In the coming months, the “BEEP” application for Government officials will be relaunched by the federal government.
On Tuesday, Faisal Ratyal, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom that the BEEP application has been locally developed and approved by all relevant government agencies.
It is pertinent to note that former IT Minister Syed Amin Ul Haque had launched Beep Pakistan in August 2023, beginning with a trial run.
The former federal minister, who is now Chairman of the National Assembly IT & Telecom Committee, allocated time to the National Information Technology Board (NITB) to discuss the matter.
Mr. Haque asked the CEO of the NITB to make sure the application was released on time.
The committee was informed by Ratyal that the launch of BEEP aimed to provide a safe messaging platform for public sector workers all over the country. He added that the app will be launched in phases, starting with federal ministries and their attached departments.
It is anticipated that the rollout will begin within the next two months. The app will be integrated with Pakistan’s federal e-Office system to enable secure messaging, document sharing, and workflow coordination within government institutions,” the NITB CEO said.
BEEP has more security features, like full encryption for video calls and text messages that government officials use. The committee had earlier raised concerns regarding data security and the safety of official communications, particularly in light of global conflicts witnessed in 2024.
The committee was informed that new features, such as end-to-end encryption for video communications, have been added to the BEEP app, making it suitable for sensitive government discussions.
Ratyal said that the app’s operational costs will be based on usage-based fees and that efforts are being made to make the platform financially self-sustaining over time.
The Secretary of IT clarified that revenue generation is not the primary objective of the app, and the main priority remains secure, efficient, and reliable communication across state institutions.
Additionally, the committee was informed that BEEP has been officially authorized for official deployment by the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT).
Currently, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, remains the most widely used platform for voice and video calls and media sharing; however, its data servers are located outside Pakistan. BEEP, on the other hand, uses platforms like WeChat as inspiration for its more stringent security measures and local data servers.
The federal e-Office system was launched by the government earlier to cut down on paperwork and increase transparency. Officials believe that integrating BEEP will further strengthen internal coordination and reduce operational risks.
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