Pakistan to Launch Secure Mobile Network for Govt Officials

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has decided to launch the Pak Awaaz Secure Mobile Communication Ecosystem project to establish a sovereign and cyber-secure communication platform for government officials.

According to ministry officials, the project aims to protect official communications from growing cyber threats by creating an independent and secure mobile communication environment for government users. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has granted in-principle approval to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) project.

Officials said the project has an estimated cost of Rs. 708 million and includes the provision of 10,000 secure mobile devices for government officers. The devices will feature a hardware root of trust, be manufactured in Pakistan, and run on an indigenously hardened operating system designed to strengthen protection against cyberattacks and unauthorized access.

Under the Pak Awaaz initiative, the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) will implement the project by deploying a private mobile communication network over existing cellular infrastructure. The network will remain isolated from the public mobile network and will use centralized multi-factor authentication based on the user, SIM card, and mobile device to ensure secure access to official communications.

The project also includes the development of a dedicated secure communication platform that will provide end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, messaging, and file-sharing services. Officials said the platform will include dedicated application management, administration, and Network Operations Center (NOC) systems, while the complete secure mobile communication infrastructure will be hosted at the NTC Data Centre.

In addition, the project will establish a sovereign software environment featuring a private app store, secure chat application, controlled directory services, and secure delivery of government applications. Officials said key government platforms, including the e-Office system, will operate through the secure mobile ecosystem, enabling protected digital workflows and strengthening the government’s secure digital communications infrastructure.