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Edotco group to invest up to $300mln to set foundation for Digital Pakistan

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February 1, 2019: A telecommunications infrastructure services provider would invest up to US $300 million in next five years to introduce innovations and support faster, better and more cost-efficient shared network throughout Pakistan.

The edotco group has already invested US $100 million to establish and grow local operations and planning to invest around US $50-60 million annually for next five years to transform the telecommunication industry towards achieving digital Pakistan ambitions with smart solutions.

Chief Executive Officer and other senior officials for edotco Group while talking to media persons claimed to be Pakistan's largest independent tower operator with 850 towers to date and envisaging having 20,000 to 30,000 towers i.e. 20-30 per cent in near future to enable telecom services providers to efficiently meet their growing infrastructure requirements.

“We want to pay taxes and we need a conducive environment for investment, cost-effective infrastructure system i.e. incentives for infrastructure,” the CEO said.

The edotco official said that 3G/4G is faster in Pakistan but urged for sharing telecom infrastructure to make tower infrastructure cost-effective.

The Group is committed to laying foundations of a 5G-ready Pakistan but it requires prerequisites including fiberization, better smartphone penetration as well as spectrum availability and policies on part of government.

They said currently, around 6 percent of towers in the country are fiber connected while smartphone penetration stands at 31 per cent. 5G would help in fast technology-based facilities.

They said that with an encouraging rise in Pakistan's smartphone penetration and increase in overall mobile and data usage, edotco sees potential to advance current telecommunication landscape to meet growing demands.

With a strong presence and committed investment in the country, edotco has reaffirmed its plans for creating an agile and future-ready telecommunications infrastructure industry in Pakistan, said edotco's officials while sharing Group's strategy to improve country's telecommunications sector whilst setting foundation for a Digital Pakistan.

Moreover, they said to meet projected fivefold spike in mobile data usage, Pakistan's telecommunications industry will need over 30,000 new tower sites by 2022, double of what it has now. The new sites will be coverage sites to extend connectivity to rural and hard to reach areas, as well as capacity sites, to meet increasing data usage growth, as more users transition from 3G to 4G and beyond.

The Group is keen to partner with local ecosystem towards transforming telecommunications landscape. To date, edotco has invested over US $ 100 million to establish and grow its local operations.

Pakistan and Malaysia have shared a healthy bilateral relationship and we look forward to leading way in telecommunications investment while playing a part in achieving the country's digital agenda, they added.

(APP)

Posted on: 2019-02-01T13:21:00+05:00

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