Company News

 

COMSATS Internet Services launches VPS service at Pak China Business Forum
Islamabad, April 16, 2012.

Islamabad, April 16, 2012. COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, announced the launch of its VPS (virtual private server) service at Pak China Business Forum today. The exhibition is being held at Pak China Friendship Center in Islamabad from April 15th to 18th on the occasion of 2nd meeting of COMSATS Commission. CIS is the first ISP to offer VPS with local hosting in Pakistan unlike other VPS providers who offer foreign hosting. With VPS, a customer uses a dedicated server on a rental basis hence saving on the costs of purchasing a full-fledged server. CIS has created multiple VPS instances for customers on its Intel-based modular server using virtualization software. Both Windows and Linux platforms are offered. VPS packages range from 1 GB to 8 GB memory and 40 GB to 500 GB for storage. Bandwidth offered ranges from 1 Mbps to 4 Mbps. Customized packages are available also. To learn more about VPS packages offered by CIS, please click on http://comsats.net.pk/vps/.

CIS has also installed a new Juniper SRX® series firewall in its data center to provide network level protection and security. The firewall provides a complete set of Unified Threat Management (UTM) security features including IDPS (intrusion detection and prevention system), IPSec VPN, Kaspersky® anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, Symantec® anti-spam, and Websense® web-filtering. In addition to VPS, CIS is demoing its other services including Tornado™ (wireless P2P), outdoor hotspots, and telehealth at the forum. Through telehealth, a doctor sitting in Islamabad diagnoses a patient sitting in Zhob, Baluchistan through a video link. CIS has also setup a free Wi-Fi zone at the exhibition for laptop users.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer CIS, Asim Shahryar Husain, said that “Keeping its tradition of being the pioneer, CIS is pleased to announce the launch of its secure VPS service for its customers with local hosting. Now, customers can rent virtual servers from us on a monthly basis instead of having to invest in a full-fledged server. Also, these servers are hosted locally instead of abroad which reduces bandwidth cost and improves security for customers.”

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS) is the pioneer ISP of Pakistan when it launched Internet services in 1996. Today, CIS is a very diversified ISP offering multiple services including Freedom™ (Wi-Fi DSL), Tornado™ (Wireless P2P), Hurricane™ (On-demand broadband), Hawaii™ (Hosting & VPS), Viacon™ (Video conferencing), Prism™ (Website development), and Comtrain™ (IT Training).

 

COMSATS provides web design training to visually handicapped students
Islamabad, February 15, 2012.

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS) in partnership with Directorate of Special Education & Social Welfare concluded a 6-week web design training course to a group of 25 visually impaired students at National Library and Research Center (NLRC), Islamabad. The training was conducted from January 2nd, 2012 to February 10th, 2012 at the library by Manager Software of CIS, Mr. Abid Rizvi. The training covered many web design topics including HTML, CSS, page layouts, Notepad as editor, Dreamweaver, Firebug, domain registration & hosting, and website update and maintenance.

The 6-week training was concluded by a certificate distribution ceremony at NLRC where Director General Special Education & Social Welfare, Mr. Syed Mustafain Kazmi was the chief guest. Other guests included Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO, COMSATS Internet Services, and Ms. Munazza Gilani, Manager, Sightsavers Pakistan. The ceremony started with heart-warming recitation and naat by visually impaired students. This was followed by fifteen students presenting websites which they had developed during this course.

This was followed by speeches from Manager Sightsavers, CEO CIS, and DG Special Education. Manager, SightSavers mentioned that Sightsavers will be sponsoring more trainings for visually impaired students in future where they will be able to learn advanced design tools such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver. CEO CIS highlighted that mission of COMSATS is to use technology for social benefit through programs such as telehealth and training and it is a proud moment for COMSATS that it has trained these visually impaired students to be able to design websites sitting at home. This would create new employment as well as business opportunities for these students. DG Special Education congratulated students on completing the course successfully and that it was a major achievement for them to be able to design websites despite their visual handicap. This was followed by certificate distribution by DG Special Education and CEO CIS to all participants of the course and group pictures.

To learn more about COMSATS Internet Services, SightSavers Pakistan, and NLRC, please visit www.comsats.net.pk, sightsavers.org, and nlrc.gov.pk respectively.

 

COMSATS Internet Services launches Valentine’s offer
Islamabad,  February 9, 2012.

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, has announced a Valentine’s offer for this February. Under this offer, when a customer orders any CIS product (excluding domain and hosting) of Rs.999 per month or more, then customer will get a free box of Fererro Rocher chocolates from CIS. CIS offers many products including Freedom™ (Wi-Fi DSL), Tornado™ (wireless P2P links), Prism™ (website development), Comtrain™ (IT training courses), and Viacon™ (video conferencing). For domain and hosting, this offer is only valid for orders of Rs. 12,000 per year or more. This offer is only for customers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. To avail this offer, customer can place an order by calling 111-700-800 or emailing marketing@comsats.net.pk. Customer can also visit CIS shops in Blue Area, Islamabad or Saddar, Rawalpindi. After payment has been made by customer, box of chocolates will be delivered to customer. This offer is valid till February 29, 2012.

 

COMSATS Internet Services celebrates 15 years of Internet excellence!
Islamabad, September 30, 2011.
COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, celebrated its “15 years of Internet Excellence” at an employee event at Islamabad Hotel on September 28th. Chief Guest for the event was Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi, Executive Director, COMSATS. Other guests included Dr. Junaid Zaidi, Rector, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, and Mr. Parvez Ahmed Butt, Advisor COMSATS for CIS. Mr. Nayab Gul, Manager Marketing, was the stage secretary. The event started with a welcome address from GM Administration & Planning, Mr. Muhammad Hassan.  He stated that CIS is the pioneer ISP of Pakistan which brought Internet to Pakistan back in 1996 under the leadership of the then Executive Director, Mr. Parvez Ahmad Butt. His address was followed by a slideshow on the achievements of CIS over the last 15 years. This was followed by a comprehensive presentation from Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain. The CEO highlighted the achievements of CIS during 2010-11 including upgradation of data center and training center, new offices in Karachi, Peshawar, and Lahore, and launching of seven new product brands known as “The Colors of CIS.” These include Freedom™ (Wi-Fi DSL), Tornado™ (Wireless broadband), Hawaii™ (Domain & hosting), Comtrain™ (IT training), Prism™ (Web development), and Viacon™ (Video conferencing). He said that CIS is the most diversified ISP of Pakistan offering seven different services. He mentioned that CIS is offering wireless broadband packages for SMEs and corporate customers as well as new training courses for PMP®, ITIL®, Cisco®, and Microsoft®. His presentation was followed by an awards ceremony in which plaques and cash awards were given to most profitable node head and best sales persons for the year 2010-11. Also, shields were awarded to officers who have spent more than 5 years with CIS. A plaque and gift were also presented to Ex Director General, CIS, Mr. Parvez Ahmed Butt. Plaques were also presented to CEO CIS and Executive Director COMSATS.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Parvez Butt talked about how CIS was approved by the then Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto and how CIS brought Internet to Pakistan in 1996. He emphasized the importance of passion to be successful at anything in life, be it work or country or family. This was followed by an address by Executive Director COMSATS. Dr. Qureshi stated that COMSATS has a mission of using technology for social benefit through programs such as telehealth and e-learning. COMSATS was the pioneer in telehealth in Pakistan when it started telehealth clinics in Gujar Khan, Skardu, and Gilgit. COMSATS has opened another telehealth center in Zhob, Baluchistan this year. He said that CIS is different from other ISPs in the sense that CIS is providing social services also free of charge. He said that it is a great achievement for CIS to be in operation for more than 15 years with zero private investment. He congratulated all CIS employees on achieving this landmark and told them to continue working with dedication for both their organization and their country. The celebration ended with a cake-cutting ceremony followed by hi-tea. The event was attended by employees of CIS and management of CIS, COMSATS, and CIIT.
http://epaper.dawn.com

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS) offers special broadband packages for Independence month
Islamabad, August 9, 2011

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, announced today that it is offering special discounted packages on its Freedom™ broadband service in celebration of Independence Day. Freedom™ is a Wi-Fi DSL service from CIS which enables an internet user to create a hotspot at home or workplace. The user is not restricted to a fixed location like in traditional DSL and can use broadband anywhere within a radius of 300 feet.

Freedom offers broadband packages for both students and professionals including 512 kbps, 1 mbps, and 2 mbps with unlimited downloads. There is a special discount of 50% on all packages for the month of August. Hence, 512 kbps unlimited package is Rs. 425 for first month and Rs. 849 from second month onwards. There are no modem charges and installation is free for students with a valid ID. Tariffs are listed at http://comsats.net.pk/freedom/. This offer is valid till August 31st only. Freedom™ is available in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Lahore. To learn more about Freedom™, please email freedom@comsats.net.pk.

CIS partners with MERS to offer PMP® and ITIL® courses
May 31, 2011CIS (COMSATS Internet Services), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, announced today that it will be offering new exciting training courses to professionals and students in partnership with MERS, a UK-based training organization. Comtrain™ is a training service from CIS which offers many professional courses including CCNA®, Red Hat® Linux, Microsoft Office®, web development, and many other courses. Now in partnership with MERS, CIS will be offering new courses in the area of business fundamentals such as PMP® and ITIL® courses. Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. MERS offers two courses on PMP – Essentials and Professional. ITIL® is an in-demand training these days because it teaches professionals about service strategy, design, transition, operations, and continuous improvement. ITIL® (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) courses from MERS include ITIL service management essentials and ITIL V3 foundation. PMP and ITIL training courses will be offered as follows (click on course name to view course details):Saturday, July 2nd – Friday, July 8th

Saturday, July 23rd – Wednesday, July 27th

These courses will be conducted at Comtrain™ Training Center at COMSATS Headquarters in Islamabad. Courses will be taught from 10 AM to 5 PM on weekends and from 2-9 PM during weekdays by Mr. Enam Ur Rehman, a senior management consultant and an experienced trainer from MERS Solutions. Lunch/refreshments will be arranged by CIS. There is a group discount of 10% for groups of three or more professionals. For students, there is a discount of Rs. 5000 for essentials courses and a discount of Rs. 10,000 for advanced courses with valid student ID but no group discount. There is a limit of 15 students per course. Hence, enrollment will be on first come, first served basis. To register for these courses, please click on registration form.

CIS shifts Peshawar office to Marhaba IT Tower
May 15, 2011

COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), Pakistan’s pioneer ISP, announced today that it has shifted its new office to 3F-04, 3rd Floor Marhaba IT Tower, Tambwan Morr, University Road, Peshawar. The office shift had been ordered by the CEO in January.

Office shifting was completed in one month through the efforts of Mr. Abdur Rehman Saeed (GM Operations), Awais Afridi (Manager Peshawar) , Kamran Malik (Corporate Sales Executive) , and technical team (Kazim , Shahid , and Faisal).
CIS was the pioneer to launch Internet services in Peshawar when it established an office near Sunehri  Masjid Road Near cantt railway station 14 years ago. CIS customers are located in Town , Hayatabad, and Cantonment areas. Because of demand from its customers and for better visibility, CIS has shifted to Marhaba IT Tower for the convenience of its customers.At present, CIS Peshawar is offering different Internet services including Wi-Fi DSL , Wireless Point to point and Multipoint Links  , Fiber Optic solutions, Satellite Internet Services  for Urban Areas , domain and hosting, Video conferencing solutions , and Server co-location.  CIS Peshawar also plans on offering training courses such as CCNA, CCNP, etc. later this year. For further Information, please call 091-111-700-800 or email support@pes.comsats.net.pk

CIS launches new website
April 29, 2011CIS (COMSATS Internet Services) formally launched its new corporate website on 29th April, 2011 at www.comsats.net.pk. “All of this work has been done in-house by CIS and no external agency hasbeen used”, said Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO of CIS.  “The new website was developed in-house by the marketing and software teams of CIS. The new site gives a very professional look” said Nayab Gul, Marketing Manager, CIS.The new CIS website has a home page which displays all CIS brands and services on a slider. It shows the latest promotions, payment options, coverage areas, and contact us information. There are separate web pages for all services including Freedom™ (Wi-Fi DSL), Tornado™ (Wireless broadband), Hawaii™ (Domain &Web Hosting), Hurricane™ (On-demand Broadband), Viacon™ (Video Conferencing), Comtrain™ (Training) and Prism™ (Website development). These seven brands make up the ‘Colors of CIS’.There is an icon for DSL coverage areas on home page where customers can check the availability of DSL from CIS in their area. Payment options icon is also given on the home page. On the promotions page, all current and past promotions of CIS are displayed. The Contact Us icon gives contact details of all offices of CIS nationwide along with email addresses of sales, marketing, customer support, billing, and human resources. A customer feedback form is also available on Contact Us page.The cities link on the home page gives access to all six offices of CIS. Contact details along with services offered by each office are mentioned on their respective pages. The customers link next to cities gives customers the facility to check their emails and manage their accounts with CIS. The customers menu lists many corporate clients of CIS. A testimonials page is also available which lists comments from customers of CIS.The News & Media menu has sections for Press Releases, Company News, Company Events, and CSR Initiatives. The CSR Initiatives page throws light on the different social activities of CIS such as telehealth and flood relief. The Careers menu consists of Current Positions and job application link.The new CIS website received a very warm response and thumbs up from both employees and customers on the launch day. “I am very pleased with the work done by our marketing and software teams, especially our web developer, Abid. All of this work was done in-house by CIS and no external agency was used” said Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO of CIS.