# Wahaj Siraj

> Wahaj us Siraj is the co-founder and CEO of Nayatel, Pakistan's leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) telecom company. A mechanical engineer by training who pivoted to entrepreneurship out of frustration with government bureaucracy, he sold a Suzuki car to fund his first venture and went on to build Pakistan's first FTTH network - a first for all of South and Southeast Asia. Under his leadership, Nayatel has grown to 170,000+ customers, 2,500+ employees, and operations in 17+ cities, while also launching Pakistan's first HD TV channels and partnering with Facebook to expand fiber across 8 cities.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Nayatel
- **Organizations:** Nayatel, Micronet Broadband, ISPAK, OPEN Islamabad, Siraj Foundation
- **From:** Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- **Nationality:** Pakistani
- **Education:** Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, Master's in Engineering (Renewable Energy Resources), University of Melbourne, Australia
- **Known for:** Co-pioneered Pakistan's first DSL broadband service (2002), Built Pakistan's and South/Southeast Asia's first FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) network (2006), Grew Nayatel to 170,000+ customers and 2,500+ employees

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Worked as design engineer at a multinational in Saudi Arabia
- **~1990-1997** — Joined Government of Pakistan in IT/telecom policy-making
- **1997** — Co-founded a computer hardware store in Islamabad with Saad Saleem and Aqeel Khurshid (funded by selling Saad's Suzuki car + 100,000 PKR + Siraj's personal computer)
- **1999** — Acquired a small satellite internet company and built it into Micronet Broadband
- **2002** — Launched Pakistan's first DSL broadband service as Micronet Broadband (July 2002)
- **2004** — Co-founded Nayatel with a vision for fiber-to-the-home broadband
- **2006** — Launched Pakistan's (and South/Southeast Asia's) first FTTH network in Islamabad/Rawalpindi
- **2011** — Introduced Pakistan's first HD TV channels and Video-on-Demand (VOD) service
- **2016** — Expanded Nayatel operations to Faisalabad
- **2018** — Expanded to Peshawar; received ICT Distinguished National Innovation Award
- **2020** — Launched 10 Gbit/s XG-PON for corporate customers; Charter Member of OPEN Islamabad
- **2021** — Partnered with Facebook (Meta) to expand fiber networks across 8 Pakistani cities
- **2023** — Deployed IPv6 connectivity for residential and corporate customers
- **2024** — Achieved Google Certified Android TV Box status; operations in 17+ cities

## Achievements

- Co-pioneered Pakistan's first DSL broadband service (2002)
- Built Pakistan's and South/Southeast Asia's first FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) network (2006)
- Grew Nayatel to 170,000+ customers and 2,500+ employees
- Launched Pakistan's first HD TV channels and Video-on-Demand service (2011)
- Partnered with Facebook/Meta to expand fiber across 8 Pakistani cities (2021)
- ICT Distinguished National Innovation Award (2018) from Pakistan Computer Association
- Development Leadership Award from Government of Pakistan
- Recognized as Market Disruption Expert at Startup Grind
- Founding member of ISPAK (Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan)
- Nayatel ranked 2nd in Pakistan Fast Growth 25 by AllWorld Network
- 81% average revenue growth at Nayatel (2007-2009); 1,076% revenue growth in 2009

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Nayatel achieved Google Certified Android TV Box status, expanding its smart home entertainment offerings
- **2024-01** — Nayatel expanded operations to 17+ cities across Pakistan
- **2023-06** — Nayatel deployed IPv6 connectivity for residential and corporate customers
- **2021-01** — Partnered with Facebook (Meta) to expand fiber networks across 8 Pakistani cities

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wahajsiraj/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/WahajSiraj1

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wahaj-siraj
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-23