This Week in Pakistan (24th — 30th March)
This Week in Pakistan (24th — 30th March)
This weekly newsletter focuses on the most important new developments within Pakistan’s Technology Sector. To receive this newsletter on a weekly basis subscribe to our mailing list (no spam ever) or follow me on Twitter (@adamdawood). Previous instalments of the newsletter can be found here.
Urbanite Acquired by Danish Investors
Urbanite.pk was taken over by a Danish company by the name of E-takeway. They are looking to expand their food delivery portal within Asian markets and have chosen to focus on Pakistan believing its markets are not only lucrative at present but also have a huge potential for further growth. Urbanite.pk is based in Karachi where customers can access restaurant menu’s online and order food for delivery at the click of a button. E-Takeaway was founded in 2001 as the first online food delivery site in Denmark. Since then they have expanded to 4 other European countries and with Pakistan are setting their horizon across the world. Their biggest competitors locally will be FoodPanda and EatOye.pk.
TechinAsia | Urbanite | E-Takeaway
Smartphone Market to Double
Given the excitement over the upcoming 3/4G launch, mobile resellers are predicting that smartphone sales will double by next year. Current imports of cellphones stand at between 1.5 and 1.7 million units per month, of which only 15% are smartphones, according to a United Mobile representative. This number is expected to rise to 40% within one year of the 3G launch. Feature phones valued between PKR 2,500 and PKR 4,000 still hold about 80% market share.
Startup Showcase — XGear
XGear is a new device allowing complete control over your driving experience. It provides users access to vital data such as engine performance and fuel economy. By using this data XGear also offers advice on individual driving styles that will eventually lead to saving money on each trip. The application works by installing their custom hardware into the cars OBD port which transmits data to XGear’s mobile apps.
XGear | ProPakistani | Vimeo
Other News:
All births to be registered through cell phones | The News | ProPakistani
Draft bill on infringes on electronic freedom says a digital rights group | Tribune
Pakistan Media & Culture Through the Ages | Google/CAP
No Sim’s to be registered without biometric verification | ProPakistani
Social Media Summit a program to empower digital activism is taking place in Islamabad | SMS14
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