Much to freelancers' solace, Pakistan to allow payments via PayPal

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For years, Pakistani freelancers and professionals from various industries have expressed concerns about the absence of various online payment and money transfer platforms. However, this is about to change as the caretaker Minister for Information and Technology, Dr. Umar Saif, announced on Sunday that Pakistanis would now be able to receive payments via PayPal.

PayPal, a platform that facilitates payments and money transfers in more than 200 countries across 25 currencies, will significantly boost Pakistan’s freelance market, which has long suffered from the absence of widely used online payment platforms around the world.

Describing the development as the fulfillment of a "long-standing demand" from Pakistani professionals in various fields, Dr. Saif stated, "Freelancers will not need to open a PayPal account. Instead, individuals outside the country will make payments from their PayPal accounts, and the funds will be promptly deposited into the freelancers’ accounts."

He mentioned that under the nation’s first space policy approved by the federal cabinet, international companies would be allowed to provide communication services through low-orbit communication satellites.

Emphasizing the rapid advancement of satellite communication technology and the interest of private companies worldwide in providing communication services through low-orbit satellites, he explained, "Satellites used to be geostationary, far away from the land. They are useful for broadcasting TV signals but communicating is difficult because there is latency."

Saif further stated that communication services and internet services could now be offered through low-orbit satellites, which are relatively closer. He noted significant developments in this area within the private sector.

The minister stressed that the National Space Policy would enable private-sector companies to "offer affordable internet services in Pakistan while enabling increased investment in our national space program."

He expressed confidence that 5G services in the country would be launched by July this year, and 300MHz spectrum would be offered for auction. Dr. Saif also highlighted the need to enhance the optic fibre network before the launch of 5G services.

Dr. Saif disclosed that the government would initiate a project to establish 10,000 e-Rozgar centers across the country, equipped with the latest facilities for freelancers and startups. He further highlighted the initiatives taken by the government to bolster exports in the IT and telecom sector. The sector's official export is currently $2.6 billion, but the actual figure is around $5 billion, as the industry allocates a major portion outside the country for salaries, cloud hosting, and expenses on platforms like Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, etc.