Wi-tribe launches wireless broadband service in Pakistan

Wi-tribe, a wireless internet provider backed by Qatar’s Qtel Group, has launched a wireless broadband service in Pakistan. The deployment, which uses WiMAX technology from Motorola, covers major cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, chairman of Qtel Group, said the launch, which is Wi-tribe’s biggest project to date, marks an important stage in the company’s aim to become a top 20 telecom player by 2020.

“Following our launch in Jordan, Pakistan marks a major stepping stone towards our expansion strategy and our intention to leverage the scale and strengths of the Qtel Group in order to deliver the latest technologies to our customers,” he said.

Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO Qtel, added that broadband represents a “major pillar of growth” for the company, particularly in markets which have low broadband penetration rates, such as Jordan and Pakistan.

“Broadband penetration levels in new emerging markets are currently very low compared to markets in the region. However, consumer demand for wireless services is growing at a fast pace. So we will continue to focus on this area in the future as we see good business opportunity and significant growth potential,” he said.

While Pakistan already has about 50 ISPs, services are limited outside metropolitan areas. Access to high speed broadband and mobile broadband is also limited.

As of February 2008, Pakistan had about 100,000 broadband users, although the government has set itself a target to increase this number to 1.6 million by 2010.

Qtel entered Pakistan in April 2007 when it acquired a 75% stake in wireless telecoms operator Burraq Telecom, in a joint deal with and Saudi Arabia's A.A. Turki for Trading and Contracting.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Broadband Coverage
Posted by MA Khan, 100 Km from Mirpurkhas Sind Naukot, Pakistan on Friday 23 October 2009 at 08:29 UAE time


Need to know when shoud we expect Broadband coverage in remote areas of Sind

they will hv to compete with wordcall evdo
Posted by Mehdi, karachi, pakistan on Friday 3 July 2009 at 16:21 UAE time


wateen has been a big flop.
now they new wi-tribe will have a nice competition with worldcall evdo which is rapidly expanding its service specially in urban parts of the country

Nicely Done!
Posted by rizwan, Lahore, Pakistan on Friday 3 July 2009 at 13:26 UAE time


Very Nicely Done!

Thanks Qtel

Very good move but costly!!!
Posted by Shahzad Afzal, Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Thursday 2 July 2009 at 08:46 UAE time


Although its very good move by Qtel but still they have to compete WATEEN and PTCL. So the current packages offered by WiTribe are very expensive as compared to WATEEN so no one is going to buy WiTribe when WATEEN with good reputation and cheap packages.

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