The National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) are set to sign a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 10 to upgrade and modernize PBM’s nationwide digital connectivity and information and communications technology infrastructure. According to the announcement, the signing ceremony will take place at NTC Headquarters in G-5/2, Islamabad, at 10:00 AM. The partnership will focus on deploying nationwide ICT infrastructure for PBM, including connectivity, cloud hosting and welfare-related digital services. The planned agreement follows an earlier Document of Intent signed by the two organizations in August to establish a framework for longer-term cooperation.
The earlier agreement, signed on August 11 by PBM Managing Director Senator Captain Shaheen Khalid Butt and NTC Managing Director Major General (Retired) Ali Farhan, outlined plans to improve PBM’s connectivity infrastructure and ensure reliable technical support for its nationwide operations. PBM had requested NTC to consider subsidized or concessional rates for internet connectivity, point-to-point links, email and web hosting, and cloud services. The two organizations said reliable digital infrastructure was increasingly important for maintaining uninterrupted services for PBM’s programmes supporting widows, orphans, patients, students, persons with disabilities and other deserving communities.
Under the planned MoU, NTC will provide a structured framework for supporting PBM’s digital infrastructure and communications requirements across its operations. The collaboration is expected to cover connectivity services and technology infrastructure needed to support PBM’s offices and welfare programmes across the country. The agreement also builds on PBM’s wider digital transformation efforts. In March, PBM signed a separate MoU with the National Information Technology Board under the Digital Economy Enhancement Project to develop a unified digital platform aimed at improving access, transparency, coordination and data-driven decision-making for beneficiaries.
The NTC-PBM partnership reflects the growing use of digital infrastructure to support public-sector service delivery and welfare programmes. For PBM, stronger connectivity, hosting and cloud capabilities can help maintain communication between its nationwide offices and support the digital systems used to manage services for beneficiaries. The formal MoU signing on September 10 will build on the August Document of Intent and move the two organizations toward a longer-term institutional framework for ICT cooperation.
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