Pakistan's Internet Vision Shines At Regional Governance Conference

The Internet Governance Conference, a pivotal event focusing on addressing pressing issues in Internet governance and resource allocation within the Asia-Pacific region, was held on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Oct, 2023) The Internet Governance Conference, a pivotal event focusing on addressing pressing issues in Internet governance and resource allocation within the Asia-Pacific region, was held on Tuesday.

The conference was attended by industry leaders, experts, government officials, and national and international stakeholders from the telecommunication and information technology sector.

Notable speakers included the CEO Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) Foundation, Sylvia Cadena; who shared the Foundation's particular focus on Pakistan for projects in the social sector; and the Director General of APNIC, Paul Wilson among others.

On the occasion, Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Dr. Umar Saif, shared his insights and vision for the future of Internet governance. He appreciated the efforts of PTA and other stakeholders such as APNIC for contributions in this domain.

The Federal IT Minister emphasized the urgency of addressing the challenges related to Internet Governance. He underscored the importance of overcoming these challenges to enable businesses to flourish. He also highlighted the potential of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) in Pakistan, stressing the need to evolve the internet architecture to align with the demands of the contemporary era and enable Pakistanis to become first-class internet users.

Chairman PTA, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman, in his address, said, "We are committed to resolving Internet Governance issues through collaborative efforts with stakeholders in Pakistan. PTA is actively partnering with various organizations, including APNIC, ISOC, and ICANN, to enhance capacity building, establish IXPs, facilitate the transition to IPv6, and foster community engagement."

Furthermore, Chairman PTA highlighted PTA's active involvement in addressing issues related to the .pk domain and its pursuit of inaugurating an urdu version of the domain (dot Pakistan) so that the Pakistani community can have domains in local languages.

The conference concluded on a resounding note, underscoring the importance of transitioning to IPv6 for increasing broadband penetration in Pakistan. This conference featured a comprehensive agenda, encompassing discussions on regional and global Internet governance, strategies to enhance Internet Exchange Points (IXP), the role of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), the transition to IPv6, and capacity-building activities to empower network operators and stakeholders.