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Tag: Telenor

  • Telenor Myanmar signs partnership with TikTok

    Telenor Myanmar signs partnership with TikTok

    Telenor Myanmar has become the market’s first official partner for short-form video sharing platform TikTok, and introduced a new mobile data plan to support the partnership.

    The operator has introduced the new Sate Kyite Kyi plan, which will offer mobile video content from TikTok and Myanmar’s other most popular video apps – including YouTube, Viu and MyanFlix – at a rate of 1 kyat ($0.00065) per megabyte.

    Users will be able to subscribe to the plan over SMS, via the MyTelenor app or WowBox content platform with subscription fees of 499 kyats per week. The plan will not be auto-renewed and must be resubscribed to at the end of each week of service.

    “We are very excited to become the first official local partner of TikTok in Myanmar. Sate Kyite Kyi is the very first result of the agreement between us and the top video apps and we are delighted to add TikTok to our partners’ list for this innovative data plan,” Telenor Myanmar head of digital services Chan May Ling said.

    “It will be the one of a kind data plans in Myanmar, providing users with a one-stop shop solution where they can enjoy all of their favorite videos. As you all know, Telenor Myanmar has been offering the best and most affordable products and services since its inception in Myanmar to ease users’ daily lives and we promise that we will come up with many more innovative services from this partnership.”

  • Axiata Group negotiating mega merger with Telenor

    Axiata Group negotiating mega merger with Telenor

    Malaysia-based Axiata Group has revealed it is in discussion to merge with Telenor’s Asian operations to create a regional powerhouse with total annual revenues of over 50 billion ringgit ($12.05 billion).

    Under the preliminary terms of the proposed merger of equals, Telenor would own a 56.5% stake in the merged company, while Axiata would take a 43.5% stake.

    The combined company would be one of the largest operator groups in Asia-Pacific, with operating subsidiaries in nine countries with a total of 300 million customers and a market reach of over 1 billion people.

    In Axiata’s home market, the merger would involve combining Malaysia’s Celcom Axiata with Telenor’s subsidiary in the nation Digi.Com to create the largest mobile operator in the market.

    Axiata’s subsidiary in Bangladesh Robi Axiata would continue to be managed independently by Axiata.

    The merger is expected to deliver around 20 billion ringgit in synergies through the consolidation of assets as well as the benefits of economies of scale.

    In addition to the retail operations, the merger has the potential to create a top five mobile infrastructure player through the combination of Axiata’s tower company edotco with Telenor’s Asian tower assets.

    In a filing with the Malaysian stock exchange, Axiata Group said discussions are still ongoing and there is no guarantee a deal will eventuate, but that it has opted for early disclosure to provide transparency for shareholders during the negotiations.

    “This proposed mega-merger of equals would create a Global Champion, headquartered right here in Malaysia…Leveraging on the synergies of our combined assets, organizations, talents, best practices, scale and financial firepower, we would create the largest telecom operator in the region,” Axiata president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim said.

    “There is a lot of work ahead of us to conclude this deal, but I am excited as this merger would be unparalleled in the history of telecom in Asia and corporate Malaysia.”

    Subject to due diligence, the two companies aim to have negotiated the terms of a binding agreement by the end of the third quarter.

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  • Telenor Myanmar expanding reach of LTE network

    Telenor Myanmar expanding reach of LTE network

    Telenor Myanmar has announced it has nearly reached 100% of the nation’s townships with its LTE network, having rolled out over 6,100 LTE sites nationwide.

    The company’s LTE network now covers 307 townships, with the company having expanded to seven more townships during the first quarter.

    “Since the first quarter, the company has deployed 856 additional sites and aims to increase this to more than 1,100 by the end of the month,” according to Telenor Myanmar CTO Jai Prakash.

    “As per our commitment to bring the best possible things for Myanmar citizens, we have achieved our ambitious goal of establishing a network with 6100+ LTE sites in 2019,” he said.

    “We will keep upgrading our network for our customers with our best data network and also educating the population on how to use our service effectively and efficiently.”

    Meanwhile the operator has been working with Ericsson to prepare its network for 5G, having conducted a joint trial last year achieving 1Gbps downlink rates over its LTE network.

    In late November, the companies also commenced a pilot study involving the provision of IoT connectivity in Mandalay City.

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  • Unilever and Telenor Pakistan partner to enhance digital inclusion in Pakistan

    Unilever and Telenor Pakistan partner to enhance digital inclusion in Pakistan

    Unilever has joined hands with Telenor Pakistan to enable digital and financial inclusion in Pakistan through mainstream access to  digitalized retail services, digital financial solutions, digital products and skill enhancement across Pakistan.

    Through this collaboration, both companies will integrate their expertise in the telecom and consumer goods industries to build a digitally inclusive ecosystem. This partnership aims to reimagine how business should be run, harnessing the power of technology and big data to bring convenience and security for retailers and create seamlessly integrated shopping experience for consumers. Together, the two companies aim to introduce cashless payment models, transform small and medium retailers access to financial capital, identify and generate livelihood and elevate standard of living in less accessible and remote areas. As socially responsible organizations, both Unilever and Telenor Pakistan have also committed to building a platform to bring differently abled workforce into mainstream roles and to promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

    Shazia Syed, Chairperson & CEO, Unilever Pakistan, highlighted, “The merger of our expertise promises a highly disruptive and scalable approach for the accelerated digitization of Pakistan. In line with the government’s vision for a more digital economy, we aim to empower all those who are part of our value chain, including distributors, sellers, consumers and ultimately the larger communities that we work in.”

    Irfan Wahab Khan, Head of Emerging Asia & CEO Telenor Pakistan, added, “As country’s leading digital services provider, Telenor Pakistan is fully geared to impact and transform various sectors of economy and empower the masses. Through our partnerships with Unilever, we aim to bring together our respective strategic advantages to lay the ground for a digitally and socially inclusive Pakistan, which is in line with our purpose of connecting people to what matters most to them.  We believe in the value of collaborative business models which is instrumental for the rapid adoption of innovative technologies and a faster shift towards a digitally-enabled national infrastructure to cater to those needs.

    Amir Paracha, Vice President Customer Development, Unilever Pakistan, concluded: “Our goal is to create smarter end-to-end digitally enabled retail ecosystem that has the potential to reshape the way businesses operate within the country. The success of this collaboration could propel Pakistan at par with global standards with regards to digital adoption.

    Sardar Abubakr, Chief Digital and Strategy Officer, Telenor Pakistan added “In today’s age, there is a need to look outside our traditional lens when we think of partnerships – real disruption for customer benefit often takes place when like-minded yet different industries come together and leverage unique skill sets and competencies for empowering society – which is precisely Telenor and Unilever’s aim with this partnership’.

     

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  • Telenor appoints Irfan Khan to head the group’s Asia operations

    Telenor appoints Irfan Khan to head the group’s Asia operations

    Telenor Group has appointed Irfan Khan, chief of Pakistan unit, as executive vice president and cluster head for the Norwegian telecom group’s emerging Asia operations, effective from April 1, 2019.

    Khan (pictured) succeeds Petter-Børre Furberg, who will take up a role as CEO of Telenor Norway and move out of the group’s executive management team.

    As a result of the move, Khan will join Telenor Group’s executive management team and report directly to Telenor Group CEO and president Sigve Brekke.

    “I am confident that Irfan will continue to lead our dedicated and talented teams to success, connecting the cluster’s more than 130 million customers,” said Brekke. “I’d like to also thank Irfan’s predecessor in this role, Petter-Børre Furberg, for his leadership and achievements across our Asia region over the last several years.”

    He will also continue as CEO of Telenor Pakistan, a role he assumed in August 2016 following a three-year stint as deputy CEO and CMO of the business.

    Khan has been with Telenor for 14 years and was the first employee in Telenor Pakistan when he started as EVP and head of corporate affairs division in 2004.

    In Asia, Telenor has operations in Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Malaysia.

    Line appoints founder Jungho Shin as co-CEO

    Japan-based Line announced its founder and “chief wow officer” (CWO) Jungho Shin (pictured) will take up an additional role as co-CEO from April 1.

    As the co-CEO, Shin will now also focus on bolstering the competitiveness of Line’s services and promoting innovation, while Takeshi Idezawa will concentrate on the management, as well as revenue, organizational structure, human resources, and recruitment, the company said in a statement.

    Line said the decision was made during the company’s board meeting and the appointment comes as the company began what it calls its second growth phase this year, moving into new business domains such as fintech, AI and blockchain.

    “By having Idezawa and Shin commit to their respective areas of expertise under this new structure, the aim is to strengthen and enhance Line’s management structure, enable nimbler decision-making, and deliver world-class services that will accelerate Line’s growth, both in Asia and globally,” the company added.

    Shin was appointed as CWO in February. He has been with the company since its start, most recently serving as chief service officer since April 2018 and chief global officer before that.

  • Telenor Pakistan and Alibaba Cloud come together to provide cloud-based services

    Telenor Pakistan and Alibaba Cloud come together to provide cloud-based services

    Telenor Pakistan, the country’s leading telecom and digital services provider has partnered with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to become the authorized distributor of Alibaba Cloud products and services in Pakistan.

    The signing took place at Telenor Pakistan headquarters ‘345’ where Dr. Alex Li, General Manager, South Asia of Alibaba Cloud and Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan, sealed the partnership.

    Through the partnership, Telenor Pakistan will be selling Alibaba Cloud’s suite of business solutions to local enterprises across the country. The collaboration will allow customer organizations to protect their business critical applications and data with world-class security as they choose to migrate to Alibaba Cloud.

    In today’s increasingly digital world and exploding data needs, organizations are fast moving to cloud services instead of buying and managing physical servers to have their data management and security needs met. Processing data in the cloud also means that as the business grows, it can keep up with increased traffic.

    Alibaba Cloud provides cloud computing products in computing, database management, networking, security, and storage that can be deployed globally. The service delivers superior results in all product capabilities ranging from computing, user & network management, and security & compliance to scaling, developer services, enterprise integration and management tools.

    Telenor Pakistan’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud will provide a gateway to facilitate the cloud market in the country and in a fast evolving landscape, enable businesses to robustly manage their data management and digital transformation needs” said Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan.

    “We are happy to partner with one of Pakistan’s top digital service providers for distribution of our suite of cloud products and services in the country,” said Dr. Alex Li, General Manager, South Asia of Alibaba Cloud. The partnership will further our vision of fostering the development of cloud market in Pakistan and help the country move faster towards its digital transformation goals,” he added.

    Through this partnership Telenor Pakistan will be providing Alibaba Cloud’s services exclusively to its business customers to further their scale, accuracy in analytics and business security.

     

     

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    Press Contact

    Anam Abbas

    Corporate Communications, Telenor Pakistan

    [email protected]

     

     

    About Telenor Pakistan

    Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor Group and has a footprint spanning throughout the country. With a subscriber base of over 44 Million, it is the second largest mobile operator in Pakistan. Telenor launched its operations in Pakistan in 2005 and has a workforce of over 1,600 employees. For more information, please visit: www.telenor.com.pk

     

    About Alibaba Cloud

    Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is among the world’s top three IaaS providers, according to Gartner, and the largest provider of public cloud services in China, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organizations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.

     

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  • Telenor Pakistan CEO to lead Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster

    Telenor Pakistan CEO to lead Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster

    Telenor Group today announced that effective 1 April, 2019, Irfan Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan, will assume additional leadership role as Telenor Group Executive Vice President and Cluster Head for Emerging Asia, joining Telenor Group’s Executive Management Team.

    “Irfan Khan is a valued leader within Telenor Group and has an accomplished history at Telenor Pakistan. I am pleased that he will take lead over our important growth markets in the Emerging Asia Cluster, in addition to retaining his role as Chief Executive Officer of Telenor Pakistan,” says Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group. “I am confident that Irfan will continue to lead our dedicated and talented teams to success, connecting the cluster’s more than 130 million customers with services that matter to them and creating value for our shareholders. I’d like to also thank Irfan’s predecessor in this role, Petter-Børre Furberg, for his leadership and achievements across our Asia region over the last several years.”

    In becoming Head of Telenor Group’s Emerging Asia Cluster, Irfan Khan will join Telenor Group’s Executive Management Team and will report directly to Telenor Group President and CEO, Sigve Brekke. Petter-Børre Furberg will become CEO of Telenor Norway and step out of Telenor Group’s Executive Management.

    Irfan Wahab Khan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Telenor Pakistan on 1 August 2016. He had served in the position of Deputy CEO and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Telenor Pakistan since April 2013. He has been with Telenor for 14 years and was the first employee in Telenor Pakistan when he started as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Division in 2004. Since then he has served in various positions within Telenor Group both in Asia and Europe, including Vice President Devices and Vice President – Head of Asia Distribution. Mr. Khan is also a Board Member of Telenor Microfinance Bank.

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  • Telenor Pakistan and National Defence University exchange Ideas to Leverage Technology for Development

    Telenor Pakistan and National Defence University exchange Ideas to Leverage Technology for Development

    Telenor Pakistan recently hosted a dinner for a delegation from National Defence University (NDU) Islamabad at its 345 Campus comprising of management of two organizations and participants of International Workshop on Leadership and Security (IWLS).The purpose of the event was to engage in a dialogue on how technology can play a vital role towards national development and empowering societies and to highlight to the international delegates some of the successful and impactful digital initiatives of Telenor Pakistan.

    The high level event was hosted by Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan along with his management team and attended by the faculty and participants of IWLS-1 including delegates from China, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Myanmar, Tunisia, South Africa, Argentina, Portugal, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Finland, Romania, UAE, Syria and The UK. The delegates were given a walkthrough of the latest digital innovations at Telenor Pakistan followed by the tour of the Telenor 345 Campus.

    Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan opened the event and said that access to technology can have important ancillary benefits and it can help empower people, increase productive investment and consumption and raise productivity and income. “As Pakistan’s leading digital services provider with a strong rural presence, and movers of many industry-first initiatives, we at Telenor Pakistan are fully geared to impact and transform various sectors of Pakistan’s economy through smart connectivity, digitalization of services and platforms and greater financial inclusion of the people of Pakistan. As a forward-looking growth organization, Telenor Pakistan is driven by its ambition to provide intelligent technologies to create better national outcomes through our innovation focus involving the use of Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Blockchain. This model is aligned with our purpose to provide the Government, businesses and people of Pakistan to what matters most to them and allows us to be their partner of choice in their digital transformation.” he added.

    Telenor is leading the ICT-powered digital revolution in Pakistan with a number of innovative products and industry first solutions. The company is firmly focused on digitalization for the masses and has pioneered financial services aimed at higher financial inclusion.

    The participants of the International Workshop being held at NDU appreciated Telenor Pakistan’s ambitions for digital development which are well aligned with the Government’s ambition of a Digital Pakistan. “It’s imperative that we know what developments have taken place in the recent past and what technology holds in store for our future, in order to harvest the benefits. Our findings show that responsible tech is on the rise, even in the midst of technology’s rapid leaps. Technology used in the efficient way will contribute to a sustainable tomorrow.” they added.

    Telenor Pakistan believes there are immense opportunities through technology with a stronger focus on value creation, innovation, enterprise solutions, customer experience and strategic partnerships which are aligned with the company’s promise to deliver on its vision of empowering societies and connecting people to what matters most.

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  • Telenor Pakistan, is celebrating its 14th anniversary with a renewed commitment to empowering Pakistan

    Telenor Pakistan, is celebrating its 14th anniversary with a renewed commitment to empowering Pakistan

    Pakistan’s leading telecom and digital services provider, Telenor Pakistan, is celebrating its 14th anniversary with a renewed commitment to empowering Pakistan. Since the beginning of its commercial operations in 2005, the company has emerged as the second largest cellular operator in the country with 44 million strong and growing customer base and 28% share in the Pakistani telecom market. Telenor Pakistan has also become the leader of ICT-powered digital transformation in the country.

    Telenor Pakistan’s journey comprises many industry first initiatives and benchmarks including the country’s first and foremost mobile banking service, Easypaisa, best-in-class data and broadband services, multiple-award winning digital solutions for agriculture and civic rights, Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) enabled network, and the industry’s first and only 4.5G service, to name a few. The company recently established its new headquarters in Islamabad that is built to induce innovation and creativity into solutions for the customers. Since its inception, Telenor Pakistan has taken a frontrunner position in building and developing a digital ecosystem in Pakistan and is a key enabler of the country’s national digital agenda.

    Throughout its operations, Telenor Pakistan has ensured that its purpose of ‘connecting people to what matters most to them’ is fully integrated to its products and services along with ways of doing business. Keeping sustainability a priority in all business processes and policies, Telenor Pakistan’s solutions are enabling socioeconomic growth and development in the country which is reflective of the company’s commitment towards giving more power to its customers through innovative digital connectivity.

    “Since the beginning, Telenor Pakistan has been a strong proponent of technology being the answer to socioeconomic challenges,” said Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan. “We have always been on the lookout for new ways to extend the benefits of technology not only to our customers, but to millions of Pakistanis who are yet to be digitally and financially included. With proliferation of mobile phones, we realized there’s no better way to empower them than leveraging the strong tele-density in the Pakistani market. That is when our digital interventions to empower our society shifted gears and today we lead the industry with disruptive solutions in agriculture, civic rights, IoT, emerging solutions in entertainment, and more. This is only the start of an exciting journey ahead,” he added.

    During the past 14 years, Telenor Pakistan has powered the country’s digital ecosystem using a multilateral approach that includes continuous increase in network footprint, innovative products & services, and making connectivity affordable. Besides ensuring best-in-class services and expanding our network to underserved and unserved areas, Telenor Pakistan’s portfolio of affordable data devices and services is enabling accelerated digital uptake in the country. Initiatives like Telenor Velocity, Youth Forum (TYF) and Ignite encourage a sustainable entrepreneurial mindset across the country and within Telenor Pakistan.

    Telenor Pakistan has made substantial contributions in the form of investment in the country that include over $3.5 billion in spectrum and infrastructure, over $2.5 billion in the national exchequer, and over $70 million in the new Islamabad HQ. Telenor Pakistan’s impact on the society has also been significant with over 1,600 direct jobs, enablement of the wider economy, and measures for sustainability in the supply chain. The impact that the company’s digital interventions are making in areas like financial services, agriculture, and ensuring easy access of civic rights through digital birth registration is redefining sustainability and setting new standards.

    “We thank Pakistan and millions of Pakistanis for choosing us as their preferred telecom and digital solutions provider,” said Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan. “On our 14th anniversary, we pledge to continue serving Pakistan by supporting our national inclusion agenda, being a gateway to the latest technological innovations and creative solutions to meet our customers’ needs, and giving them more reasons to love Telenor. We are here to stay and our commitment to empowering Pakistan only gets stronger with each passing year. With continued support from the government and our cherished customers, we are on the road to achieving greater milestones in the coming times.”

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  • Telenor Myanmar extends non-stop roaming to Malaysia, Singapore

    Telenor Myanmar extends non-stop roaming to Malaysia, Singapore

    Telenor Myanmar has expanded its unlimited international data roaming service to Malaysia and Singapore, one month after the launch of the new service in Thailand.

    The company’s non-stop data roaming pack offers unlimited data in the three international markets for total fees of 999 kyats ($0.65) for three days of service. Speeds are uncapped for the first 1GB per day, and then shaped to 512kbps.

    Prepaid and postpaid customers can activate the service on the MyTelenor APP, sending a message to a dedicated number, or dialing a different number.

    “We are amazed by the support we have seen on our latest roaming product for visitors to Thailand. So we decided to extend this popular service to Malaysia and Singapore which we know as the other two most frequently visited countries in Southeast Asia,” Telenor Myanmar CMO Amaresh Kumar said.

    “We have made international roaming affordable for everyone and we welcome our customers to experience the only worry-free data roaming packs that users can get in Myanmar.”

    Thanks to the connections of parent company Telenor from Norway, Telenor Myanmar now offers roaming services with 171 partner operators in 125 countries, with its 4G roaming service currently available in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, UAE, Canada, Macau, Taiwan, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium and Norway.

    Meanwhile subscribers to 227 operators from 134 countries can use their overseas SIMs with the Telenor network in Myanmar.

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  • Telenor Pakistan partners with Netflix

    Telenor Pakistan partners with Netflix

    Telenor Pakistan today announced its partnership with Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service. As part of this partnership, Telenor’s postpaid and corporate customers in Pakistan will be able to add their Netflix subscription fee to their monthly mobile bill, eliminating the need to share additional credit card or debit card details.

    New and existing Netflix subscribers in Pakistan will be able to select the option to pay through their Telenor mobile bills from the payments page of Netflix. They can simply complete this process by entering their Telenor mobile number, followed by the OTP (one time password).

    “Leading Pakistan’s digital transformation, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to integrate solutions and maximize utility for our customers,” said Sardar Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan. “Telenor Pakistan’s partnership with Netflix will help us achieve that through our industry-first Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) service. With this partnership, our customers will be able to get seamless access to Netflix’s stellar catalogue of original and licenced content.”

    Netflix launched its service in Pakistan in 2016 enabling its members to enjoy unlimited, ad-free entertainment on any internet connected mobile phone, laptop, desktop, tablet, or television.  More than 139 million Netflix paid members in over 190 countries enjoy TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages.

    To promote digital and e-commerce ecosystem in the country, Telenor Pakistan launched Direct Operator Billing (DOB) in 2014 in collaboration with mobile payments company Fortumo and digital & social games publisher Gameloft for purchase of exclusive Gameloft titles and content from the gaming ecosystem. Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) was launched in 2017 through which customers may purchase content from Telenor Apps and Google Play Store, Gamebird related content and now for Netflix subscriptions as part of their mobile bills.

     

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  • Telenor Pakistan hosts “The future of Machine Leaning & Artificial Intelligence”

    Telenor Pakistan hosts “The future of Machine Leaning & Artificial Intelligence”

    Stephen Brobst, CTO of Teradata, conducted an enlightening session on the future of Machine Learning (ML) &Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Telenor Pakistan headquarters ‘345’ in Islamabad. The session was attended by Telenor Pakistan employees and executives from across industries including Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan and President OICCI, Haroon Bhatti, Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Telenor Pakistan, BadarKhushnood, Cofounder & VP at Bramerz, QazafiQayyum, Country Manager Teradata, Khimde Ando, CEO Mitsubishi Corporation, Brig. Tahir Mehmood, Director ISPR, AVM Faaiz Amir, Vice Chancellor Air University, Barkaan Saeed, Ex-Chairman PASHA and Retd. Brig. Saleem Ahmed Moeen, CEO SecureTech.

    The participants learned about the future of artificial intelligence, the role of emerging technologies, differences between deep and shallow learning and their application techniques, and the opportunities of using advanced analytics to create high-value outcomes.

    “We have entered a new era of analytics with machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms beginning to deliver on the long-promised advancement into self-learning systems,” Brobst told the audience. “These approaches allow us to solve previously intractable problems with completely new attack plans.  The appetite of deep learning algorithms for vast amounts of data and the ability to derive intelligence from diverse sets of noisy data allows us to go far beyond previous capabilities in what we used to call advanced analytics,” he added.

    Brobstinformed that in order be successful with the use of new technologieswe need to fully understand their capabilities and limitations. He also stressed the need to develop new skill sets in order to harness the power of deep learning to create business value in an enterprise.

    “In our times of Siri, Alexa, and Google, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence are not a part of science fiction anymore; they are our reality,” remarked Irfan Wahab Khan. “For tech companies like Telenor and Terada, the real charm of AI and ML technologies is their ability to recognize patterns and synthesize large amounts of data. Telenor is not only harnessing the strength of AI and Advance Analytics for its own commercial use but is also enabling other organizations to benefit from the technology by offering incisive Market Research insights and ability to run targeted campaigns on its diverse Advertising  assets. The fact that these technologies get smarter with time as increased amounts of data is fed to them makes them acornerstone for all future technologies,” he added.

    Impressive progress is being made in ML & AI technologies globally. From self-driving and learning cars to flying drones circling the skies, the technological advancements of today could already be perceived as something out of a futuristic novel. Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company,also predicts that by 2020, AI will become one of the top five investment priorities for at least 30 percent of Chief Information Officers. Being the country’s technology leader, Telenor Pakistan is keeping its people abreast of the latest technological developments to realize its ambition of digitally empowering Pakistan.

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  • Telenor Group CEO meets Prime Minister to discusses digitalisation and socioeconomic development

    Telenor Group CEO meets Prime Minister to discusses digitalisation and socioeconomic development

    SigveBrekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, along with IrfanWahab Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan and Petter-Børre Furberg, Executive Vice President Telenor Group met the Honorable Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan to discuss the growing and evolving digital ecosystem in the country and Telenor Group’s longstanding commitment to the country.

    During the meeting, Brekke shared Telenor Groups journey to becoming one of the largest telecom and digital services provider in Pakistan. SigveBrekke thanked the Government of Pakistan for its continued support for the telecom sector and for encouraging foreign direct investments into the country.In addition,theydiscussed possible collaborations to bringcontinued socioeconomic development and digitalisation for all. Brekke also highlighted Telenor’s commitment towards financial inclusion and informed the Prime Minister of incoming investment of USD 140mnas a result of the recently announcedpartnership with Ant Financial.

    The Prime Minister appreciated Telenor’s contribution in the telecom sector and said that the Government aims to develop a knowledge based economy in Pakistan and value Telenor as an important partner in developing the ecosystem that supports the Government’s development agenda.

    The Prime Minister reiterated that the Government is committed to transparency and facilitate investors and enable them take full advantage of huge potential existing in the growing economy of the country.

    “Pakistan is a key market for Telenor Group and we remain committed to empowering this nation by connecting our customers to what matters most,” said SigveBrekke, President & CEO Telenor Group, while sharing his thoughts. “We hope that the government will not only encouragebusiness-friendly policies, but will also introduce new reforms to enhance access to life-changing digital services and solutions for all.”

    “Through Telenor Pakistan’s industry-first initiatives in areas of digital products & services, financial inclusion, agriculture, health, and digital entrepreneurship, we are empowering Pakistan through robust ICT solutions,” said IrfanWahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan. “We have 13 successful years to proudly look back to and aim to serve the people of Pakistan even better with all the learning we have gathered during this time. I thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for his time and am confident that his government will extend the needed support to help us materialise our shared vision of a digital Pakistan.”

    During his visit, SigveBrekke also called upon Mr. Asad Umar, Minister of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairsand Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister and extended his appreciation to the Government for ensuring positive outlook and improving economic indicators that are instrumental towards attracting investment in the country. Brekke also discussed the role of telecom sector in socioeconomic uplift of the country by bringing widespread connectivity to the people of Pakistan.

    Telenor Group has been operating in Pakistan since 2005 and has made a significant impact on the socioeconomic uplift of the country. The Group has invested over USD 3.5bn, contributed over USD 2.5bn to the national exchequer since 2005 and created over 5,000 direct jobs, in addition tohundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.

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  • Telenor Pakistan and foodpanda bring exclusive discounts for customers

    Telenor Pakistan and foodpanda bring exclusive discounts for customers

    Country’s top telecom digital services provider, Telenor Pakistan, and the country’s leading food delivery service, foodpanda, have announced collaboration in three key areas namely marketing, operations, and cash management with an aim to offer exclusive discounts to their mutual customers in Karachi, Hyderabad, and other cities in the southern region.

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Telenor Pakistan and foodpanda in Hyderabad at the latter’s corporate launch event in the city. As part of the agreement, Telenor subscribers in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Quetta who are first-time foodpanda users will be offered exclusive discount vouchers for their food delivery orders.

    Telenor Pakistan will also distribute discount vouchers at its franchises and retail outlets in these locations with the sale of every new Telenor 4G SIM, Wingle & MiFi device, as well as SIM upgrade to 3G/4G.  In order to bring the benefit of the partnership, an awareness campaign will be launched with foodpanda advertising to Telenor customers on its own channels including website, mobile app and blog and Telenor reaching out to its subscriber base through SMS broadcast.

    “We remain the primary digital lifestyle partner of millions of Pakistanis and want to facilitate them in the most innovative of ways,” said Umair Mohsin, VP Circle South, Telenor Pakistan, during the MOU signing ceremony. “By forging such associations as the one with foodpanda, we aim to bring ease and excitement to everyday lives of our customers and help them take maximum advantage of their smartphones and super-fast Telenor data network.”

    “We are pleased to have partnered with Telenor Pakistan for promotion of foodpanda services,” said Noman Sikander Mirza, Country Manager, foodpanda. “At foodpanda Pakistan, we continually aim to serve our customers better and expand our food delivery network. We hope that Telenor Pakistan customers will find the exclusive discount offers exciting and enjoy using our food delivery services.”

    Presently, over 1,000 foodpanda riders and restaurants are connected with Telenor Pakistan network with the two partners aiming to connect an additional 5,000 riders and restaurants in the next few months. Moreover, the partnership envisions utilization of TelenorPakistan’s transformative digital financial services assets such as Easypaisa and QR Code technology for collection of cash from riders and customers in the future.

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  • Samsung buys Spanish AI firm Zhilabs in prep for 5G

    Samsung buys Spanish AI firm Zhilabs in prep for 5G

    Samsung Electronics announced that it has acquired Barcelona-based artificial intelligence startup Zhilabs in a bid to further enhance its 5G capabilities.

    Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

    Zhilabs will be fully owned by Samsung, but it will continue to operate independently under its own management, the South Korean vendor said in a statement.

    Zhilabs provides AI-based network and service analytics solutions and its products are used by telecoms carriers including Celcom, Maxis, NTT East, Telenor, O2, Vodafone, TIM, and Telefonica.

    Samsung said AI-based automation will play a central role in the introduction of new services driven by 5G, such as industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and connected cars, as carriers seek to implement new automated solutions and network virtualization features.

    “5G will enable unprecedented services that generate exponentially greater data traffic, for which automated and intelligent network analytics tools are vital,” said Youngky Kim, president and head of networks business at Samsung Electronics.

    “The acquisition of Zhilabs will enable Samsung to help carriers meet these demands to measure and ensure the quality of each subscriber’s service experience.”

    The acquisition of Zhilabs is also part of the company’s pledge, announced in August, to invest 25 trillion won ($22 billion) in AI, 5G, automotive electronics components and biopharmaceuticals technologies.