Zong Awarded the Long Distance International License

China Mobile Pakistan-Zong, Pakistan’s fastest growing Telecom Network, is proud to announce the attainment of the LDI license after reaching an agreement with Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). Both entities signed the LDI License agreement at an event held to announce this latest development. CMPakwas anxiously waiting to get the LDI license, as the company plans to launch new services for the benefit of its customers.

The LDI license will now allow Zong to provide cost effective and efficient international call and SMS services to its customers as previously it provided these services through collaboration with different local partners.

Expressing his delight on the occasion, Mr. Sikandar Naqi, Adviser to chief, Zong said, “At Zong, we believe in continuous progress and innovation, which in turn means better services and facility for our esteemed customers. This agreement with PTA for the LDA license is just another example of our dedication towards providing better and efficient services to our subscribers. Through such endeavors we show our commitment towards taking the telecom services in Pakistan to the next level.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Fan Yun Jun, chairman and CEO, Zong said, “This journey towards the acquisition of the LDI license was an uphill task which started back in 2007.Congratulations to the Zong team in charge of the license procurement, as their hard work and determination has finally paid off. I would also like to thank the officials at PTA who have made this all possible. The LDI license is another jewel in our crown and it will lead us and our customers towards a new avenue of business and services. I hope our team is all geared for this latest challenge.”

Zong has been taking giant leaps in the competitive market of telecom services by introducing customer centric services for different segments of mobile phone users along with expanding its network at an exponential rate. With the preference of 53% customers in 2012 in the entire industry, Zong remains the telecom operator of choice in Pakistan. With the passage of time, Zong has not only managed to attract a fair share of the market through innovative services but has also invested billions of dollars in Pakistan.

Properly Licensed Software Delivers Twice the Economic Benefit of Pirated Software in Pakistan, BSA Study Estimates

A new study from BSA | The Software Alliance and INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools, finds that increasing the use of properly licensed software would have a greater impact on the economy in Pakistan than allowing similar growth in the use of pirated software. The study was held in collaboration with Microsoft.

A 1 percent increase in use of licensed software would generate an estimated $148 million in national production, compared to $63 million from a similar increase in pirated software —meaning properly licensed software would deliver $84 million in additional economic value.

Competitive Advantage: The Economic Impact of Properly Licensed Software is a groundbreaking analysis that draw son data from 95 countries to demonstrate the benefits to national economies of using fully licensed software. The study confirms that increasing use of licensed software corresponds to substantial positive gains in gross domestic product (GDP), and that the economic stimulus effect of properly licensed software is significantly greater than that of pirated software.

“Using properly licensed software reduces risk and creates operating efficiencies that go directly to the bottom line for enterprises,” said Amir Rao, country manager, Microsoft Pakistan. “This study confirms that licensed software is not just good for firms — it is an important driver of national economic growth. Government, law enforcement, and industry in Pakistan should take every opportunity to reap these potential gains by reducing piracy and promoting use of properly licensed software.”

The study also finds that each additional dollar invested in properly licensed software has an estimated return on investment (ROI) of $327. This compares to a $23 return from each additional dollar worth of pirated software put into use.

Among the study’s other findings:

·     Increasing licensed software use globally by 1 percent would inject an estimated $73 billion into the world economy, compared to $20 billion from pirated software — a difference of $53 billion.

Every country included in the study saw greater economic returns from properly licensed software than from pirated software.

·       On a dollar-for-dollar basis, the return on investment from using properly licensed software is greatest in developing countries —$437 in extra GDP, on average. Still, countries across all income levels benefit: each additional dollar invested in licensed software has an average ROI of $117 in high-income countries and $140 in middle-income countries.

“Previous studies have shown that value-added services delivered with properly licensed software help firms to reduce costs and increase their productivity. This report goes one step further to ascertain the impact of software use on national production,” said Eduardo Rodriguez-Monte mayor, senior research fellow at INSEAD eLab. “The results make it clear that licensed software is beneficial for business and national economies — and that licensed software has a greater economic impact than pirated software across all countries included in the study.”

Governments and enterprises wanting to embrace the economic opportunity presented by licensed software use should take action in the following areas:

·         Establish strong and modern intellectual property laws that protect software and other copyrighted materials on PCs, mobile devices, and in the cloud.

·         Step up enforcement of intellectual property rights with dedicated resources.

·         Raise public awareness about the risks of software piracy. 

·  Lead by example by using only fully licensed software and implementing software asset management programs.