To begin on a positive note, we have an IT Policy and a Minister for Science and Technology who is truly committed to making a difference. So, for a change, we can't complain that the Government is doing nothing.

The proliferation of institutes across the nation indicate that the IT scene is alive and kicking. The number of young people walking in for interviews at tech companies alludes to the same notion. Software houses and web development companies, small and large, are opening up in every other "gali" in the country. Internet access is getting cheaper and computers are being made available to a wider cross-section of people than ever before.

So ... do we have a problem or are we doing OK?

No one can deny that there has been an Information Technology boom in the country. IT is everywhere and has even transcended generation gaps. However, despite a number of well-meaning initiatives, there is a "long and winding road" to traverse and technology alone will not provide the fuel.

A host of factors have powered the spread of e-commerce in other countries, including India. Of primary importance everywhere has been the mindset and attitude. This is a time to act and not react. Waiting for the Government, and waiting for the "right time" will get us nowhere. There are risks involved in being a first-mover but this is an excitingly reckless time to be alive. For the first time in our history, we have an opportunity to be right up there, with the movers and shakers, creating the rules that will guide the Information Economy. The 21 year old entrepreneurs who became millionaires overnight did not achieve runaway success because they were Americans or Indians. What they did have, and what we seem to lack, is unbridled initiative and vision.

Where does vision come from? While there is no comprehensive answer, it certainly doesn't come from compiling Java code all day. Recently, a young Pakistani applying for a job at a high-tech firm in the US, was asked which languages he spoke and whether he played any musical instruments. Not a word about his coding abilities; those were apparent from his reference letters. What these firms want are well-rounded human beings who can see the bigger picture. If our young people are not exposed to philosophy, science, art, literature, and music, along with their technical training, we run the risk of being reduced to extremely low-level players in the IT space, capable at best of taking orders and executing them according to a pre-defined brief. I recently asked a 23 year old Cisco Certified Network Engineer where he saw himself three years from now. His answer: administering a Microsoft Windows NT network! Ouch!

Our business schools have also not made the leap into the New Economy. Around the world, curricula are being radically altered to keep pace with changing trends in the marketplace. A typical e-commerce workshop for management students includes such topics as Basics of e-Business Infrastructure, Management Strategies for Dotcoms, Market Research and Metrics, and The Importance of Brand Equity on the Internet. While the principles of Adam Smith and Peter Drucker still have some relevance, we cannot expect to survive by adhering to ancient wisdom alone.

The lessons to be learned from across the globe are clear: students of humanities, business, and IT must communicate and share ideas. An e-commerce website can only be successful if it is backed by solid technology, has a clear path to profitability, is creatively designed, and is easy to use. Achieving such results is possible only if the techies, creatives, and business folk work together. Existing in insular pockets will widen the gap and with each passing day, bridging this gap will become ever more challenging.

Waiting for institutes and universities to alter curricula will only delay matters further. What our languishing economy needs is the spirit of entrepreneurship. The Internet offers huge opportunities for business and there is no time like right now. Although the recent dotcom shakeout has shown that merely an exciting idea is not enough to succeed, a good measure of common sense, business practicality, and a desire to create an impact by doing something great is all that's required. According to George Colony, founder and CEO of Forrestor Research, a leading Internet market research firm, one of the top five factors required for a country to succeed in the Internet Age is a wide supply of smart, risk-taking managers.

Alibaba.com, an online B2B trade exchange launched from China in 1999 and is now widely regarded as one of the best SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) success stories in Asia. A former English teacher, 36-year old Jack Ma has given himself until the age of 40 to develop a sustainable Internet business before he returns to teaching China's aspiring entrepreneurs. Alibaba.com started in an apartment in Hangzhou, China with 18 people. Now, the company has over 200 employees and has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Silicon Valley, and London. Alibaba.com has over 300,000 members from more than 200 countries and regions.

Andrew Yao, founder of Hong Kong-based iSteel Asia.com, an online market exchange for the Asian steel industry, set out to reform the steel trade in Asia. The operation comprises of three components: a secure online B2B exchange environment for steel trades, comprehensive news and industry information for the steel trading community, and service providers in financing, insurance, surveying, shipping and logistics. iSteelAsia.com aims to capture about 10% of the Asian steel market by 2002, targetting $5 billion worth of online steel trading.

eBay is another inspirational apartment story and got underway without infringing on founder Pierre Omidyar's day job. eBay's origins were the chance result of a conversation between Omidyar and his girlfriend, a collector of Pez dispensers, who asked him one evening at dinner if there was a way he could set up a website for collectors like her. eBay soon developed into a full-fledged eBusiness that went public with a market value of $1.88 billion, and unlike most dotcoms, has been profitable from the very start.

Developed nations have invested a great deal of time and money in building local infrastructure. While Pakistan is afflicted by hunger, poverty, and a range of other issues, we cannot ignore the importance of building solid IT infrastructures, which will in turn, allow Pakistani businesses to compete in the global economy.

Companies that provide software and web development services must play an active role in developing local businesses. The lure of the international market is huge as Pakistan is still in the stages of IT infancy: contracts worth millions of dollars are obviously more appealing than contracts awarded by Pakistani companies. However, competitive pressure will eventually drive local businesses onto the Net. Why wait? A starting point, within the control of independent organizations, is to provide computers and e-mail accounts to staff members. The next step is to establish a web presence, which can, over the course of a few months, develop into a full-fledged Internet strategy. IT companies need to support local needs by providing high-quality consulting and development services.

Without payment processing gateways, e-Commerce cannot take off. Under the IT Policy, merchant accounts can now be provided to net-based vendors. Why are Pakistani banks not rushing to enable these services? The US has an established history of mail-order companies which have migrated to the Internet, not to mention brand new pureplays like Amazon and eBay. A certain level of trust and credibility already exists, making people more willing to use their credit cards for online shopping. Pakistan has a long way to go in this area, but the financial sector, the IT sector, and the government, need to plan strategies to make the general public more comfortable with the idea of shopping online. Seminars on CyberLaw and Security on the Net would be a good start. As credit card penetration in the country is fairly low, we also need to devise alternative payment mechanisms to kick-start the e-commerce revolution.

The Internet has made possible a new breed of companies the world over: ambitious, globally competitive and very sensitized to customer needs. Across the border, for example, the liberalisation of the Indian economy and the increasing diffusion of information technologies like the Internet are changing the way Indian banks think of themselves, their customers and their competitors. ICICI Bank's VP for IT, Neeraj Bhushan Bhai, estimates that 80% of the bank's non-resident Indian customers have come through the Internet. Deposits increased from 4.5% to 10% over a 1 year period. Savings of thousands of dollars per month have also been realized in mailing and courier costs. Application forms have been downloaded in massive quantities off their website and the bank now has over 7,000 regular users of its online services. Other sectors have seen massive growth, ranging from companies that sell milk to pencils. It is predicted that by 2005, more than 20% of the apparel retail turnover in India will be accounted for by organized chains which will use sophisticated Information Technology to cut costs, improve market responsiveness, and manage customer loyalty programs.

A key issue that plagues developing countries is access to IT-related services. Huge segments of our population are unable to afford computers and Internet connections. The Ministry of Science and Technology ought to forge volume deals with vendors to provide cheap solutions, setting up kiosks and cybercafes across the country. PTCL is doing the nation no good by charging Rs. 12 (or more?) per hour for Internet access. Instead of complaining about stolen revenue, PTCL should equip itself to offer Internet-enabled services and generate genuine revenue as well as provide a higher level of customer satisfaction. Although Voice-Over-IP is still banned, everyone uses it. Can't the Government see who's winning and who's losing in this mindless battle of wits? Low-cost technology called CorDECT (http://www.tenet.res.in), developed in Madras, has been used in Kenya, Tunisia, France, Brazil, and China, as well as in a few Indian districts, and has been instrumental in bringing the Net cheaply to millions.

We have a choice. We can either start making a difference now by addressing micro issues that are within the grasp of each one of us OR we can remain depressed for the rest of our lives, waiting for Government and foreign aid to solve all our problems. Pakistan needs people who are charged up and willing to give of their time, more importantly than their money. We have to take ownership of our problems and believe that we can change the way things have always been done.