[News] Warid trun Pakistani Technology into 4G LTE Publicly

Warid Telecom of Pakistan today went public with press ads (produced above) about its plans for going 4G LTE, to possibly become the first operator in the market to deploy 4G LTE network in the country.
A single sentenced message along with mention of 4G LTE clearly indicates that Warid is pretty much done with its homework and is now all set to go up with the 4G plans.
Despite not participating in recently held 3G / 4G auction, Warid has decided to go 4G LTE with its available spectrum that it had bought in 2004.
If you are not familiar with how they will do it, then go ahead and read our previous coverage on the same topic here.

While there were hints that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority might not allow Warid for deploying 4G LTE, today’s press ads hint that PTA and Warid have reached a settlement. We don’t have confirmations from PTA on this though.

Last we heard was that PTA might not allow Warid to deploy 4G since it could unbalance the industry. Moreover, according to IM for 3G and 4G licensees, no new operator would be allowed to launch 3G / 4G services for 18 months as part of government’s agreement with spectrum winners.
While we don’t have official confirmation on regulatory approvals, as we said above, it is now certain that against all odds Warid has managed to convince PTA for the 4G LTE deployments.
We know that Warid CEO was to meet with Chairman PTA during this week and apparently things went successful on Warid’s part.
If sources are to be believed then Warid is aiming to run the test on 4G LTE in last week of May 2014, while its already in process of deploying 4G LTE network in 5 cities, which it will announce after successful tests accordingly.
On a related note, Warid sent an SMS broadcast to its customers the other day to tell them that Warid will announce new data technologies in days to come.
Warid has currently around 12 million subscribers. It has 8.8Mhz spectrum from 1800Mhz band in addition to 5Mhz in 900Mhz band, which it had bought at the time of launch in 2004.
Not to mention, Zong has said that it may take several months to launch 4G network, however, this may change after Warid’s announcement today. Zong was only 4G spectrum winner in April’s 3G and 4G Auction.

Source: Fun at Pakistan

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EID MUBARAK by Shahzebx's Team

EID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAKEID MUBARAK

Make your Eid Special for family…

For a number of Muslim families, Eid is simply a twice-yearly routine that doesn't change: get up, pray Fajr, eat breakfast, go pray, hug Eid Mubarak, come home, maybe go out, maybe have people over, eat, get gifts or Eid money, eat, and sleep.
This year, why not make Eid the special holiday that it is? Here are some ideas of things you can do with the family to get out of the usual yearly Eid routine.

v Plan in advance

Call a family meeting a week or three days before and plan what you want to do on Eid day. Invite others over in the afternoon, and have dinner at a restaurant in the evening? Discuss ideas with the family, including all of the kids.
Also, talk about the menu and delegate cooking responsibilities instead of dumping the whole workload on mom.
And make sure everyone has a day off from work, school or any other commitments.

v Clean and decorate your house

Get everyone in on this. Make the house as sparkling clean as you can. If there is enough time and the weather is warm, consider white washing the house and putting mattresses and bedding outside to air out.
Then, once the house is virtually spotless, decorate it with lights, banners, streamers,etc. Get the younger kids involved in this process. Have them make decorative signs saying "Eid Mubarak" and post these around the house.
Put an Islamic song on the CD or cassette player so everyone can sing or hum along while they work. The ideal one would be A Whisper of Peace which features the song "These are the Days of Eid".

v Prepare special food

Make something special which the family does not normally eat, it can be sweet, sour or in-between. The point is that Eid is special, and the food we eat on this day should be better and different from our usual meals.

v Have the kids make gifts for each other

If you're not into the gift exchange idea and want everyone to get a present try this. Arts and crafts are the best tool for making these gifts. They are personal and cheap, and save useless trips to the shopping center.
You can have the kids collect all of the odds and ends they find during the Eid house clean up in a box. Then they can use these things to make strange but meaningful Eid gifts.

v If you Have money buy new clothes

Kids will not feel Eid is special if they are sporting the same clothes, like suit they've worn on Eid for the last two years. Invest in Eid and get them something new. Or at least get everyone to prepare nice clothes for Eid by washing or getting them dry cleaned.

v Do this as you plan for new clothes

Have everyone go through their clothes and toys (for kids) to find items they have outgrown. Then arrange to have them sold through a garage sale and give the money to a local Masjid or community fundraising event.

v Wash the car. if you have it..

Who wants to go to Eid prayers in a dirt stained car filled with gum wrappers and cookie crumbs? And think about what will happen to everyone's nice Eid clothes sitting in a vehicle like that! Get the car clean and ready. Get everyone in on this. One person vacuums, one cleans the windows, one washes the exterior, etc.
If possible get the car checked and fill up the gas tank so you don't end up with any Eid day surprises.

v At Eid prayer, look for those who are alone and invite them over

At the Eid prayer place, where a lot of hugging goes on, you will find some Muslims standing alone. They are either new Muslims or new immigrants without relatives and friends. Do hug them and greet them. If possible invite them to your home for a meal. Also inform them of any planned Eid celebrations at any community center.

v Go to a Muslim restaurant to eat as a family

Not only will you have a family outing on Eid day this way, but you'll be supporting a Muslim business. If the food and service are good, advertise the restaurant to your friends.

v  Video record Eid day events

From the time everyone wakes up in the morning till everyone conks out happily at the end of Eid day, video record this Eid to make it memorable. It will probably make a hilarious piece of family history as well. Give the responsibility for recording to one of the responsible, technologically adept members of the family.

v Share Eid with your neighbors

Make dessert (something simple that everyone likes, like chocolate cake) and write up a small decorative definition of Eid day. Share this with your neighbors. Make it a point to visit those far away especially. There is almost no better time than Eid.

I would like to say may the blessings of Allah keep your heart & home, happy and joyous. Also wishing you an Eid you’ll never forget always remember this day for its blessing

Things to do on Eid

1. Not to eat anything before the sacrifice.

2. To recite Takbiraat on the way to and from masjid.

3. The whole family including women and children should go for Eid Prayer

Do these for your family and prepare yourself for Eid

Eid Mubarak all of you and Love you all.

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Pak-China Optic Fiber Link to Get Completed in 2 years for $44 Million

More details of Pakistan-China Optic Fiber project have surfaced with an unnamed source working at Huawei got in touch with APP, a state run Pakistani news agency.

According to the details that were revealed to the agency, the Optic-Fiber project is going to cost US 44 million dollars and is going to get completed in two years after commencement of work.

Huawei is going to lay-down this 820 kilometer long fiber optic to link Rawalpindi with Khunjarab and then onwards to China’s back-haul network.

The climatic conditions warrant initiation of project from Sust to Khunjrab section on top priority due to a very limited time-period left available in summer the year.

However, other than this section, the project will be executed simultaneously in different sections (cities/towns).

With this new link, Pakistan is going to enjoy the redundant internet voice and data connectivity through China. Country is currently severed with spurs through undersea cables namely SEA-ME-WE 3&4 and IMEWE.

This dependency is not only a risk but also entails security concerns, noted APP. The voice/data and internet traffic can be monitored and disturbed easily. To offset such a threat, through this project, a link will be created between Pakistan and Trans-Asia Europe (TAE) cable in China, which would enable both Pakistan and China to have alternative routes for their international telecom traffic,” said the report citing its source.

Via APP

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Delay in 3G Auction Would Not be Permitted: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Pakistan yesterday issued notices secretaries of cabinet and finance to submit their reports detailing the reasons for the delay that was caused for the auction of 3G licenses in Pakistan.

Attorney General Office, on the matter, was asked to seek comprehensive report pertaining to process of all developments relating to 3G auction and that why it has been delayed this long.

Chief Justice observed that awarding the 3G license would generate substantial a revenue to the national exchequer and no delay would be permitted.

A three-judge bench led by chief justice iftikhar Muhammad chaudhry, comprising of Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition filed by Mr. Khurram Shahzad on delay of 3G auction which is causing loss to people and government of Pakistan alike.

During course of proceeding, Mr. Ali Raza, counsel for the petitioner informed the Supreme Court that Ministry of Finance had withdrawn Rs. 44 billion from Universal Services Fund through an executive order. On which Justice Jawwad S Khawaja remarked that how could government withdraw funds from Universal Services Fund as it had no such prerogative.

He also informed the court that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was with out  chairman and members of the board for almost eight months. On which the bench directed the Federation to complete formation of the board and it chairman as soon as possible.

Ali Raza informed the bench that PTA employees are facing financial crisis as they had not been paid by the department for the last couple of months. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja showed disappointment over vacant posts of high officials in PTA and remarked that no one seemed interested in the department.

The CJ remarked that transparency must be observed in bidding of 3G license otherwise it would be deferred by the court. While issuing notices to secretary information technology, cabinet and finance, court adjourned further hearing till august 1.

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FBI Can Remotely Activate Your Android Phone Mic or Laptop Cameras: Report

It wasn’t long ago when whole world was shocked at the revelation that NSA (National Security Agency) and FBI of United States of America has direct access to the servers of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Skype, Yahoo, Apple and other internet companies, from where they can extract any user information at their will, without any authorization or approval required from justice and legal departments.

Situation has only worsen with this new finding that FBI can remotely activate the microphones and cameras of your smartphones running Google’s Android platform and laptops without users’ consent, reported WSJ.

Report said that FBI has been developing such hacking and surveillance tools for last ten years. Additionally, there are private firms which sell them such tools to spy the users. Without a doubt – as unveiled earlier – FBI has support from technology companies, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and others.

Moreover, FBI uses spyware tools to record keystrokes or almost any activity on a computer or smartphone.

Report says that there are usually warrants required to undergo such surveillance on suspects, however, it argues that there were instances when FBI had recorded users’ data without any legal authorization.

With plenty of criticism about NSA’s PRISM program, this new hacking and spying practices from US law enforcement agencies are going to further hike the distrust level of technology users.

It merits mentioning here that there are over 900 million users with Android devices.

These revelations also raise serious questions about the privacy of individuals, which is seemingly brutally murdered by American government and agencies and buried hundreds of miles down under the turf.

Third world citizens are in desperate position, who had embraced these emerging technology gadgets and software for simplifying their lives, but ended up only to be watched by the American government.

Our own government, which can question American government about such shameless practices, is busy doing so many other use-less things.

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Hacker Modifies Facebook Home To Work On All Android Devices

Within few hours after Facebook Home arrived on Google Play, hackers from XDA forum have launched a modified version of Facebook Home that would remove the device-specific limitation. In other words, you can now use Facebook Home on any Android device. Facebook Home is currently available only to these devices – HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and the HTC First.

The hack was performed by XDA Senior Member theos0o; who provides details and download links here. The hacker says there is no root needed for this hack. However you will have to uninstall original Facebook, Facebook messenger and Facebook home apps. If Facebook is pre-installed then you probably need root to remove it.

To download this modified version of Facebook home, please visit XDA Developersforum.

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Pakistani Professionals Selected as Asia-Pacific ISLA Honoree 2013

(ISC)2® (“ISC-squared”), the world’s largest information security professional body and administrators of the CISSP®, announced the honorees for its seventh annualAsia-Pacific Information Security Leadership Achievements (ISLA) Program.

(ISC)² will recognize the honorees and announce three showcased workforce initiatives and a community service star special recognition at a Gala Dinner and Ceremony sponsored by Microsoft on 8 August, 2013, in Manila, Philippines.

The Guest of Honor, Honorable Jejomar C. Binay, vice president of the Republic of the Philippines, together with (ISC)2 executives, will celebrate the  workforce achievements of top information security professionals from Asia-Pacific.

Part of (ISC)2′s global Awards Program, ISLA aims to recognize the on-going commitment by information security  leaders in Asia-Pacific who have significantly enhanced the workforce by demonstrating a leadership role in an information security workforce improvement initiative, program or project.

28 Professionals were nominated in three distinct categories:

• Managerial Professional for Information Security Project(s),
• Senior Information Security Professional, and
• Information Security Practitioner.

Pakistani professionals have yet again proved their mettle on international platform with their superlative performance.

One of the selected honoree Mr. Talha Habib is CISSP, CISA, CISM certified professional. He is also a board member of Pakistan Information Security Association (PISA) which is an NGO working for drafting Cyber Security Policy of Pakistan.

Mr. Talha has been selected as President ISOC Islamabad Chapter. He is also a member of other international forums like ISACA and (ISC)2 for their local chapters. He is selected in the category of Information Security Practitioner.

Mr. Nadeem Dogar is another Pakistani selected as honoree at Asia-Pasific ISLA. He is General Manager, of Ora-Tech & MIT which is a well reputed name in Pakistani whole IT sphere. He carries a vast experience in Banking and IT industry. He had been heading leading banks as Senior and Executive Vice President.

Mr. Nadeem has been selected for Senior Information Security Professional category.

It’s not the first time that Pakistani Professionals have competed with international talent. Pakistan is blessed with talented young lot who can do wonders if provided chance.

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Government Plans to Open YouTube After Eid

Government of Pakistan is making efforts to lift YouTube ban after Eid-ul-Fitr, reported Express Tribune.

Paper, on its website, said that Anusha Rehman, Telecom and IT Minister, has formed a committee to review the matter of lifting ban on YouTube. Committee is directed to somehow make sure that all the objectionable material is blocked or made inaccessible in Pakistan.

However, it is still unclear that how future-duplication of objectionable content will be blocked.

It merits mentioning here that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has already expressed its inability to block objectionable content.

On other hands, Google has also not responded to Pakistan’s request of blocking objectionable content in the country, like it has done for various other regions.

Now government has hinted that it may open YouTube in Pakistan after making sure the blockade of all objectionable material, without mentioning the methods it intend to use for blocking the content.

Government said that all stakeholders will be taken into confidence before reopening the website.

Via Express Tribune

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Vimpelcom, the owner of Mobilink interested in Warid

Russian telecom giant, Vimpelcom the owner of Mobilink, has shown interest in bidding for Warid Telecom, the smallest cellular operator in Pakistan, which has been shelved for sale by Abu Dhabi Group (ADG).

Reuters reports that Vimpelcom is looking for opportunities and for that reason it has decided to off load extra burden by selling Telecel Global that has operations in Burundi and Central Africa to Neil Telecom for $ 100 million.

Although, spokesperson for Vimpelcom denied to comment on a possible bid for Warid Telecom but members of the company were present in the meetings with Abu Dhabi Group that took place in the previous week, sources confirmed.

MoreMag had reported on July 23rd that three telecom operators from Pakistan are keen to bid for Warid Telecom. Officials from all three companies met with owners of ADG to discuss various possibilities.

Vimpelcom, Etisalat and China Mobile are eyeing to buy Warid Telecom, the fifth operator by number of subscribers.

It is very premature to make any kind of guess at this stage, but an official of Warid Telecom hinted that whoever buys the company will run it by its own brand name. The name ‘Warid’ will cease to exist.

In case it is bought by Etisalat or China Mobile, the resulting operation will have almost equal number of subscribers as the market leader Mobilink which is a cause of irritation for Vimpelcom Group. A late entry from them in the buying process suggests that situation is alarming for them.

Following table shows a hypothetical picture of a possible Warid deal with any of the existing operators.

Subscribers in million
	Vimpelcom	Etisalat	China Mobile	Vimpelcom
	Mobilink	Ufone	Zong	Telenor
Existing Subscribers	36.74	23.86	20.19	31.69
Warid Subscribers	12.50	12.50	12.50	12.50
Total	49.24	36.36	32.69	44.19

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Kuwait Deporting Immigrants If they use Viber, Skype etc

Kuwait authorities are deporting immigrants if they are caught using voip services such as Viber, Skype, Tango and other similar services.

My friend was removing/reinstalling Viber again and again i asked the reason. She told that Viber is not allowed in Kuwait.

Kuwait says using voip services is illegal. They are trying to catch people who are still using them.

via Aaqil

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iPhone New Software iOS 7 Complete Features and Download Links

Control Center: Turn on or off Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Do Not Disturb. Lock your screen’s orientation or adjust its brightness. Play, pause, or skip a song. Connect to AirPlay-enabled devices. And quickly access your flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera.

New Notification Center: New notification center features give you a convenient summary of, well, today. One glance at your iPhone and you’ll know if it’s a certain someone’s birthday, if you’ll need an umbrella, or if traffic will slow down your commute. You’ll even get a heads-up on tomorrow. You can access Notification Center from any screen, including the Lock screen. Just swipe down.

New Multitasking: Press the Home button twice to see preview screens of the apps you have open. To quit an app, just swipe it up and out of preview.


Intelligently scheduled updates: iOS schedules updates during power-efficient times. Like when your device is on and connected to Wi-Fi. So your battery isn't drained unnecessarily.

New Camera app: Camera in iOS 7 puts all your shooting formats — still, video, panorama, and now square — front and center. With a swipe, you can capture what you want the way you want.1 Fast. And new filters let you do even more with each image. Give it a retro feel. Dial up the contrast.
Or go black and white.

New Photos gallery features: Inside a Collection. Tap a Collection, like “Hawaii,” and see photos from your trip organized into Moments according to date and location. A year — or years — in review.
Tap the Year view and prepare to be amazed. Every photo and video you've ever taken appears on screen, almost like artwork.

iCloud Photo Sharing: With iCloud, you can share your favourite moments with your favourite people by creating a shared photo stream. They can post photos, videos, and comments to your stream, and it all appears on everyone’s iOS devices — automatically. The new Activity view lets you see the latest updates from all your shared streams in one place.

AirDrop: It lets you quickly and easily share photos, videos, contacts — and anything else from any app with a Share button. Just tap Share, then select the person you want to share with. AirDrop does the rest using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. No setup required. And transfers are encrypted, so what you share is highly secure.

Other changes ad new features include better battery life (claimed by company), automatic applications updates, automatic applications refresh in background on push notifications, intelligent applications data refreshing, voice facetime, new email and safari apps, swipe controls, sms blocking, updated Siri. Sensor features for wallpaper and other images, new lock screen, new iTunes, iRadio, New weather app, Weibo social network integration, New App Store with parental control and with apps browsing by age interest, new phone lock security feature if phone is lost or stolen only owner will be able to unlock using Apple id.

iOS 7 beta supports iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, and iPad mini.

Download:
iOS 7 Beta 1 IPSW Download

• iPhone 5 (Model A1428) 
• iPhone 5 (Model A1429)
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4 (GSM Rev A)
• iPhone 4 (GSM)
• iPhone 4 (CDMA)
• iPod Touch 5th generation

Download iOS 7 at your own risk. You won't be able to go back to iOS 6 after upgrade.
iOS 7 is a beta developers build. This may remove your device warranty because it is built for developers only.
Ask some apple developer to add your device in the iOS 7 beta lists from their Dev account.

via +Aaqil Mahmood Aaqil

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