Central Asian CDMA Forum and Qualcomm Incorporated, USA in collaboration with Ministry of IT & Telecom, Government of Pakistan, CDMA Development Group (CDG) and CDMA Certification Forum successfully organized an executive level Seminar on 3G Markets, Technologies, Regulation and Services on 13th June 2006 at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.
Mr. Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Federal Minister of IT & Telecom was the Chief Guest whereas Major General ® Shahzada Alam Malik Chairman PTA was the guest of honour. The seminar was attended by 300 professionals associated with the telecom sector that included policy makers, regulators, businessmen, mobile and WLL operators, academia, bankers, software
The event commenced with a welcome address and an overview of Central Asian CDMA Forum by Chairman Central Asian CDMA Forum Mr. Khalid Khan. Dr. Thomas O’Neil Senior Vice President, Qualcomm presented and explained in detail the migration path for Pakistan to 3G networks and services.
Mr. Raheel Kamal Director Business Development Qualcomm explained the licensing and spectrum issues of 3G services especially with reference to the Pakistan’s existing and future allocation. Mr. Michael Mamagani, Director Technical Marketing, in his talk presented the evolution of 3G and the comparison of various technologies. Mr. Irfan Zaman, Sr. Program Manager QIS in his presentation highlighted the wide range of benefits and the competitive edge of the latest 3G applications and showed to the audience some live applications.
Thomas Erickson, President CDMA Certification Forum made presentation on the importance of certification and why it is necessary to certify equipment for ensuring quality services, he also covered the more important topic of handset aggregation using GHRC.
Mr. Artem Orange, CEO Diallog, in the end gave live demonstration of their EV-DO network and explained how they are using the CDMA technology for the benefit of the community. In the end the speakers took questions from the audience and answered all questions to the satisfaction of the audience.Guest of Honour, Chairman PTA, Major General ® Shahzada Alam Malik, praised the efforts of Central Asian CDMA Forum and Qualcomm Inc. He welcomed the advent of 3G wireless technology in Pakistan and voiced his support and commitment to help in its implementation and growth which would benefit the nation by way of inward investment
The Chief Guest Mr. Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Minister of IT & Telecom concluded the seminar by his speech and appreciated the efforts of Central Asian CDMA Forum and Qualcomm Inc. USA, in organizing the seminar and working towards the growth and development of 3G technology in Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister gave an overall view of the Telecom policy and the resulting deregulatory environment, which has geared the economy many fold. Recognizing the endeavors made by the Central Asian CDMA Forum in such a short span of time, the minister also offered to extend financial support and funding for the forum to arrange trainings and workshops for the industry as a whole.
