Since the internet has become a basic necessity of our lives and fast internet is the need of everyone because who has the patience for slow loading pages? In Pakistan, many areas lack the basic service of the internet, especially those village areas. However, people need the internet for so many reasons such as studying, getting information from the world wide web, for entertainment etc. The Universal Service Fund (USF) Board has approved ten optical fiber and internet contracts valued around Rs. 21 billion. These projects will primarily focus on providing high-speed internet access to Pakistan’s underprivileged and un-served communities.
According to the USF board, the ten authorized projects are a combination of high-speed mobile broadband, highways and motorways, and optical fiber cable projects. Together, these projects will deliver 4G LTE connection and backhaul connectivity to around 3.5 million people.
These projects will connect 187 Union Councils (UCs) and bring high-quality internet to 622 km of unserved road portions on the M-8 and N-35 highways, using 1,554 kilometers (km) of optical fiber cable.
Because internet and connectivity remain a serious issue in many underlying areas of Pakistan, it is critical for appropriate authorities like the USF to step in and make it simpler for people living in these places to have access to high-speed internet.
Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, Additional Secretary (Incharge) of IT & Telecommunication and Chairman USF Board, made the project approval announcement while also chairing the meeting.
Mr. Chanda provided a quick outline of USF’s good performance in recent years during the conference. The chairman stated that in the last four years, USF has contracted 79 projects totaling Rs. 62.7 billion in subsidies. “This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of Pakistan’s unserved and neglected communities,” he added. He also emphasized the importance of infrastructure, affordability, and internet accessibility, and vowed to work with all stakeholders to realize the Digital Pakistan vision.
The Board approved the award of five high-speed mobile broadband contracts worth more than Rs 7.1 billion for the provision of 4G LTE services in rural and remote districts of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, according to the information.
These projects will assist residents in 262 unserved areas in the Punjab districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Multan, and Rajanpur; Sindh’s Jamshoro; and Balochistan’s Barkhan, Musakhel, Sherani, and Sibi, totaling 12,784.91 square kilometers.
