Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has decided to launch the Pak Awaaz Secure Mobile Communication Ecosystem project to establish a sovereign and cyber secure communication platform for government officials. According to ministry officials, the project aims to protect official communications from growing cyber threats by creating an independent and secure mobile communication environment for government users. The Central Development Working Party has granted in principle approval to the project under the Public Sector Development Programme, clearing the way for the initiative to move forward.
Officials said the project carries an estimated cost of Rs 708 million and includes the provision of 10,000 secure mobile devices for government officers. The devices will feature a hardware root of trust, be manufactured in Pakistan, and run on an indigenously hardened operating system designed to strengthen protection against cyberattacks and unauthorized access. Under the Pak Awaaz initiative, National Telecommunication Corporation will implement the project by deploying a private mobile communication network over existing cellular infrastructure. The network will remain isolated from the public mobile network and will use centralized multi factor authentication based on the user, SIM card, and mobile device to ensure secure access to official communications.
The project also includes the development of a dedicated secure communication platform that will provide end to end encrypted voice and video calls, messaging, and file sharing services for government use. Officials said the platform will include dedicated application management, administration, and Network Operations Center systems, while the complete secure mobile communication infrastructure will be hosted at the National Telecommunication Corporation Data Centre. In addition, the project will establish a sovereign software environment featuring a private app store, secure chat application, controlled directory services, and secure delivery of government applications.
Key government platforms, including the E-Office system, are expected to operate through the secure mobile ecosystem once complete, enabling protected digital workflows and strengthening the government’s broader secure digital communications infrastructure. The initiative reflects growing attention within Pakistan’s government toward securing official communications against rising cyber threats, following a period in which National Information Technology Board has separately reported expanding use of its E-Office platform across federal departments. Combined with other ongoing digital infrastructure projects, Pak Awaaz is intended to give government officials a communication channel that remains independent of public networks while supporting the broader push toward paperless and digitally secure administration across federal institutions.
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