Telenor plans 3G network in 32 cities

KARACHI ( TAHIR REPORT )

In line with its ambition to bring ‘Internet for All’, Telenor Pakistan has announced to expand its 3G footprint to 32 cities by the end of September 2014.

The announcement was made by Irfan Wahab Khan, Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan during a media roundtable in Karachi on Monday.

During the fourth phase of commercial roll out, 3G services are being launched in Attock, Bahawalpur, Bannu, DI Khan, Jhelum, Kohat, Mardan, Muzaffargarh, Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Wah and Taxila along with the entire Rawalpindi-Lahore GT Road. Free trial of 3G services will be offered to Telenor Pakistan’s customers in these areas for two weeks.

The subscribers will be notified about the end of free 3G trial service via SMS and Telenor Pakistan’s official website. Under the free 3G trial offer, customers can enjoy 50 MB of free data every day. Data services on 2G will be charged as usual.

Khan said, “With over 35 million customers, Telenor Pakistan is geared to serve its customer in the next wave of data growth.

The fourth phase of commercial rollout of 3G services across the country has been initiated to add 13 more cities to our 3G network. With this addition, Telenor Pakistan will continue to maintain its leadership as the fastest growing 3G network in Pakistan with over 30 cities and towns enabled with 3G technologies by the end of September 2014. Our 3G footprint, comprising both urban and rural areas, is yet another testament of our ambition to bring ‘Internet for All’. We strongly believe that internet is something for the mass population of Pakistan, and not just the select few.”

He further said that Telenor Pakistan has seen a healthy uptake in 3G customers in recent months and as a new growth area 3G is going to spur the device and applications eco-system in Pakistan, bringing in growth and economic opportunities. “With Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Line and online classified, etc spurring the growth, the average data volume usage of 3G customers is more than double the average data volume of 2G users,” Irfan added.

Telenor Pakistan is focused on providing 3G services to cater to a wider audience covering smartphones, tablets as well as data enabled feature phone users. These services are providing high quality video and audio streaming and high definition games. Moreover Telenor App Store, launched in July 2014, is providing access to global content such as Gameloft, EA games, Disney, etc, featuring 90 percent of free to download games. Telenor App Store is also powered with mobile payments company Fortumo’s direct carrier billing feature, wherein Telenor Pakistan’s customers can make purchases with their mobile phone balance.