ISLAMABAD: Dr. Umar Saif, the acting federal minister of information technology and telecommunication, announced on Friday that the Ministry of IT will begin the “Smartphone for All” project, which will enable people to purchase smartphones through convenient installment plans.
He announced on his official social media accounts that the ministry is also setting up a research and development fund to help companies that make mobile phones and to promote the expansion of the mobile phone manufacturing industry.
With respect to the “Smartphone for All” initiative, he clarified that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) would ban the phone in accordance with the Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS) pattern if payments were not made in installments.
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According to the minister, the goal is to promote prudent financial practices and guarantee the ongoing spread of smartphone accessibility.
According to him, this regulation will allow telecom providers to directly sell smartphones to consumers through payment plans, expanding the benefits of mobile broadband, especially for Pakistan’s lower-class demographic.
With 190 million mobile phones in use, Pakistan is the seventh-largest mobile phone market in the world, according to Dr. Umar Saif.
He stated that the government wants to lower the amount of mobile phones it imports by encouraging Pakistani manufacturers to produce reasonably priced, high-quality phones.