Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) Syed Amin Ul Haque on Monday launched ‘Beep Pakistan’, the country’s alternative to popular messaging app WhatsApp.
According to the minister, rival WhatsApp apps have been established in adjacent countries such as India and Bangladesh.
“This day marks an important milestone for Pakistan’s IT industry, as we are launching Beep Pakistan, the country’s first communication app, on a 30-day trial run,” said Haque during the launching ceremony.
“In the first phase, the app will be used for internal communication between the Ministry of IT and Communication and NITB (National Information Technology Board).
“All government agencies will be able to use the app in the second phase. The software will be made widely available throughout Pakistan in the third phase.”
“We’ve gotten a little behind on this, but it’s better to be late than never,” he remarked.
Sharing its features, the minister said that the app can be used for data sharing, audio calling, video calling and conference calling.
“The biggest advantage of this app is that it is 100% safe and secure, as its server and source code will be in Pakistan,” he said.
Lauding the role of NITB, Haque said that “we can now proudly say Pakistan possess a WhatsApp alternative”.
In the last 3.5 years, the ministry has launched 83 new projects, which has cost Rs77 billion across Pakistan. “We have targeted second- and third-tier cities to improve connectivity in these areas,” he said.
