, their video "Khamoshi ka Boycott" on YouTube is not even original. It has been copied by Volkwagen Beetle ad. Check the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iefZI26XRFY.

It is the ad of VW Beetle and Djuice Khamoshi Ka Boycott video has copied keera clips from this video as it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOwV3lD0PGA

They didn’t even care to make changes in the video or reproduce. They just cut paste in their video. Please compare both videos and make these cheaters come to justice and they should be told that they cannot fool customers by making copies from other ads.

Shame on Telenor. Please Take Action!

And Propakistani, as per Djuice message, i am also trying Khamoshi Ka Boycott against Telenor plagiarism!

Regards

Shahid Hussain

Have a look at following Videos for your reference.

VW Super bowl XLV ad: Black Beetle

Khamoshi Ka Boycott – DJuice Message for Pakistan:

Update:

Telenor has added following line in the description of their video

Credits: VW Beetle XLV Superbowl ad

Though we are not sure if Telenor got prior permission from the owner to reproduce the work or not.

Kamran Akmal: Comic Hero of Pakistan

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 09:28 PM PDT

Kamran Akmal: Comic Hero of Pakistan is a post from: ProPakistani

"Going viral" is a term I usually associate with the latest internet memes (LOLcats for instance) and funny videos. But as of late, I've seen this trend, of seemingly instant gain in popularity, here in Pakistan too.

Whether it's "Faraz" poetry in text messages, or "Zubaida Aapa ke totkay", there's always someone being made a punch line of jokes and text forwards these days.

With the World Cup hype at an all time high, Kamran Akmal's dropped catches of Ross Taylor (whose innings of and unbeaten 131 cost Pakistan the match) have made him a comic character, jokes on him providing chuckles to millions.

The Internet and mobile phones throughout the country are absolutely buzzing with jokes about his keeping. People vented their frustration at Pakistan’s' defeat by going after Kamran Akmal all guns blazing on Facebook and Twitter.

So much was the volume of tweets about him that "Kamran Akmal" was actually in the worldwide trendy topics on Twitter after the match.

Taking advantage of this notoriety, webmasters started working on keywords like "Kamran Akmal jokes".

Someone even made a fake twitter account, and it's the first result when you Google "Kamran Akmal twitter": http://twitter.com/KeeperAkmal

kamran akmal Kamran Akmal: Comic Hero of Pakistan

And while we're on the subject of Akmal humor here's what the masses had to say about him:

Pakistan ki worldcup jeet ka inhesaar kamran akmal pe hai….. agar wo injured ho jai to. :) – – Owais Hasan on Twitter

Behind every successful man there is a woman likewise… behind every successful batsman there is Kamran Akmal :P -Parichay Mehta on Twitter

Why did Kamran Akmal WALK back to hotel???? Because he failed to CATCH the bus :p - Ozzy Ali on Twitter

Some of the readers among you who aren't that cricket savvy might be wondering why so much fuss on a couple of dropped catches. A Pakistani cricket enthusiast collected all the stats and here's the rundown. He's dropped 62 catches since 2006. A complete list available here:

He has also been in talks with the International Cricket Council on his poor keeping, deemed by many to be suspicious.

The most famous loss that Pakistan suffered because of Kamran Akmal’s iron gloves came against Australia in the second test at Sydney cricket ground where he dropped three Mike Hussey catches who then went on to make an unbeaten 134. Irony came knocking when Mike Hussey was named as man of the match for his unbeaten 134 which gave the Aussies a narrow 36 runs win.

Why Becoming an Hero is so Quick?

All jokes aside, this instant notoriety is relatively new and is something not seen even 5 years back. I guess the thing is that we are more connected than ever before. All it takes is one message and it will spread like wildfire since a good forward joke is always welcome amongst us.

Another thing is that internet has become an integral part of our lifestyles now. DSL subscriptions are rising all the time and mobile internet use is through the roofs too. If anything interesting happens, the first thought across a majority of the people would be "I should update my status!" or "I should tweet about this".

What to Avoid?

With the changing trends, people don't wait for TV or newspapers to uncover a story or a development. This is a double edged sword though, in my opinion. On one hand, this connectivity can instantly rouse people to protest against the latest price hike. Or, it can be used to drag the image of a poor soul, think Zubaida Aapa, through the mud.

When it's used for the latter, the problems begin. In the specific case of our first choice wicket keeper, people played the judge and jury and sentenced him to slander and ridicule. Whether or not it should have been done is an entirely separate matter.

As I'm writing this, I can see some of you squirming in your chairs, itching to lambast me for writing in his defense and to say that he deserved it. I address that by firstly saying that I am in no way defending him, I'm just saying that there is always a more civilized way to go about things.

I was particularly angered at a forward I received containing Kamran Akmals' home address. That is simply unacceptable. Who knows how things might have panned out if some hot-heads actually went there?

I guess the thing is we're an emotional nation. And sometimes, containing those emotions can be a bit of work. But sometimes a cooler head is required. Jokes and fun are good things, but hurting other people to get a laugh is in no way acceptable.

Online Distribution Signs AOC for Pakistan

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 09:25 PM PDT

Online Distribution Signs AOC for Pakistan is a post from: ProPakistani

'Online Distribution' a key player in the IT distribution business in Pakistan with many prominent brands in their portfolio signed up with AOC for distribution of their complete range of display products for Pakistan.

The footprint of Online Distribution is spread across the nation with 7 branches offering the widest reach in the country.

According to Business Monitor International, Pakistan's computer hardware market is expected to grow at 8% CAGR for the period of 2011- 2015. Whereas, the value of computer hardware sales for the year 2011 is expected to be US$312mn, up from US$292mn in 2010.

AOC, art of colors one of the leading monitor brands in the world continued its expansion in the region and added yet another feather in its cap by expanding with the appointment of Online Distribution as an authorized distributor to sell its wide range of LCD, LED, Ultra-thin monitors across Pakistan.

"We are happy to be associated with AOC a global brand which not only brings in international quality products but also offers real value for money. With our team of well experienced professionals, the in-depth knowledge of IT distribution trade and country wide reach, we are sure AOC will become a leading brand in Pakistan soon." said, M. Ibrahim Ojha, CEO for Online Distribution-Pakistan.

AOC is an in-house brand of the US$ 11 billion conglomerate TPV Technology Limited, the world's largest manufacturer of flat-screen monitors.

Last year, despite the global downturn, the Taiwan-headquartered company, which manufactures monitors and LCD display units for major consumer electronics companies, shipped 57.174 million monitor units across the globe commanding a staggering 33% per cent of the worldwide monitor market.