Tell us about your professional background?
Dr Tanveer Ul Haq: As for my professional accomplishments, I have worked with Comsearch, a Wireless Consulting Company in the US and with the Wireless Networking Division of Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs. At Lucent Technologies I was responsible for design, optimization and network performance management of CDMA, TDMA and 3rd Generation Wireless Networks. I had the rare distinction of being appointed Distinguished Member of Technical Staff and later Consulting Member of Technical Staff at Lucent Technologies for contributions in TDMA and CDMA technologies; Consulting Member of Technical Staff being the highest technical appointment at Lucent Technologies. In the year 2004-05 I was adviser to the Higher Education Commission for IT and PERN (Pakistan Education and Research Network. I have also worked at Paktel as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and later CTO of Central Region for China Mobile, Pakistan. As Central Region CTO, my team set the record for fastest GSM rollout in Pakistan. Currently, I am Vice President Technical Operations (CTO and CIO roles) at wi-tribe, a WiMAX operator.
I am a Senior Member of IEEE, and have authored more than 20 papers in refereed conferences and journals, with 3 US patents to my credit. Along with my engineering assignments in telecomm, I remain active in research and academia. I have been a visiting professor at NUST SEECS, Punjab University, Iqra University, and NFC Institute of Engineering and Fertilizer Research.
What motivated you to join ICT field?
After completing my PhD studies in 1995, in the US, I wanted to get industry experience that would help me contribute to the industrial growth of Pakistan. Wireless Telecomm Technologies were emerging as the way of the future and it made perfect sense to join the Wireless Industry, which led me to work at Lucent Technologies. The knowledge I gained there has been very beneficial as I returned to Pakistan, where I started contributing in the ICT field.
What is your role in wi-tribe?
As the Chief Technical Officer, I am responsible for IT and Network Engineering. Wi-tribe has deployed both an LDI and a broadband Network over WiMAX technology. Our IT team not only supports and streamlines operations in Pakistan but is also the Center of Excellence for all wi-tribe operations in Qatar, Jordan and Philippines.
What are the challenges of your job in wi-Tribe?
The biggest challenge for our team is to maintain the highest Quality of Service for our subscribers and highest network availability; all at an affordable cost for our subscribers in Pakistan. This is an extremely difficult task considering the frequent power outages, increasing inflation and dollar value, and unpredictable law and order situation. It is gratifying to know that PTA declared wi-tribe as the Best Broadband Service in Pakistan in their recent Quality of Service survey. Our success, however, is identified by retained customers testifying they enjoy the best broadband experience with wi-tribe.
What is wireless internet technology and what are its different features?
Wireless internet technologies generally fall into two categories 3G (3rd Generation) and 4G (4th Generation). 3G technologies are primarily based upon CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), while 4G technologies are based upon OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiple Access). There are two competing 4G technologies, WiMAX and LTE. 3G has not been implemented in Pakistan, whereas WiMAX has been in commercial operation for some time. LTE is still under development and only trial networks are being deployed, whereas, WiMAX has been commercially available for the last 3 years. Hundreds of WiMAX networks have been deployed throughout the world. The key feature of wireless internet technologies is the provisioning of High Speed Internet Access (upwards of 1Mbps), always-on connectivity, and the freedom of portability. wi-tribe’s wireless network was recently declared the Best Broadband service in Pakistan by PTA even when compared to wired services (FTTH, HFC, etc.). This is evidence that if a network, based upon wireless internet technology, is engineered and maintained at the highest international standards, it can perform even better than wired networks.
Though we use wireless technology, we believe wi-tribe to be a broadband service provider, irrespective what technology is used. Ultimately, consumers only care for the quality of their service, not the technology behind it.
Are you satisfied with the growth of broadband users in Pakistan?
Unfortunately, the uptake of broadband services has not reached the levels that can have a significant impact on Pakistan’s economic growth. According to PTA’s Annual Report (2010), Broadband Penetration is merely at 0.55% penetration. In the last three years, the growth rate has been high but needs to be much higher to have a major impact. Low penetration of computers, lack of internet knowledge, unavailability of local content, high cost of international bandwidth and lack of reliable broadband services are some of the challenges impeding growth. Since the launch of wi-tribe and other wireless services, some of the challenges are being addressed and we are optimistic that the growth in the future will inevitably be much higher.
Are people adopting new internet technology, WiMAX, in Pakistan?
WiMAX has seen significant growth in the last 2 years. According to PTA’s Annual Report (2010), the share of WiMAX amongst all broadband technologies has increased from 21.4% in 2009 to 28.6% in 2010. When WiMAX was introduced in Pakistan 3 years ago, the technology was in its infancy and not ready for stable commercial deployment, thus limiting user experience. Now that wi-tribe has shown the technology can deliver better QoS (Quality of Service) than any other competing technology, we expect an even higher growth rate for WiMAX in Pakistan through 2011. PTA’s Annual Report (2010) also indicated that wi-tribe is also the fastest growing Broadband Service Provider in Pakistan.
How is prevailing competition among players in the broadband service market?
Pakistan’s broadband market is currently dominated by the incumbent; however, as mentioned previously, there are quite a few other companies who are providing services such as DSL, WiMAX, EVDO, FTTH, Cable and Point-to-Point radio. No matter the technology, the biggest challenge always remains Quality of service (QoS). Because of low ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User), operators tend to focus more on price and cost rather than quality and consistency. wi-tribe has taken a different stance, focusing primarily on “Quality”, with an aim to establish ourselves as the country’s number one choice, differentiated by quality of service. It is a challenging strategy to accomplish with the increasing price pressures, especially from the incumbent.
The rising costs of operating in Pakistan make it challenging to deliver high quality services at low costs. However, operators in Pakistan have learnt how to manage costs to provide world class services, while remaining profitable. At wi-tribe we have incorporated unique engineering designs that enable low cost and environment friendly operations, another critical issue in today’s world. With minimal dependence on diesel generators, wi-tribe can safely claim to be the greenest of all wireless telecom operators.
Do you think the stiff competition will bode negative for operators’ revenue in future?
Stiff competition will have an impact only if operators focus on churning customers from each other and not on market growth. This would be a negative strategy. However, if the operators work on expanding the market, which stands at only 0.55% penetration as of now, growth opportunity for all operators will provide better conditions for healthy competition. Operators have to be patient by seeking long term growth, rather than getting caught up in short term gains by hurting one another, and themselves. The industry as a whole will have to show significant maturity to achieve this collective goal for ourselves and for Pakistan.
Are you satisfied with the role of the regulator, PTA?
PTA’s strategy for the most part in last ten years was Voice and GSM focused. It is only recently that PTA has started focusing more on Broadband Technologies. This renewed focus on Broadband is beginning to generate measurable results. The PTA’s Chairman has expressed his commitment to support the proliferation of broadband at many forums, and his initiative to promote local content is commendable. In 2004, a 5-year Broadband Policy was formulated by MoIT, which did not achieve requisite targets. Renewal of that policy, incorporating recommendations from the industry, could help in further boosting the broadband industry’s growth.
What do you comment on Technology Times?
Technology Times is a good value addition for Pakistan’s technology space. I like the approach Technology Times takes when reporting news, rather than simply presenting opinions. I wish the best success to all the members of Technology Times.
http://www.technologytimes.pk/mag/2011/jan11/issue04/person_behind_tech_revolution.php
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