: Socio-Economic impact of 3G/4G technology on Pakistan:

Socio-Economic impact of 3G/4G technology on Pakistan

 

The Government of Pakistan is going to auction 3G/4G spectrum on April 23, 2014. The 3G/4G will enhance the broadband proliferation in Pakistan. This service will generate revenue between Rs. 380 and Rs. 1180 up to 2020 for national exchequer of the country. By launching this service mobile users will migrate from text or voice based services to data driven services like video calling, live video streaming, e-education, e-banking, e-health, e-commerce and social media applications. The 3G/4G service will provide ubiquitous internet access to users through smart phones.
The debut of this service will open huge opportunities for entrepreneurs in Pakistan and generate million of direct and indirect jobs. This technology will improve productivity and efficiency of government, corporations and individuals. This technology will lay down digital infrastructure to cater governments, businesses and common people in 21th century. The 3G/4G service will boost growth in sectors like education, banking, media, retailing and health. By 2017 the market share of 3G/4G service will expected to increase by 53%. It has been forecasted that 50% of total connections will be running on 3G/4G service by 2017. The 2G connections are forecasted to decline to 50% by 2017 as user migrates to 3G/4G services. According to GSMA/Deloitte study, there will be enormous economic impact of migration to 3G/4G technology on economy and prosperity of countries and citizens.
It has been calculated that 10% shift from 2G to next generation technology leads to 0.15% increase GDP. With introduction of this technology Smartphone penetration will also increase in Pakistan, which stands currently on 15%. This technology will improve ways of learning’s, living and working in our country.  This 3G/4G services will provide speed, reliability, connectivity to internet users. 
There are many industries which will be transformed by introduction of 3/4 G technology but I will explain few of them.
UTILITIES:
The big beneficiaries of 3G/4G service will be utilities and their customers. The important applications of 3 G/4G service are smart grids, smart meters and electronic sensors. Smart grid is a network of millions of smart meters and sensors connected through 3G service that manage the power stations, energy transmission lines and electronic devices on that network. The smart meters will measure electricity every selected intervals and transmit energy usage to central energy management system through 3G/4G network. Furthermore, Smart meters will manage energy supply to selected appliances and share energy consumption information with home owners.
 The 3G/4G service will assist in automated meter reading, optimum energy consumption and dynamic pricing instead of fixed pricing as currently practiced by energy distribution companies in Pakistan. In the same way, smart grids and smart meters will be excellent solution for gas and water utilities. Providing energy to a growing population will require effective co-operation between the cellular companies, utilities companies, technology companies, governments and regulators.
TRANSPORTATION:
The automobile companies are preparing to launch 3G/4G enabled cars and these cars will support applications like cloud based video streaming, real time 3D navigation systems and other location based services. The 3G/4G service will support telemetry applications such as vehicle performance monitoring, driver performance monitoring by insurance companies and delivery of emergency services. This technology will introduce era of connected automobiles which will have potential to share real time information at the time of emergency, improve driving experience and modernize automobile entertainment and remote monitoring of automobile vehicles. The passengers in public transports could be able use high speed internet during traveling.
The automobile vehicles will be able to communicate with each other’s and with their drivers through this service. The 3G/4G service will revolutionize the public transports and supply chain systems by sharing real time information with companies.  By connecting automobile and sharing real time information, it could be possible to reduce road accidents, road congestions, and information about petrol stations, restaurants and hospitals on road.  This service will help logistic and freight companies to control their supply chain systems by tracking real locations of their vehicles, managing their routes and reduce fuel costs.
HEALTH:
The large population of Pakistan does have access to adequate health care services.
Telemedicine will be used to serve patients in remote and underserved areas of Pakistan. Video conferencing will be used by doctors for checkups, diagnosis, to give instructions to patients and clinic staff at remote location. The 3G/4G enabled ambulances will improve survival rate of stroke patients. These ambulances will be equipped with CT scanners on board operators can perform scan on patients transmitting images to nearby hospitals and receiving instructions for treatment. The real time diagnosis and treatment in transit will improve survival rate of patients in critical condition.
The 3G/4G service will facilitate development and delivery of innovative health care solutions like remote consultations, diagnosis, monitoring for disabled people and the elderly. The 3G/4G service will facilitate connection of ambulance and hospitals in order get on route expert diagnosis in order to reduce treatment time. The doctors and health care worker could remotely access patient health care record like CT scan and MRI report that will reduce treatment time up to 20-30%.
It is very difficult for government to provide health care services to every citizen of Pakistan due to its meager resources and high cost of delivery. The 3G/4G technology will be the most effective conduit for delivery of innovative health care solutions like dengue tracking system in Pakistan.  The government will be able to launch disease preventive measures like monitoring of health care service and improvement in curative measure. The patients living in remote area will able to connect with their doctors through mobile telemedicine units. The technology will help Government in effective delivery of emergency services like RESCUE 1122 through global positioning system (GPS) navigation. In future smart watches will be able to monitor the body temperature, blood pressure and warn patients if any unexpected change happen in body temperature and blood pressure.
EDUCATION:
The 3G / 4G service will revolutionize the education industry in Pakistan.
This service will improve education by providing access to high speed internet and delivery of educational content to students. The 3G/4G services will bridge the gap of missing facilities in schools of rural areas and facilitate students to access video lectures and study material via smart phones, tabs and laptops. Many organizations like Salman Academy, Coursera, Edx are providing free video lectures for students.
Students will be able to access their educational content on their tabs, laptops and smart phones through 3G / 4G services. Students could be able to make preparation of their exams, attend video lectures online, take exams online and make contact with their teachers by using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Punjab government has launched E-learn Punjab project in which it has provided online interactive books of 9th and 10h class which will expand its reach by introduction of 3G / 4G technology.
INTERNET OF THINGS:
This technology will introduce the era of Internet of Things (IOT) in Pakistan. The estimated market of Internet of Things (IOT) market will be $20 billion globally by 2018. It is that technology through which electronic devices can exchange with each other in order to generate value for human beings. Internet of Things (IOT) intelligently connects people, electronic devices and systems. The WAPDA could be able to read meters of its customers by using telemetering devices instead of visiting their houses. The vehicles could be able to automatically detect nearest fuel station, service station and parking in congested areas. The sensors in homes could automatically shut off appliances, monitor security of home and share real time information with home owners. The doctors will be able to monitor their patients at home without requiring them to visit hospitals through specially connected devices. Internet of Things (IOT) will make make our lives efficient, safe and secure.
This technology will commence an era of mobile TV and online entertainment. Through this technology entertainment, infotainment and educational videos will be produced and shared by the people and for the people. This technology would weaken the power of middle man in manufacturing and service industries. The companies will be able deliver its products and services directly to customers.
This technology is bad news for internet service providers ISPs which are providing sluggish, poor and snail speed internet connectivity at high prices. In order to survive in cut through completion with 3G/4G companies, ISPs will have to provide better connectivity at lowest prices to its customers.
After introduction of this 3G/4G service, government of Pakistan is planning to establish telecentres in rural areas of Pakistan in order to provide services like registration of births & deaths, information of weather, commodity prices and farming of different crops. The government would be able to provide basic health service in rural areas through telemedicine centers. The government is also planning to establish NADRA centers in rural areas in order to make identity registration accessible for every citizen.

EnjOy..:)

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Are You Still Using Windows XP?

You should know that Microsoft has finally given up on its most successful product and announced that it won’t support Windows XP any more. In other words, millions of computers all over the world are now at risk from security threats, but the software giant failed to persuade people to switch to another operating system. According to the latest statistics, almost 25% of the world’s machines still run XP.

Of course, it has been a pretty long run. Windows XP was released in the mid-2001 and its development was started in the late 1990s. Its prototype code was codenamed “Neptune” and built on the Windows NT kernel, intended for consumers. In the meantime, an updated version of Windows 2000 was also initially planned for the business market. In the early 2000, both of these projects were shelved in favor of a single operating system nickenamed “Whistler”, which could be used in both business and consumer environments.
The new OS introduced a considerably redesigned graphical user interface and became the first version of Windows which used product activation in an effort to reduce software piracy. Despite this feature, XP was pirated to oblivion, so you can see how that worked out.
Windows XP proved to be extremely popular among users: by January 2006, more than 400 million copies were in use. XP remained the most widely used OS until August 2012, when Windows 7 overtook it.
The much-extended deadline fell on the same day as Patch Tuesday, giving Microsoft a chance to release updates for the platform. But after the April, 8 no more updates for machines without custom support are released. The exceptions are the UK government, which has paid Microsoft £5.5 million to keep public sector entities covered, and the Dutch government. For everyone else it will be a great time to target machines running on Windows XP, because there is no protection short of virus checkers anymore.

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:New Season of Game of Thrones Is Pirated to Oblivion:

New Season of Game of Thrones Is Pirated to Oblivion

The premiere of 'Game of Thrones' new season has set a new piracy record: over a million downloads in half a day. After people from all over the globe downloaded a copy, next morning there were more than 300,000 Bit Torrent users sharing the new episode simultaneously – both on legal and less-authorized channels.

Such a demand even caused a technical trouble for the HBO Go service – it crashed and was inaccessible for a few hours. This downtime could be the reason for some to look for illegal copies. Those, of course, were widely available via dozens of torrent websites soon after the episode finished. Unlike HBO Go, downloads via Bit Torrent finish faster if there is an increased interest. And there was, indeed!

Half a day after the new episode appeared on the Internet, more than a million people have already downloaded a copy via a torrent tracker. Next morning over 300,000 people were seen actively sharing it.

According to the statistics, the number of downloads is close to the same as in 2013, but it didn’t set a record for the largest Bit Torrent swarm. Perhaps, this is because there were multiple copies available, with the most shared one having about 140,000 people sharing at once. As usual, the number of downloads is expected to increase: in 2013, Game of Thrones was recognized as the most pirated TV show for the 2nd time, and now it is well on its way to securing the title for one more year.

It looks like the most file-sharers origin from Australia (11.6%). It is followed by the US (9.3%) and the UK (5.8%) – all English-speaking countries, as you can see. In a week, when the episode is translated and dubbed in other countries, the numbers might change.

In the meantime, Australia with its first place is all the more impressive with its population of only 22 million people – relatively small compared to the other 2 countries. The main question, as usual, would be why people choose illegal version. And the answers are all the same: sometimes there’s no legitimate alternative, due to licensing or technical troubles like those suffered yesterday by HBO Go. Sometimes, the legal options are too limited, restrictive, or just expensive. In addition, for some people using Bit Torrent has become a habit, despite having the legal alternatives.

Thanks to Torrent Freak for providing the source of the article

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Facebook Will Remove Chat to Promote Messenger App

Facebook is going to remove chat from the primary iPhone and Android app, in order to force users to install a standalone Facebook Messenger app.

 

Facebook has already notified its users in the United Kingdom, France and other European countries that they will need to install a separate Messenger app if they want to continue using Facebook chat on their smartphones. The company issued a statement, saying that they have created a fast and reliable messaging experience via Messenger, and are now determined to focus on that experience.

The representatives of the company admitted that they plan to eventually require that users all over the world install the Messenger app, but they couldn’t provide a specific timeframe for the change.

The app developers point out that the free, standalone Messenger is faster than the messaging service built into the main Facebook app for smartphones. The users will also be provided more features in the Messenger app, including the ability to make voice phone calls via Wi-Fi in some countries and send texts on Android.

At the moment, Facebook keeps facing increasing competition from new and fast-growing mobile messaging application like Line and WeChat, along with such established brands as Google Hangouts and BlackBerry’s BBM. Fortunately, Facebook managed to acquire one of its biggest messaging competitors, WhatsApp, for $19bn a couple months ago. WhatsApp then announced adding voice calling later in February at Mobile World Congress.

Industry observers believe that Facebook’s decision to encourage users to switch to a separate messaging app on mobiles could either help boost the popularity of its Messenger or cause a backlash if users view the action as heavy-handed. In addition, this standalone app will also directly compete with WhatsApp.

Nevertheless, Facebook is increasingly moving into the mobile space, believing that it is a way to continue expanding its 1.2 billion-strong user base. The company has developed or acquired a catalogue of standalone apps aside from its main application over the past few years. Three months ago, Facebook launched Paper, a photo-heavy news-reading application that has already earned positive reviews. The company also purchased photo-sharing app Instagram a couple years ago, which recently reached 200 million users.

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Skype For Outlook Now Available Worldwide, Adds HD Video Calling Support

Skype for Outlook.com, the integration of Skype’s messaging features into Microsoft’s webmail platform, is now available worldwide, the company is announcing this morning. To get started with the feature, users must first download a web browser plugin, which is available for IE, Chrome, Firefox and now, Safari, browsers.

Afterwards, those who already have Skype accounts can link them to Outlook. If you haven’t yet signed up for Skype, you can instead use your Microsoft account to sign in.

Once installed, Skype users can place video and audio calls right from their email inbox. And today, Microsoft notes that’s it’s also adding support for HD video calling for PC users, while also fixing earlier bugs some users had experienced with calls continuing to ring after pick-up when they were running the Outlook.com plugin and Skype on their desktop at the same time.

The HD calling feature only works when users have compatible HD displays, web cams, messaging clients, and broadband internet, Microsoft notes.

The company had previously introduced Skype for Outlook.com in a preview mode for select markets last year, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Brazil and Canada. Now Microsoft is making the service available worldwide, though presumably, this could still be a staged rollout.

The integration offers a Microsoft-flavored competitor to Google’s Gmail + Hangouts features, which also combines a messaging and voice client in users inboxes, in Google’s case, Gmail. As for Microsoft, the combination of the two services could lead to a wider footprint for both Outlook and Skype, the former of which has over 400 million users.

EnjOy..:)

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:Facebook To Buy Oculus VR, Maker Of The Rift Headset, For Around $2B:

Facebook To Buy Oculus VR, Maker Of The Rift Headset, For Around $2B In Cash And Stock

Facebook has announced plans to purchase Oculus VR, the company behind the Rift headset, for around $2B in cash and stock. This includes $400M, and 23.1 million Facebook shares. An additional $300M earnout will be paid in cash and stock if Oculus hits certain unspecified milestones.

“I’m excited to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a statement today.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we’re in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.
This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you’re actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it’s different from anything they’ve ever experienced in their lives.

Zuckerberg says that their efforts with Oculus will continue to focus on gaming initially, and that the company will continue to operate independently of Facebook. But after gaming, Zuckerberg says, they’re going to expand into a variety of other arenas.

“After games, we’re going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face just by putting on goggles in your home,” he says. “This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”

Facebook, of course, found early success with games. Social gaming is responsible for a lot of the growth and spread of Facebook as a platform, rather than just a social service. Acquiring Oculus could signal a variety of things, but being able to tap into what is potentially the next big gaming trend is likely one of them. In addition, Facebook has been aggressive about understanding and supporting mobile use cases but only after an initial period of foot-dragging and desktop focus. If VR is ‘what’s next’ then Facebook will want to tap the market early, to avoid any transitional gaffes this time around.

The purchase is expected to close in Q2 of 2014. Oculus has taken over 75k orders for its virtual reality headset so far. Those headsets have both been developer editions designed to get developers interested in playing around with VR technology. The most recent ‘Crystal Cove’ prototype features a full 1080P display and more sensors to detect and position users in virtual environments.

Of course, if you pull the thread of virtual reality out really, really far you could see a future where we’re not talking about the percentage of time people spend on mobile vs. desktop. Instead, we’re talking about the amount of time that people spend in virtual reality vs. actual reality. In that kind of landscape, Facebook starting in on VR early makes painfully obvious sense.

The company has received a total of $93.4M in funding so far from Spark, Matrix, Founders Fund, Formation 8, BIG Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Oculus got a big boost in legitimacy recently when one of the founding fathers of 3D gaming..

EnjOy..:)

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