The advent of smartphone and wireless technologies in the country during last few years have led to creation of numerous innovative services and applications that are being used to ensure benefits for different kinds of users.
This is smartphone through which spreading online information to people regarding education, technologies, agriculture and other domains have become simple and fast.
The mobile broadband like 3G and 4G are flourishing amid mobile broadband expansion. As per report of GSMA, by year 2020, a whopping 90 per cent of Pakistani population will have access to 3G networks while an impressive 80 per cent population will have access to 4G. Obviously, mobile broadband growth means flourishment of smartphone.
The mobile broadband users growth in Pakistan is expected to touch 8 per cent mark in coming years as the country would have more than 100 million smartphones by 2020.
The third-generation (3G) and 4G mobile phone users stand at around 56 million and continue to grow, creating a huge demand for smartphones, which is the top selling category across all major ecommerce platforms.
Publicly available data shows mobile phone imports in terms of value and not in units, making it difficult to figure out category-wise imports. However, market sources say less than 20 per cent of Pakistan’s monthly mobile phone imports comprises smartphones.
This equation though is likely to change in a couple of years. It merits mentioned that Pakistan’s e-commerce market is still in its infancy and represents only 5 per cent of conventional retail trade. However, the overall size of this fast growing segment if growing, up by two-thirds from $60 million as of 2014.
When contacted, Khurrum Bhatti, a telecom expert, having 20 years experience told APP that evolution of smartphone has been fast and swift and playing a major role in different areas. He said hefty investments in sector by network operators resulted in a combined 3G/4G coverage in Pakistan reached more than 80 per cent of the Pakistani population. Khurrum said today mobile apps and services are being designed and released in different parts of the world.
In Pakistan, farmers are being facilitated through smartphones apps to enable them get proper guidance swiftly on palm of their hands. The farmers are benefiting in a big way as the smartphones display agriculture related information to them within no time and are helpful from sowing to harvest of crops, local weather updates and crop marketing etc.
The overarching benefits of ICT in agriculture are that it reduces transportation and bring about product traceability, disease and pest tracking, and storage. The best part of mobile applications is that majority of them are free and masses can benefit from their use. As mobile applications are getting interactive and beneficial day by day, more and more brands are realizing crucial need to have one.
The APPs – FoodPanda, Zameen.com, OLX.com, EatOye, Kaymu.pk, Carmudi, Groopic and many more – are benefiting the community in different areas.
Source: https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-to-have-100m-smartphones-in-next-two-years/