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IT INFRASTRUCTURE OF PAKISTAN |
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The
IT industry in
Pakistan has undergone a dramatic change in
the recent years led by the government with the aim of
making it a major player in the industry.
With perhaps every global IT company
in the world having presence in Pakistan, and with
revenues growing by 30-40% year on year, the IT industry
is probably the most exciting and dynamic sector in the
country today. An industry characterized by about 75,000
professionals, major ongoing
IT projects
within the government and the private sector to the tune
of hundreds of millions of US dollars, and world-class
software product and services companies bears testimony
to the vibrancy of the IT and IT enabled services sector
in Pakistan. The convergence of
communications,
computing, and entertainment has resulted in the
blurring of boundaries between disciplines and
IT companies
now come in all shapes and sizes. IT has indeed been
taken out of the closet and has been mainstreamed into
every aspect of industrial and economic activity within
the country. |
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IT INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN AT A
GLANCE |
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Number of substantial
IT companies
region-wise breakup |
419 Karachi
317 Islamabad/Rawalpindi
400 Lahore
79 Others |
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Total number of foreign IT and
telecommunication
companies working in Pakistan |
60 |
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Total industry size |
US$ 2.8 billion (WTO-prescribed formula) |
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IT and IT-enabled
services exports |
US$ 1.4 billion (WTO-prescribed formula) |
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Number of IT graduates produced per year |
Approximately 20,000 |
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Number of universities offering IT/CS programs |
110 |
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Number of IT professionals engaged in export-oriented
activities (software development/call centers etc.) |
More than 15,000 |
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Total number of IT professionals employed in Pakistan |
110,000 |
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Total space utilized in IT & Software Technology Parks |
Eleven IT Parks covering an area of 750,000 sq ft |
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IT EXPORTS of PAKISTAN |
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The State Bank of
Pakistan in its statement for the year 2006-07 reports the
export figures of software and IT-enabled services to be
US$116 million which shows a consistent annual growth. State
Bank of Pakistan adopted BPM 5 Reporting system to report
the IT exports revenue, which restricted the export figures
to US$116 million only in 2006-07. Using the MSITS Reporting
System, Pakistan IT Industry exports are estimated at US$
1.4billion while the industry size is estimated at US$ 2.8
billion. It is significant to note that Pakistan IT exports
growth in each of the last few years has been more than 50%.
State Bank Reporting
Earnings |
Estimated Total IT Industry Export Revenue |
Estimated Total IT Industry Size |
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US$ 116m |
US$ 1.4b |
US$ 2.8b |
Pakistan offers various competitive
advantages over other outsourcing destinations, such as
high quality software development, swift and easy
establishment of business, lowest cost basis and
emerging and state-of-the-art telecommunication and IT
infrastructure. Experts estimate an average annual
growth of 33% in the sector. This will result in the
total IT export revenue crossing US$ 10 billion in the
next five years.
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| Sources: BOI -
Board of Investment,
PSEB -
Pakistan Software Export Board, PTA -
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority |
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