Pakistan's policies, potential impress Canadian Telecom Investor
By Khalida Mazhar 'Pakistan Times' US Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON (US): Pakistan's policy of deregulation, a talented workforce and ease of doing of business make it investment-friendly, says a Canadian entrepreneur, whose company recently invested in telecommunication sector of the country.

Carey Healey, senior Vice President of Infosat Telecommunications, said Pakistan's current leadership under President Pervez Musharraf has taken steps to deregulate Pakistan's telecom sector, facilitating companies to conduct business.

Pakistan's educated population not only makes for good business partnerships, it indicates good market potential as well, he said.

In an interview with The Vancouver Sun, he noted Pakistan has a large English-speaking population, and many business people are either educated in the West or are trained by those who have been.

"They're very technical = technical to our standards, but they haven't adopted the technology there yet," he said. Healey, told the newspaper that he saw no signs of bribery or kick-backs in his business dealings in Pakistan.

Infosat partnered with Pakistan's Comstar ISA Ltd. to launch first broadband satellite hub in the country last month.

The companies are targeting Pakistan's banking sector to provide the connections that financial institutions would need to offer point-of-sale transaction services and automated teller machines, the newspaper said.

Pakistan has a huge number of banks, some of which have hundreds of locations in the country, Healey said. Besides, he added, the sheer size of the country's population to consider.

"There are 160 million people in Pakistan --- a pretty substantial market size," he said, adding that the broadband satellite hub can also provide Internet access in remote areas of the country.

"Pakistan is actually an easier place to do business than some might believe," said the investor.

The newspaper quoted a World Bank report, titled Doing Business 2007, saying it showed Pakistan in a better position than other regional economies.

In the WB report, which takes into account overall ease of doing business, based on a number of factors, including the degree of difficulty in starting a business, employing workers, protecting investors, trading across borders, and enforcing contracts, Pakistan scored better than even Italy, Greece and Brazil, it noted.●