The National Telecommunication Corporation, Pakistan’s premier ICT service provider, participated in the three day 28th ITCN Asia 2026, held at the Karachi Expo Centre from September 22 to 24. Managing Director NTC, Maj Gen (R) Ali Farhan, served as Guest of Honor at the inauguration ceremony, with NTC stationed at Hall 2 throughout the event to showcase its in-house developed products and brief industry professionals and visitors on its ICT services and solutions.
In his speech as guest of honor, Ali Farhan highlighted the importance of resilient ICT infrastructure in supporting Pakistan’s digital transformation, emphasizing that digital services depend on reliable optical fibre networks, data centres, uninterrupted power, and strong cybersecurity. He also outlined NTC’s role in supporting sovereign computing infrastructure, data sovereignty, cybersecurity, cloud services, and the broader development of Pakistan’s digital ecosystem, positioning the corporation as a central player in the country’s underlying digital infrastructure.
As a key part of its participation, NTC organized a national level roundtable titled Neutrality of ICT Infrastructure to Support Digital Connectivity in a Cost-Effective Manner, bringing together technology experts, policymakers, industry representatives, and academia to discuss resilient, secure, and cost-effective digital infrastructure development in Pakistan. Ali Farhan set the context for the discussion, delivered the keynote presentation, and chaired the subsequent roundtable, which examined the need for efficient, shared, and resilient ICT infrastructure to support the country’s growing digital requirements. Discussions covered emerging technologies, the national Cloud-First Policy, sovereign network control, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and the broader infrastructure requirements for a resilient and cost-effective digital ecosystem, concluding with a Q&A session and remarks focused on actionable takeaways and policy recommendations.
The roundtable featured speakers including Dr. Shoab Ahmed Khan, Founder and CEO of CARE and Chairman of PASHA, Syed Zeeshan Ali, Founder and CEO of DataVault, Jamil Ur Rehman, Senior General Manager IT and CTIO at Sui Southern Gas Company, Syed Ayaz Ali of TP-Link, and Muhammad Jawad Paracha of IBM. On the sidelines of ITCN Asia 2026, NTC and Port Qasim Authority also signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen Pakistan’s digital future through advanced ICT solutions, with the collaboration covering dedicated internet services, secure network connectivity, cybersecurity solutions, cloud and data centre services, unified communications, and enterprise digital infrastructure. NTC’s participation at the event reflects its continued engagement with Pakistan’s evolving digital landscape and its efforts to facilitate dialogue on the development of the country’s ICT infrastructure across government, industry, and academic stakeholders.
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