Pakistan plans its mobile operating system over security concerns

Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to move towards developing its own mobile operating system amid concerns raised by government officials over possible security risks linked to foreign developed mobile software.

The government has added a new security requirement to the upcoming Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy under which mobile phone manufacturers operating in Pakistan will have to get the operating systems used in their devices checked and cleared by local security agencies.

The development was discussed during the 24th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, chaired by Syed Amin ul Haq at Parliament House in Islamabad.

A government representative from the Engineering Development Board told the committee that recent security incidents in Iran and Palestine had highlighted concerns about the safety of mobile devices using foreign developed operating systems.

The official said such systems could create security risks, including the possibility of outside parties accessing devices, tracking the location of users and listening to private conversations. He described this as a serious security concern.

To address the issue in the short term, the government plans to make security checking of mobile operating systems a key requirement for manufacturers working in Pakistan.

According to the briefing, manufacturers would be required to have the operating systems used in their mobile phones examined by Pakistan’s relevant security agencies before clearance.

The government also has a longer term plan to develop a mobile operating system within Pakistan. The official said work on an indigenous system is already under way.

The plan is to introduce the local operating system when Pakistan reaches a target of manufacturing 50 percent of mobile phone components within the country. The move is linked to the government’s broader plan to increase local manufacturing and reduce dependence on imported technology.

During the meeting, the committee also discussed the cost of smartphones and the need to make them affordable for ordinary people.

Officials said Chinese smartphones assembled or manufactured in Pakistan are available in the range of about $200 to $250, or around Rs50,000 to Rs60,000, and that their use of the Android operating system helps keep prices within reach of a large number of buyers.

The official said Android based smartphones are performing strongly in the local market because of their affordability and features. He also said Apple’s iOS based devices are facing increasing competition globally.

The government’s proposed local operating system is therefore being presented as both a security measure and part of a wider effort to strengthen Pakistan’s own mobile technology industry.