Round The Clock Tech Support:
For any business, a reliable internet connection serves as the most important organ. If anything happens and your communication links with your clients/suppliers are broken then you could suffer a lot of losses within a short span of time. Every ISP gives some sort of tech support but corporate packages are given such a level of support that is 24/7 and uninterrupted and available round the clock. They also might assign you a dedicated team of tech specialists that may even visit to check and fix any malfunctions to keep things running smoothly. Something which does not exist at such a level in residential/consumer internet packages.  If you need to get in touch with your respective helpline then you also might not need to endure long waiting times as you get personalized support over the phone.

Tax Claims:
As a business entity you pay a lot in taxes for the services you use and thus at the end of every fiscal year you may file for tax claims. This is also possible for any consumer however with the huge amounts in question it’s only good that you’ve all the proper paperwork including receipts and claim forms necessary to file tax claims.

Dedicated Links:
Corporate packages usually work on dedicated links which helps as you get consistent and stable speeds rather than residential packages which usually run on shared connections among multiple users.

Zero Downtimes:
Business based internet packages, are given special priority and have near-zero downtimes as even if the ISP needs to do any maintenance work then it makes sure that its services are still uninterrupted for its corporate clients.

Better Hardware/CPE:
An ISP issues you WiFi routers and any other equipment as per your business organization’s needs. A customer at a residential premises might need one WiFi router for coverage whereas a workplace might need routers that cover a lot more area and must be placed strategically in order to offer best connectivity throughout the working space. You will also get network switches installed and any wired connectivity would be installed properly as needed.

Reliability:
It’s also pertinent to mention that any business broadband package should be reliable at any time. For this Fiber Optic connectivity is used because it’s much stable than copper and not prone to being tapped. It also supports much faster speeds that are the need of any business organization. Also an SLA agreement is signed with the ISPs to ensure that a business’ needs are served as per their requirements.  You may also get a Disaster Recovery website which is essentially a mirror of your original business website with near-complete backups of your data as well. It helps to recover within a short period of time in case your website goes down after any disaster happens. Your data is also securely encrypted for security purposes.

Prioritized Traffic:
An ISP usually routes corporate traffic on priority basis which means that your network works at stable speeds regardless of how much the usage patterns of an ISP’s customer base may be. In residential/consumer packages your bandwidth could be affected during peak times or holiday seasons.

VPN/Static IP:
For any business, a VPN(Virtual Private Network) and multiple Static IPs can be of essential need. Using these additional services you can monitor your office remotely as well as have a secure internal private network that enables employees to access a corporate intranet. With a static IP you can also host your own server, website or remotely access your workplace computers without complications.

Stronger Security:
For any business, security is a prime need and any hacks can be a major pitfall for your organization. To counter this fact, ISPs use stronger encryption levels and software aimed to make your network more secure.

Faster Uploads:
Residential consumers usually do a lot of activities online that include downloading for e.g streaming video content and downloading stuff. For business users there might be a lot of uploading included for e.g to the cloud hence uploads are also prioritized on business broadband packages.

Financial Approval:
As per any business organization’s operating procedures, for any financial spending you’ll need proper approval from the finance department and in this case the ISP will issue you a quotation which you can then refer to the concerned department to get an approval and only then will your company issue the necessary amount required to acquire the desired services.

Above mentioned points are some important aspects which can determine if you need to have a business broadband internet connection at installed at your workplace. To compare various business/residential broadband packages in Pakistan from various ISPs nationwide, visit our online portal at www.smartchoice.pk where you can place an order for your desired service as well. If you have any feedback, feel free to voice yourself in the comments section below.

Khurram Zahid

The post 11 Reasons To Choose Corporate Broadband For Your Business! appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

The broadband industry also saw a growth as due to the influx of 3G/4G, telcos have now introduced their Mobile Broadband devices as well which add portability as well as multiple devices can be connected at one time. Zong has been a massive hit with the consumers as it’s giving fast and consistent speeds at attractive prices. Including all wired and wireless broadband services available  to consumers in Pakistan, the total number of subscribers now stands at 31 million  which is a growth of a staggering 13.28 million subscribers since the past 9 months starting from July 2015. Cable Net and EvDO technologies took a hit as the number of new subscribers have been going down however Mobile Broadband saw the most growth in number of new subscribers. WiMAX took a huge hit in July 2015 most probably due to Wateen’s exit from the broadband market which almost left its user base in half as shown in the table given below:

Note: *DSL, HFC, WiMax, FTTH, EvDO and others are as of Dec 2015
Note: **DSL, HFC, WiMax, FTTH, EvDo and others are As of Dec 2015

Khurram Zahid

The post Broadband Industry Crosses 31 Million Subscribers – Latest PTA Figures appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Increased Volume for Broadband Users:
WiTribe also has a great offer for its existing and new broadband users. Limited packages now have doubled volume whereas unlimited packages now have a Fair Usage Policy of 200GB up from the measly 60GB previously. Given below are the details of the revised packages:

For more details regarding WiTribe broadband packages click here

Wi Net TV:
WiTribe has changed the subscription model for its Wi Net TV streaming service. It is now free to use for all non WiTribe subscribers. However they will get limited access to live channels and Video on Demand feature. Full access to Wi Net TV is a value added service for non WiTribe users with the following Tariff:

There are a few terms and conditions for non WiTribe users as follows:

1) All non WiTribe users will be able to use Wi Net TV for FREE.
2) FREE users will get limited access to TV Channels & Video on Demand.
3) Premium/International channels will not be available for viewing in FREE mode.
4) Upon accessing paid channels, user will be prompted to upgrade to “Premium” mode.
5) FREE users may receive Ads on screen and on the web page.
6) Upon recharging the account, the user access will be upgraded to “Premium” mode.
7) Premium access will be available till expiry of credit.

Upgrading to PREMIUM gives you:

a) Ad free viewing experience.
b) Uninterrupted access.
c) Exclusive international channels.
d) Prepaid billing.
e) Watch live TV on upto 3 screens simultaneously.
f) Watch latest movies via Video on Demand.

For WiTribe customers the following terms and conditions apply:

1) Monthly subscription charges for Wi Net TV would be PKR 100(from March 2016 onwards)
2) FREE mode will not be available to WiTribe users.
3) Charges will be included in monthly bill.
4) Once subscribed, users will get access to premium content.

For more details regarding Wi Net TV click here

Khurram Zahid

The post Do More With Wi-Tribe’s Revised Fair Usage Policy appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Along with this new offer there are another few offers already in place for Qubee customers such as getting 2GB of extra bandwidth if bills are payed within the due date, Pay-for-3,Get-1-free which gives you one month free if you pay for three consecutive months at a single time.

As another additional incentive, Qubee has launched QClub which offers loyalty rewards in three tiers namely QNeu under which for staying with the brand for 3-6 months you get 10% additional volume on your base package. Then comes QGuru which offers 20% additional volume for 6-12 months. Finally there is QRoyal which includes 40% additional bandwidth after you’ve been a customer for  1 year.

We personally think these offers are  really compelling as they can be availed altogether as well. Have you tried out any of these? Were there any issues or the offers were available as the company states them to be? Let us know by giving us your reviews here!

Khurram Zahid

The post Qubee Rewards Customers with Free Speed Upgrades appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Remember how, a few years ago, internet access in Pakistan came to an almost halt because of a cut in one of the under-sea broadband cables, followed by a surprise cut in a second cable as well? The country was left with two under-sea cables and some satellite based bandwidth. It was like a 4 lane road suddenly cramped into 2 lanes, causing severe traffic congestion and slowing down of internet speeds.

Since then, Pakistan has understood the importance of the internet to its businesses and home users and has steadily strengthened the national backbone providing internet connectivity to me, you and everybody else.

These under-sea cables pass through the sea and connect the “WWW” together. Pakistan currently offers internet connectivity to its citizens using the following four under-sea cables:

• SEA-ME-WE-3 (South East Asia, Middle East and Western Europe 3), owned by PTCL
• SEA-ME-WE-4, owned by PTCL
• I-ME-WE, owned by PTCL
• TWA-1, owned by a private entity called Transworld Associates

In comes the news, Transworld is adding a 5th under-sea cable to Pakistan’s national backbone allowing us to better deal with any such incidents in the future and should something happen, you will probably not be as badly affected as we were all back in 2013. The SEA-ME-WE-5 is designed to support a 24 terabits per second capacity – shared amongst the countries along its path.

This also gives broadband operators, the ones we use at home for our internet, an alternative to PTCL and will open up the market as well, allowing competition in the national backbone space.

SEA-ME-WE-5 is expected to become operational by the year 2016.

With inputs from The Express Tribune.

Khurram Zahid

The post Strengthening National Broadband Backbone with SEA-ME-WE-5 appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Sibtain Jiwani

smartchoice.pk

The post Pakistan Broadband Landscape – Infographic appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Telecom indicators, as published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), have shown remarkable increase in the number of broadband subscribers – month by month – over the past two years across all sorts of broadband technologies – wired or wireless.

In 2011, for example, total number of broadband subscribers in Pakistan stood at 0.9 Million and jumped close to 2.0 Million by the end of 2012. These trends were exciting – we know how the Internet has help develop countries and societies across the globe – and we know internet awareness will play a powerful role in the development and progress in Pakistan too.

We ran a quick analysis, threw in some number crunching, and have expect broadband growth to stand at 64 percent by the end of 2014 – with broadband subscribers to cross 4.2 Million by the end of this year. This is rapid growth and the momentum just seems to be increasing with every month. Our extrapolation is based on the existing trend.

The graph above shows a year on year (Y-o-Y) comparison of how broadband penetration has grown in Pakistan. We have already written about how the internet is instrumental in the social uplift of societies and countries and we expect good things to come our way in the days to come.

Feel free to share your comments and feedback with us below!

Khurram Zahid

The post Pakistan broadband growth at 64% – expected to cross 4 Million in 2014 appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Will 3G end the market for Conventional Broadband Service Providers in Pakistan?

In a word, NO!

Based on current infrastructure, Pakistan is some ways off in even launching proper 3G service, let alone 4G.  The market for trial 3G services is not even a month old and only offered in limited geographical zones within the popular urban centers of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

The average smart phone user is still figuring out, on how to use, the limited 3G trial services currently available.  It was less than 2 weeks ago that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authorities formally awarded 3G licenses to the successful bidders of last month’s 3G and 4G auction.

The nature of 3G technology is such that it will be quite some time before it makes older technologies like DSL, Wimax and Cable irrelevant. In his 2012 article for PCMag, Sasha Sagan presents the technological elements of  the Wimax vs 3G and LTE debate.  While the article focuses primarily on mobile phone networks, the implication is clear.  Customers will always opt for higher bandwidth that is consistent. Towards that end, they will ultimately opt for 3G and 4G.

However, based on infrastructural, product and pricing constraints, Pakistan is still a long way off from this switchover.  In a recent report for Express Tribune, Farooq Baloch presents some of the infrastructural challenges that have to be met before 3G and 4G service is even widely and properly available. Some of the comments for this article are equally instructive including this exercpt from the optimistic commentator Garam Aaanday:

“………In a Nutshell 3G+4G Deployment requires less than 1 year to be implemented throughout Pakistan.”

Until then, it will be difficult to see the real effects of the switch over from DSL and Wimax to 3G and LTE.  Nonetheless, even after successful implementation of 3G and LTE networks, the Pakistani internet user is not likely to completely discard older technologies.

This study by Delta Partners highlights that the latest technology might not always be the most optimal for every user. The usage patterns, as highlighted in this study, are actually quite paradoxical and show that it is rural users who will benefit more from 3G and LTE networks as opposed to existing urban users in higher population densities.  Urban users who still be better served by continuing with their DSL and Wimax service providers.

In a country like Pakistan, it is difficult to see Wimax, DSL and cable becoming obsolete in the near future. Aside from infrastructural concerns, it makes more sense to view the newer 3G and LTE services as complimentary products to the existing Wimax, DSL and Cable services currently being offered.

One must not forget that these existing services represent those companies that have survived intense competition.  These companies also include the semi-private PTCL – a national behemoth that provides multiple products and whose existing infrastructure is unbeatable in the short run.

Similarly, even if it is premature to talk of pricing, one can safely argue that the successful bidders for 3G and LTE services need to recoup their auction bid.

(At this point, and for the purposes of this article, it is pointless to highlight the alleged problematic nature of the auction where the successful bidders will simply be adjusting their existing receivables with the PTA).

With Data usage packages being quoted at Rs.20/Mb (Zong) and comprehensive bandwidth packages likely to cost multiple times the existing bandwidth packages, the 3G and LTE customer is already looking at a hefty increase in their internet costs.  Furthermore, the market for such services is also restricted by the smart phone owner market in a developing country like Pakistan. Segment the 3G and LTE market further and this niche market shrinks even further as the price range for smart phones supporting LTE makes such a service affordable to only a select few. This is likely to make pricing even more uncompetitive compared to existing technologies.

There is no doubt that video steaming and video calling appear very enticing but how large is this market segment in Pakistan?

With increasing censorship and the prevailing ban on YouTube, the compelling attraction to switch to 3G and LTE reduces further. In the long run, DSL, Wimax and cable may well go the way of the dial up internet connection. However, studies show that that is a slow and gradual switch over even in developed economies.  In a country like Pakistan, the introduction of 3G and LTE will simply serve as an incentive to the World calls and Qubees to further improve both their service and their pricing.  The Pakistani customer can finally be introduced to a technology that has been enjoyed by its Indian and Afghan neighbors for nearly a decade.  For an upbeat conclusion, that is not a bad place to be as a consumer.

Image courtesy www.jehzlau-concepts.com

Khurram Zahid

The post Will 3G end the market for Conventional Broadband Service Providers in Pakistan? appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

In less than two years, this number has more than doubled to almost 2.25 Million (as per PTA statistics last updated in October 2012). The year on year growth figures are exciting and speak of the prospects the broadband industry has to offer.

Broadband subscribers, by technology, are mentioned below:

• DSL (Landline based): 913,102 subscribers
• EVDO (CDMA Based Wireless Broadband): 700,214 subscribers
• WiMAX (Wireless Broadband): 587,967 subscribers
• HFC: 34,141 subscribers
• Fiber to the Home (FTTH): 9,299 subscribers
• Others/Not Classified: 3,069 subscribers

Broadband internet access with quality local content will definitely lead to social uplift and progress for Pakistan and its people.

Khurram Zahid

The post Pakistan Broadband Subscribers cross 2.2 Million appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

In line with enhancing broadband penetration in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) introduced a broadband policy focusing on a number of areas to not only encourage investment but also to boost awareness among the masses.

Last month, in partnership with a telecom vendor (Huawei), the PTA launched a nationwide broadband “road-show” to encourage ordinary citizens to see for themselves how broadband services can revolutionize their every-day life-styles.

The PTA has also forecast that the number of broadband users in Pakistan will reach some 19.5 million by the year 2020 – a slow but substantial increase in the number of subscribers.

Access to broadband internet is known to have dramatically improved the efficiency, productivity and performance of a society – allowing people access to global information and resources that can be applied to their localities and surroundings.

But all that said, for the over-all social uplift, it is also very important for local information and local content to be generated and be readily available within Pakistan. This should especially include e-Government initiatives and access to forms and documentation online, allowing people to perform a number of day to day tasks online. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has truly revolutionized the way people used to apply for Tax registration and filing of returns and all government departments can take it is a leading example.

We, as a nation, need to focus on generating local content, publishing web content in local languages as much as possible for broadband to have its true effect in uplifting our living standards.

Khurram Zahid

The post Broadband for Social Uplift appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.