ISLAMABAD – JULY 27, 2023: Pakistan’s long-awaited Telecom Operators’ Association has been formed and held its first meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The members include Jazz, Ufone/PTCL, Telenor, Nayatel, Cybernet, and TWA while new membership is open to all license holders of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMO), Long Distance International (LDI) Operators, Wireless Local Loop Operators (WLL), and Local Loop Operators (LL) (Fixed Line).

The board members nominated Mr. Aamir Ibrahim (CEO Jazz) as the first Chairman of the Association, while Mr. Wahaj us Siraj (CEO Nayatel) was appointed as Vice Chairman, Mr. Naveed Butt (Group Chief Regulatory Officer PTCL & Ufone) as President of the Management Committee and Mr. Syed Fakhar Ahmed (Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Officer Jazz) as Interim Secretary General.

The Association’s ultimate objective is to accelerate the digitization of the Pakistani economy by advocating for policy and regulatory interventions in the telecom and broadband industries. The goal is to find favorable solutions that facilitate foreign investment, foster growth within the telecom Industry, and provide innovative and exciting services to the hundreds of millions of customers in Pakistan. Furthermore, the Association aims to foster digital inclusion, especially of marginalized communities and geographies, especially rural, youth, and women.

Sharing his thoughts on occasion, the 1st Chairman of the Association, Mr. Aamir Ibrahim, said, “This association will focus on creating awareness and a sense of urgency to help Pakistan get on the digital highway. An informed and healthy dialogue with the key policymakers is essential for the growth of the broadband services that serve as the backbone of the IT industry. Through this Association, the industry now has a robust platform to advocate for and drive the change that’s needed for digital inclusion and empowerment in Pakistan.”

On the occasion, Mr. Wahaj us Siraj (CEO Nayatel), Mr. Saad Muzaffar Warraich (CEO TWA), Mr. Maroof Ali Shahani (COO Cybernet), and Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan (CEO Telenor Pakistan) also shared their thoughts on the importance and way forward for the Telecom Operators’ Association. The meeting featured some key policy interventions that would later be brought to the government through the Association’s platform. All members pledged to optimize the platform to materialize the Digital Pakistan vision and consolidate efforts to foster inclusion, boost digitalization, and advocate for necessary changes to uplift the IT & telecom industries of Pakistan.