E f f e c t i v e a n d a c c o u n t a b l e s e r v i c e d e l i v e r y solution has been developed for the police to efficiently deal with crimes, accidents and traffic issues, called MCARP (Mobile Crime and Accident Reporting Platform). Police use mobile phone cameras to capture images, which are uploaded instantly to the central server via MMS/GPRS. In its first year, police patrol vehicles used only 15 handsets to upload more than 20,000 photographs (Vijayakumar, Sabarish and Krishnan, 2010). All of this goes to show what a significant role mobile technology can play in the provision and improvement of public service delivery and enhancement of development objectives. Mobiles also provide greater freedom for women by enabling them to access new channels of information and gain greater personal privacy. They are a way for women to communicate with the outside world, which can lead to greater security with mobiles used not only as emergency tools, but also to report and monitor violence against women. What is more, women can use mobiles to make personal choices for their economic well-being, reducing dependency on the male members of their families, which was once the dominant norm, and thus gaining independence. The scope of m-government in Pakistan M-governance holds great promise for public service provision in Pakistan due to the large growth of the telecommunications sector in the country in recent years (see Figure 1), which has placed Pakistan among emerging East Asian economies like Malaysia and Singapore. Pakistan has been one of the fastest growing markets among the emerging telecommunications markets, with its cellular mobile penetration surpassing that of its South Asian counterparts (PTA, 2008). Total subscribers crossed 108 million at the end of 2011 (ITU, 2012) and the number of subscribers has increased threefold since 2005 (see Table 1). In 2009, Pakistan’s cellular mobile penetration was 55.3 per cent, 10.8 per cent higher than that of its neighbour India and 18.7 per cent higher than Bangladesh (ibid). All of this compared to only 3.7 million internet subscribers, making the internet penetration rate 2.2 per cent by 2009 (ITU, 2012). These figures indicate that m-governance is a more viable option for successfully providing public services to citizens as compared to e-governance. The economic dimension The mobile-cellular price basket in Pakistan is 3.8 per cent of GNI per capita, significantly lower than that of fixed broadband and fixed telephone, which cost 16.2 per cent and 4.7 per cent of GNI per capita, respectively (ITU, 2011). Prices strongly influence how many people are able and willing to subscribe to a service. Combined with the fact that over 90 per cent of the population has access to cellular mobile service across the country – though access is greater in more densely populated localities – mobile telephony is increasingly affordable and accessible. The mobile sector in the country has become a prime source of revenue, visible in the weight of mobile revenue in total telecommunications revenue, which, at 66 per cent in 2010, was the ninth highest in the world (ITU, 2011). Market shares of cellular mobile operations indicate that the market is moving towards perfect competition where the share of major operators is declining and new entrants are able to grab more share in the market (PTA, 2008), a positive trend for increasing mobile affordability and accessibility. In 2011, the telecom sector attracted over US$79 million foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country, which is about five per cent of the total FDI landed in Pakistan that year (Ministry of Finance, 2012). M-government provision will lead to an increase in demand for mobile phones and services, providing incentive for further investment in the mobile handset and telecom industry. This may also lead to the creation of significant job opportunities. Presently, the telecom industry employs a significant portion of Pakistan’s working population by providing job opportunities, directly or indirectly, in a wide range of areas including call centres, telecom engineering, telecom sales, customer services, finance and accounting (PCP, 2012). The political dimension The Government of Pakistan has remained focused on maintaining macroeconomic stability and growth, and balancing regional development. The mobile-cellular segment of the telecommunications industry is considered an engine for growth in the country (PTA, 2007) and for connecting and opening up rural and vulnerable areas. The Table 1: Mobile and internet statistics for Pakistan, 2011 Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2013/14 88 Mobile Internet Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 61.61 Fixed internet subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2.17 Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions 108,894,518 Estimated internet users per 100 inhabitants 16.78 Percentage of population with mobile coverage 91 Percentage of households with internet access 6.7 Ratio of mobile to internet subscriptions Fixed broadband per 100 inhabitants 0.31 per 100 inhabitants 28.39 Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database
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