The UAE News Report: PTCL Group (PTCL & Ufone 4G) represented the country at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai, highlighting its growing role in driving digital transformation, industrial innovation, and social inclusion.
The 45th edition of GITEX, one of the world’s largest technology events, hosted over 6,000 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors from 180 countries. PTCL Group, exhibiting within the e& pavilion, presented initiatives that bridge technology with social development, focusing on digital inclusion, women’s empowerment, and accessibility for persons with disabilities.
During the five-day event, the Group entered into multiple technology partnerships aimed at accelerating Pakistan’s digital ecosystem. Among them was an agreement with the GSMA under its Open Gateway initiative, which connects telecom operators globally to simplify access between digital services and mobile networks. The collaboration is expected to enhance innovation and improve digital security for developers and enterprises in Pakistan.
PTCL Group also signed a partnership with Cequens to introduce Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) in Pakistan, enabling local businesses to manage customer engagement across SMS, voice, and WhatsApp through a unified interface. Another collaboration with Mercantile, Apple’s authorised distributor in Pakistan, will roll out a Device as a Service model, giving enterprises access to Apple products through subscription-based plans instead of heavy upfront investments.
A separate agreement with Smart MEP will bring Vodafone’s IoT Core Platform to Pakistan, providing advanced industrial IoT solutions to sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and utilities. The technology will allow companies to leverage real-time data for improved operational efficiency and automation.
Beyond commercial partnerships, PTCL Group’s participation also spotlighted its social impact initiatives, particularly Ba-Ikhtiar, a women’s empowerment program launched in collaboration with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund. Initially piloted in Haripur, the initiative is now ready to support over 2,000 women in 23 flood-affected districts through digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and access to financial tools.
The Group also showcased its collaboration with ConnectHear, a social enterprise assisting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Their joint innovation, Suno, is an AI-powered early warning system that translates disaster alerts into sign language videos, disseminated through Ufone 4G’s WhatsApp chatbot. The system aims to ensure that emergency communications are accessible to all citizens, especially during natural disasters.
While PTCL Group was signing several technology and enterprise agreements at GITEX Global 2025, the company also received international recognition for one of its community initiatives. It won the Gold Dragon Award for Digital Campaigns at the Dragons of Asia Awards for a project addressing water scarcity in Thar. The initiative involves installing solar-powered water pumps and filtration units in drought-hit villages, providing clean drinking water to more than 15,000 residents so far, with plans to expand coverage to over 200,000 people in its next phase in Thar and South Punjab.
Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, met with PTCL Group President & Group CEO Hatem Bamatraf and e& International CEO Khalifa Shamsi during the event. The discussions focused on strengthening Pakistan’s digital ecosystem and fostering collaboration with international technology leaders. PTCL Group’s engagements at GITEX underscored Pakistan’s growing participation in the global technology arena. It illustrated how Pakistan’s digital future is taking shape through collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. The challenge ahead lies in sustaining this momentum and ensuring that the benefits of technology reach every segment of society.
