Jazz, IT minister discuss investment

Caretaker IT Minister Umar Saif and the group chief executive officer of VEON, the parent company of Jazz Pakistan, met on Wednesday to discuss the company’s plans and the challenges facing the country’s telecom industry, primarily a high cost of doing business. Mr Saif said on X, formerly Twitter, that the discussion focused on four issues, including instalments-based smartphones in Pakistan, the role of Jazz in financial inclusion and moving towards a cashless economy, upcoming spectrum auction and the 5G rollout, and value-added services for citizens with innovative investments in EdTech, AgriTech and FinTech. During the meeting, the minister stressed that providing citizens with quality telecom services was the government’s topmost priority. VEON CEO Kaan Terzioglu, who was accompanied by Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim and other VEON officials, presented a comprehensive overview of Jazz’s substantial investments in Pakistan, surpassing $10.6 billion. These investments focus on advancing the country’s digital infrastructure, including mobile broadband expansion, fintech JazzCash, cloud and cybersecurity platform Garaj, and various digital lifestyle services like Tamasha and BiP.