PTCL – Best Internet Service Provider For Students in Pakistan

May 17 2013 by techinfo in ISPs, Telecom |No Comments

Internet has virtually become the primary source of knowledge and information for most of us. One might not agree with the aforesaid argument, however, you’ll see folks browsing the internet for majority of their information needs. This also stands true for students of all ages. Today, students need consistent access to the internet in order to gather more information regarding the courses they take and subjects they study. This isn’t only true for University students but school-goers today also need online assistance to complete their assignments etc.

So what internet solution is best for students in Pakistan? There are lots of internet service providers offering internet connectivity services. However, the cheapest and the most reliable internet services are provided by PTCL.

Although there are “student” packages launched by various ISPs across Pakistan. However, most of these packages come with extremely low bandwidth allocation that usually expires within days of normal use. PTCL, on the other hand, has introduced the best student broadband package that provides reliable and fast internet access at 2 MBPs without any bandwidth limit cap.

The key highlights of PTCL broadband student package are as under:

  1. PTCL broadband is the most affordable broadband service in the country
  2. Seamless experience when streaming and downloading movies, TV shows and music files etc
  3. Access to rich HD multimedia resources over the internet
  4. Access to free movies, music, classical Pakistani plays, famous cricket matches, educational and religious contents exclusively for PTCL broadband customers on ‘http://www.mytv.com.pk/’ broadband web infotainment portal

Apart from the aforementioned highlights, the PTCL broadband internet package for students’ only costs RS. 1099 per month. Following are some key frequently asked questions and their answers regarding ordering, activating and using the PTCL student broadband internet package:

Q1. What is Broadband Student Package?

Student Broadband Package is a special discounted offer for students, faculty members, and administrative staff of Universities, institutes and Schools.

Q2. How would I know PTCL Broadband Student Package is available in my city?

Student Broadband Package is available in more than 2000 cities across the Pakistan including Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Sheikhupura. New cities are updated regularly. To know Student Broadband package is available in your city? Please call at our help line 1236

Q3. How much I have to pay for the Broadband Student Package?

Student Broadband package is available on 1 MB connection with free wi-fi

DSL-1Mbps @ Rs.1,099 per month (unlimited download)

Q4. How can I apply for the Broadband Student Package?

You can apply for the Broadband Student Package from either of the following two ways

1.    Order Booking at 0800 80 800

The order can be placed by calling our contact center 0800-80800.The call center agent will guide you through the procedure of order registration and validation of your request.

Q5. How can I validate the online application form and who is eligible to validate it?

You can validate the printed form from your institute/university. The below officials of your institute/university can validate (Sign and stamp) the form

Dean/Principle

Head of the Department

Professor /Lecturer

Any faculty member or Administration staff of your institute

The completed and validated form can be taken to the PTCL One Stop Shops or Customer Services Centers for order entry and validation. It can be scanned and E-mailed to the following address student.broadband@ptcl.com.pk

Q6. I have applied for the Broadband Student Package but I have not heard anything from PTCL?

It takes normally seven days for the application to be processed and validated through the concerned officials of the PTCL. There are different reasons for the delay

Your application is not validated.

Your institute has not confirmed your association with the institute.

We are not able to contact your institute.

Once your application is verified PTCL personnel will contact you for the provisioning of the services. For the status of your application please call at 1236.

Q7. What will happen once the application for Broadband Student Package is submitted?

Once application is successfully submitted, we will process you application for verification and once your application is verified you will be intimated accordingly for the provisioning of the services.

Q8. Can I avail Broadband WiFi service on Broadband Student Package?

Broadband WiFi service is not available to Student Broadband Customers. (Source: PTCL)

PTCL 3G EVO Tab Review, Specs and Features

May 15 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Reviews, Telecom |No Comments

Since the dawn of iPad, the tablet market has managed to score a huge user base. Since iPad comes with a price tag that only a few privileged can afford, there are countless manufacturers in the Industry who have managed to provide the “iPad Experience” via Android tabs. However, the demand of Android tablets has created a price competition and some folks, without much knowledge about tab specs and features, end up purchasing substandard tabs lacking quality and features.

In case you are looking for a budget Android tablet that has all the features and supports majority apps, then PTCL 3G EVO TAB is your only option. The PTCL 3G EVO Tab comes with the latest 7” IPS screen that supports multi-touch and provides an awe inspiring WSVGA LCD 1024X600 HD resolution. Not only this, the 3G EVO TAB boasts of Qualcomm MSM8625A 1.20 GHz Dual core processor. This processor is able to comfortably handle all sorts of video streaming / playback and gaming apps.

PTCL 3G EVO Tab Review

What’s more, you get the latest Android ICS Sandwich operating system that has been tweaked, customized and optimized for perfection for this specific tablet. Apart from these features, the tablet supports EVDO/CDMA 1X 1900Mhz connectivity. This ensures that you remain connected on the go at fast internet speed. For those who need a tab to fulfill their video chatting / conferencing needs via Skype or any other free Android app, the tablet has a VGA front camera. The primary (back) camera of the tablet has a capacity of 5 Megapixels bundled with ability to Auto-focus.

Complete Specifications of PTCL EVOP 3G Tab can be checked via official PTCL site.

As per our testing, the PTCL EVO 3G Tab provides up to 36 hours of battery backup time. Of course, the backup time also depends on your own usage pattern and you can face an increased or decreased battery time based on this.

We have tested Android tablets from Ainol and other various manufacturers. And we can easily vouch for the PTCL 3G EVO Tab due to its superior performance and durability. The 3G Evo Tab also comes with a special bundle that allows 3 Months of unlimited data at Rs. 18000 only. We certainly believe that at this price, the tablet is one of the best in the market with features that you won’t get in other android tablets falling in the same price bracket. The PTCL 3G EVO tab is available in post and prepaid packages. For further details, you can check out the official PTCL 3G EVo Tab application page by clicking here.

CCP chairperson, 4 member authority questioned in SHC

May 14 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, ISPs, Reviews, Software, Telecom |No Comments

KARACHI – Appointment of Chairperson Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) Rahat Konain Hasan and other four members of CCP has been challenged in the Sindh High Court )SHC) Karachi bench here on Monday.

Supreme Court lawyer Rana Azmul Hassan had filed a writ petition CP No D 1942 of 2013 through Zia-ul-Haq advocate and contended that appointments of Rahat Konain Hasan and other members were made under competition commission ordinance which had lapsed on 16-08-2010, adding that the present competition commission act 2010 was promulgated on 13-10-2010.

The petitioner contended that notification of appointment was under defunct ordinance and unfortunately, through another notification dated 15.01.201, the federal government erred in law to give retrospective effect of the appointment of the chairperson.

The petitioner further argued in the writ petition that the said appointments have been made in violation of the provision of the competition Act 2010 and Constitution of Pakistan as the notification for appointment of the chairperson and the four members were not validated under the new Competition Act therefore, the notification dated 15-01-2011 was null and void.

Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Shafi Siddiqui of SHC took up the petition on Monday and issued notices for May 30 and sought comments from the federal government on the legality of the appointment of the chairperson and four members of CCP.

It is pertinent to mention here that recently CCP had passed two significant orders on Fauji Fertilizer, Engro Corporation and LDI’s involving more than Rs 15 billion fine and in case of acceptance of the petition status of those orders by CCP, administration would be questioned. –

Samsung Announces World’s First 5G Mobile Broadband Technology

May 14 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, Software, Telecom |No Comments

Samsung announced that it has successfully developed the world’s first breakthrough to offer 5G mobile broadband, that will supprt tens of Gbps of data transmission on mobile devices.

The new technology sits at the core of 5G mobile communications system and will provide data transmission up to several hundred times faster than current 4G networks.

5G mobile communications technology is the next generation of the existing 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology. 5G will be capable of providing a ubiquitous Gbps experience to subscribers anywhere and offers data transmission speeds of up to several tens of Gbps per base station.

Samsung plans to accelerate the research and development of 5G mobile communications technologies, including adaptive array transceiver at the millimeter-wave bands, to commercialize those technologies by 2020.

Samsung said that its latest innovation is expected to invigorate research into 5G cellular communications across the world; the company believes it will trigger the creation of international alliances and the timely commercialization of related mobile broadband services.

Once commercialized, 5G mobile communications technology will be capable of ultra-high-speed data transmission up to several hundred times faster than even the 4G LTE-Advanced technology due for launch later this year.

Samsung’s new technology will allow users to transmit massive data files including high quality digital movies practically without limitation. As a result, subscribers will be able to enjoy a wide range of services such as 3D movies and games, real-time streaming of ultra high-definition (UHD) content, and remote medical services.

Here are some facts about 5G:

• 5G mobile communication technology is the true successor to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology
• 5G will be several hundred times faster than the current 4G LTE services, which operate at approximately 75 Mbps per second.
• Once commercialized, 5G will remove obstacles that prevent large-volume contents from being transmitted to smart devices, opening up the possibility of ultra high-definition (UHD), 3D and holographic video content delivery.
• LTE Advanced, an upgrade of the existing 4G LTE technology is due for commercial deployment in Korea in 2013 and will provide services at 150 Mbps, twice as fast as 4G LTE. In contrast, 5G is expected to be several hundred times faster than LTE Advanced as it operates at a much wider bandwidth, akin to letting traffic flow from a single lane to a full expressway
• 5G requires the use of higher radio frequencies compared to existing 4G LTE services. 4G LTE networks typically operate around the 2 GHz frequency range. The developed 5G technology operates at 28 GHz, known as the millimeter-wave Ka band where the wavelengths are much shorter. (see Figure 1 below)
• Commercial deployment of 5G technology is expected around 2020.

Glow Offers Dosti Unlimited Voice and Data Bundles

May 13 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, Telecom |No Comments

Daily Unlimited FnN Voice Bundles

Warid has introduced unlimited voice bundles for friends and family number, i.e. Glow customers will now be offered to make unlimited voice calls to 10 on-net FnF numbers at a fixed daily rate of Rs. 9.99 plus tax.

This free unlimited calls are valid round the clock and package validity is one day.

How to Activate:

 Send FNF in an SMS to 7777 to activate the Friends and Family Offer
 Charges: Daily charges of Rs.9.99 plus tax

How to Add FnF Numbers

 To add Friends and Family number, SMS Add to 2129
 To delete Friends and Family number, SMS Del to 2129
 You can change your Friends and Family numbers as many times as you like
 To check your Friends and Family list, SMS List to 2129
 Charges:
 Rs.9 will be charged to add a Friends and Family number
 Rs.2 will be charged for sending an SMS to 2129
How to De-activate:
 To deactivate Friends and Family offer, SMS FNFOff to 7777

Daily Unlimited Data Bundles

Warid now offers Unlimited Data bundle to allow its customers UNLIMITED browsing all day and all night!
To activate:
 Send UL in an SMS to 7777 to get the Daily Unlimited Data Bundle
 Charges: Daily charges of Rs.9.99 (including tax)

Monthly Data Bundles

Warid is also offering two additional monthly Data Bundles, that can be availed to browse all month long without any need of re-subscribing every day!

Daily data bundles comes in two packages:

 500MB
 2GB

How To activate:

 Send 500MB in an SMS to 7777 to activate the 500MB Monthly Data Bundle
 Send 2GB in an SMS to 7777 to activate the 2GB Monthly Data Bundle
 Charges:
 Monthly charges of Rs.150 apply for the 500MB Monthly Data Bundle
 Monthly charges of Rs.500 apply for the 2GB Monthly Data Bundle

Terms & Conditions:

 Fair use policy of 100MB per day applies on Daily Unlimited Data
 Rs.1 will be charged for sending an SMS to 7777
 Taxes apply on Friends and Family offer and sending an SMS on 2129 and 7777
 All Data offers (Daily and Monthly) will need to be re-subscribed after the time period expires
 Friends and Family offer can be subscribed on any package
 Friends and Family offer will be renewed automatically every day
 This is a limited time offer

PTCL organizes Talent Show for Employees

May 9 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, Telecom |No Comments

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) organized an exhilarating fun gala entitled “PTCL’s Got Talent” a Talent Show for Employees & their Families. It entailed competitions of on-stage performances and alluring non-performing arts by talented employees and their family members in categories of recitation, Hamd-O-Naat, acting, singing, dancing, painting, flower arrangement and photography.

The theme of “PTCL Got Talent” resonated with the aim of building a culture focusing on employee engagement and participation. It brought out the talents of thousands of employees from all the Regions of the company. Top five finalists were selected from each category by eminent judging panels through competitive series of auditions backed by online voting carried out by PTCL employees.

The Final Competition of Recitation, Hamd-O-Naat held at the PTCL Headquarters was graced by Mr. Junaid Jamshed as the guest of honor and judge. The Grand Finale of PTCL’s Got Talent held at the Pakistan National Council of Arts was attended by Farah Hussain, Agha Nasir, Kanwal Naseer, Abbas Ali Khan, Naheeda Raza, Leyla Zuberi as judges of the categories of acting, singing, dancing, painting, flower arrangement and photography.

President & CEO PTCL, Mr. Walid Irshaid; Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Arif Nizami; Federal Minister for Information Technology, Dr. Sania Nishtar; PTCL Senior Executive Vice President HR, Syed Mazhar Hussain; other senior officials and honorable dignitaries attended the Grand Finale along with a large gathering of PTCL employees and their families. Syed Mazhar Hussain, PTCL Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP) HR, while speaking at the occasion said, “PTCL is proud of the diversity of its work force and recognizes and rewards their unique contribution to our company”.

PTCL’s Got Talent has created an exciting and stimulating environment within PTCL, where all employees have actively participated to win prizes like Umrah Package, Cell phones, Home appliances, Cameras, and Cash Prizes. The Grand Finale was concluded by popular musician and singer Fakhir who invigorated and energized all PTCL employees and their families present at the event.

Samsung Unveils the Dual-Sim Galaxy Core

May 7 2013 by techinfo in Industry, ISPs, Telecom |No Comments

A new week, a new dual-sim smartphone from Samsung. Samsung, the world’s largest phone manufacturer has announced another dual-sim phone, the Galaxy Core.

Galaxy Core phone falls in the mid-range category and will have optional dual-sim capability.

To start off, the Galaxy Core comes with a 4.3 inch display with WVGA resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, which is just enough for most people but far from outstanding. It is made of plastic and will be available in Blue and White colors.

Under the hood lies a 1.2Ghz dual-core CPU along with 768MB of RAM. The amount of internal storage on Galaxy Core is set at 8GB, which is expandable via a microSD card slot.

At the back of Galaxy Core is a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and HD video recording, along with a front-facing camera at the front.

The phone runs on Android 4.1.2 which is a bit outdated but far from bad. The phone features several of the software tricks of its bigger brethren, including Smart Stay, Smart Alert and of course, S Voice.

The connectivity package is quite modest too with microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi and 3G.

Here are the specifications of the phone:

• Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean customized with Nature UI
• weight: 124g
• 8.95mm thick
• 4.3 inch display with resolution of 800 x 480 pixels
• Optional dual-sim
• 1.2Ghz dual-core CPU and 768MB of RAM
• 8GB of expandable internal storage
• 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• microSD card slot, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, 3G
• 1800 mAh battery

The Galaxy Core will be going on sale this month. The regular, non dual-sim version will start retailing in July. Pricing is unknown as of now but it should will most probably around Rs. 30-35K.

HTC Butterfly Launched in Pakistan

May 6 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, Telecom |No Comments

HTC, in collaboration with Mobilink, has launched the android smart phone “Butterfly”. Butterfly will be distributed to market by Brigthex. Consumers will be able to enjoy various add-ons provided by Mobilink, including a 30 days exclusive bundle, 1 GB internet, as well as a pouch and protector.

‘Butterfly’ is the latest of the HTC series which strives to transform the way one hears, sees and connects with the world. The HTC Butterfly comes with a poly carbonate body design, 1.5 GHz quad core krait CPU, 2GB RAM and Adreno of 320 GPU. The 8 MP auto focus camera with LED flash, geo tagging and 16 GB of built in storage allows users to preserve their magnificent moments of life.

“Quietly brilliant is doing great things in a humble way, with the belief that the best things in life can only be experienced, not explained,’ said John Wang, Chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation.’ The YOU campaign is a perfect embodiment of ‘quietly brilliant’ and is core to HTC as a company, innovator and partner.”

“Mobilink continues to be the leading telecom services provider of Pakistan because of our continuous strives to innovate and offer our customers the best products and services from across the world. We are glad to partner with HTC and Brightex to bring this one-of-a-kind phone to our customers across Pakistan..” said Mr Moied Javeed, Director Marketing (Mobile Internet), Mobilink.

Here are Key Features of HTC Butterfly:

• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz Quad-Core Krait CPUs
• Operating System: Android 4.1
• Display: contrast ratio: 1104:1 (nominal)/ 1.873:1 (sunlight)
• Memory: 16 GB; RAM: 2GB
• Camera: 8.0MP rear / 2.1 MP front
• Size: 1080 x 1920 x 5 inches (441 ppi pixels density)
• Weight: 140g
• Other: Wireless charging capability, NFC, Wireless display, gesture typing

Price:

• Price: Rs.70,000/- (includes Pouch and Screen Protector from Mobilink)

Warid Introduces Election 2013 Updates Service

May 3 2013 by techinfo in Industry, Telecom |No Comments

Warid Telecom has offered its latest services for prepaid and post-paid customers in view of the upcoming elections.

Customers will be able to receive news and updates regarding election oriented television shows, polling station locations, campaign and candidate news and updates straight from the polling booths.

Users can also find out the details of any particular constituency by sending the constituency number to the short code 2228. For instance the constituency number for National Assembly will be NA-000 e.g. NA-201or PA – 000 e.g. PA – 240 for Provincial Assemblies.

In addition, users can avail a feature that allows them to search a party or candidate’s political history, election results and manifesto. They can also participate in a one of the kind election quiz and join chat-rooms to discuss the elections with other users.

Elections 2013 updates are available through both IVR and SMS. The service is available to all Warid customers.

Mechanics:

IVR Version:

If you are a Warid customer, dial 77713 to stay up to date with the latest information about Elections 2013. If you are not a Warid customer, dial 03201870000 to access the Elections 2013 service.

The following information will be available to our customers:

• News & talk shows
• Election polls
• Chat
• Election quiz
• Political Party content, including wallpapers and animations
• Party’s past Election history
• Election results

SMS Version:

Send “ELC” in an SMS to 2602 to activate the Election 2013 service. The list of daily alerts includes the following:

• Election News
• Election Polls
• Constituency Details

After Subscription, at any time you can also find out the details of a particular constituency by sending the constituency number to the short code 2228:

• For National Assembly send NA-XXX in an SMS e.g. NA-201
• For Provincial Assembly PA-XXX in an SMS e.g. PA-201

To deactivate the service, send “UNSUB” in an SMS to 2228.

Charges:

• 77713 charges: Rs.3+tax for the first minute and Rs.2+tax second minute onwards
• Dialing 03201870000 will be charged as per your package plan
• For subscription through SMS: Rs.15+tax/month
• Sending an SMS to 2228: Rs.0.20+tax/SMS

PTCL cautions customers about hoax calls

April 30 2013 by techinfo in Gadgets, Industry, ISPs, Telecom |No Comments

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has cautioned its customers regarding hoax and fraudulent calls, misinforming customers that they have won valuable prizes.

Recently, a number of PTCL customers have received calls from individuals, claiming to be representatives of the company and asking them to reveal their personal information.

PTCL advises its customers to be careful and vigilant while receiving such fake phone calls. This announcement is given in public interest and customers are advised to contact ‘PTCL Helpline 1236’ for any information or clarification.

PTCL warns its customers, that the company is not affiliated with any cash prizes and shall not be liable for any loss to any person in consequence of such fraudulent activities and deceptive practices.

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