Telenor Pakistan Innovating to Lead the Digital Future

The past decade has witnessed an exponential change in how we interact with technology in our everyday life. As mobile phones grew smarter and connectivity increased with the proliferation of mobile internet, our lives became increasingly digital too. Today, the ease with which we hail a ride to work, buy movie tickets, plan our travel, manage monetary transactions, stay in touch with loved ones and the world, and do a lot more with just some taps on our smartphone screens was not imaginable a few years ago. What has enabled this transformation is an advancement in communications technology, a mobile device in almost every hand, and the proliferation of the mobile internet.

The world over and in Pakistan, telecom players have contributed significantly to extend the benefits of technological advancements to the grassroots. Telenor Pakistan has led the country’s digital transformation for years and has shown how information, communication, and technology can be leveraged to elevate lifestyles and transform industries. In doing so, the company continues to make a considerable impact on the country’s socioeconomic growth, developing and promoting an empowered society where everyone enjoys access to opportunities that the digital revolution brings.

Innovating to Lead the Digital Future

Being in the market since the past 14 years, Telenor Pakistan has established itself as an important part of Pakistani people’s everyday lives and is effectively addressing their evolving needs. With an outreach to 85% population through a network of over 11,000 sites, best-in-class 3G and 4G services, industry’s first and only 4.5G and VoLTE service for enhanced user experience, and an extensive portfolio of affordable 3G and 4G handsets and large screen devices, Telenor Pakistan transforming critical spheres of life.

One of the company’s major digital interventions includes its mobile agriculture (mAgri) services. Believing that technology is the answer to longstanding challenges of Pakistan’s agriculture sector, Telenor Pakistan launched its flagship mobile agriculture service Khushaal Zamindaar that vowed to improve the local agri practices by providing the smallholder farmers with real-time weather forecasts complementing contextual and timely agronomic advisory straight on their mobiles phones. Telenor Pakistan’s dedication to improving the local agricultural landscape is also evident from the latest cohort of Telenor Velocity – the company’s Digital Startup Accelerator program – which focuses on developing the AgriTech (Agriculture Technology) startups in Pakistan.

The company has also taken solid measures to advance Pakistani gaming. With over 60% of Pakistan’s population comprising of youth, gaming has a huge potential in the country. Although there are many avid game developers in the country, there has been no significant platform to nurture and guide them on how to scale their initiatives. To address this, the company recently partnered with Google to bring internationally acclaimed gaming experts to mentor Pakistan’s local game developers in Telenor Velocity’s gaming cohort, Game Launcher. To make the gaming experience more thrilling, Telenor Pakistan has also brought top gaming content under one platform called Gamebox where users can play over 500 full-version games completely ad-free and without any in-app purchases. Moreover, realizing that many of the gaming enthusiasts in Pakistan lack access to a credit card for purchase of their favorite gaming content, Telenor Pakistan introduced the industry’s first Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) that allows users to pay for gaming content on Google Play Store and Telenor Pakistan’s own gaming platforms using their airtime credit. This innovative solution has also recently won a Gold Award at the Effie Awards 2019.

To meet the evolving content needs of today, Telenor Pakistan has also developed innovative solutions that help users stay updated on the latest happenings, listen to their favorite music, and watch blockbuster dramas and movies straight on their mobile phones. Goonj, for example, is a content app that offers live TV, news and sports, all in a single app. It is Pakistan’s leading network-neutral video streaming app that allows users to stream over 25 Pakistani TV channels and get real-time video news updates. It’s pertinent to note that Goonj recently bagged a Bronze award at the Effie Awards 2019.

Another entertainment app, Koyal, is a one-of-a-kind database of regional songs that allows users to listen to and download over 100,000 songs in 13 regional languages of Pakistan.

Wowbox, a complete lifestyle app by Telenor Pakistan, offers users daily news updates, lifestyle tips, entertainment videos, sports, and exclusive privileges like discounts and chances to win amazing prizes from in-app competitions. How Telenor Pakistan caters to customers’ entertainment needs goes beyond these digital products to collaborations and partnerships with entertainment giants. Telenor Pakistan’s partnership with Netflix, for one, offers an exclusive 15% discount on Netflix monthly subscription on payments made via Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) i.e. Telenor Pakistan subscribers’ mobile balance. Similarly, Telenor Pakistan’s recent partnership with STARZ PLAY by Cinepax is allowing its subscribers to enjoy a free trial of the service on daily, weekly and monthly price points, along with the flexibility of payment through Direct Carrier Billing.

Going the extra mile in its efforts to build and promote a robust digital ecosystem in the country, Telenor Pakistan has also made a mark in the B2B (Business to business) domain. Telenor Pakistan’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to become the authorized distributor of cloud products and services in the country has been monumental. Telenor Pakistan is also the first telco to bring IoT (Internet of Things) into the country with the largest IoT exhibitions being under its belt. One of the leading IoT products from Telenor Pakistan is Auxo, an automotive performance tracking device that allows the user to stay connected to their car through the smartphone, enabling them to keep a track on the car’s real-time location, monitor driving behaviors, and access trip details.

Telenor Pakistan has achieved many milestones over its past fourteen years with the aim to empower various segments of the society and become a network with increased value to its customers. With innovative products and services surrounding diverse domains, the company has also been a key supporter of the Pakistani government in the development and pursuit of its national inclusion goals and the vision of a Digital Pakistan. The company, on multiple occasions, has also shown the world how ICT can be leveraged to empower the underprivileged and Digital Birth Registration (DBR) is one of the prime examples where the company, in partnership with UNICEF, is simplifying the births registration process in rural communities and giving children their right to identity and basic life amenities.

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