Govt approves over Rs 8b to launch seven broadband services projects

The government has launched seven more projects worth over Rs 8 billion to provide broadband services to over 2.5 million people in the un-served and under-served areas of the four provinces.

The government will spend Rs 3.5 billion to launch projects in Balochistan province out of the total allocation.

The government aims at providing broadband services to over 2.5 million people in the un-served and under-served areas of the four provinces, including the Balochistan province.

The projects were approved here on Monday at the 81st meeting of the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Fund (USF), since then, the number of projects for providing optical fiber cable and broadband services from 2018 to date has reached a record 56 and the total cost (subsidy) has exceeded Rs 52 billion.

The Secretary of IT & Telecom and the Chairman of the USF Board, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, chaired a meeting. At the same time, Chairman PTA Major General (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, Member Telecom Muhammad Umar Malik, CEO Telenor Irfan Wahab Khan, Imran Akhtar Shah, Kokab Iqbal, Sibte Hassan Gardezi, and other officials were present. The Chief Executive Officer of USF, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhry, gave a detailed briefing to the Board about the projects.

While congratulating the USF Board on the launch of the projects, Syed Amin-Ul-Haque said that whatever the political situation, the MOITT and its subsidiaries, especially the Universal Service Fund, will continue to perform.

He said that the Ministry of IT, through USF, is committed to connecting the people in remote areas with the digital world. He said projects started during the current government’s tenure are being ensured to be completed within the stipulated time. While for all the projects under the rules, selecting only the lowest bidding telecom operators.

Earlier, addressing the meeting, Secretary IT and Chairman of the USF Board Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput said that the provision of broadband services to the residents of the un-served and under-served areas of the country is as much needed as in the big cities.

He said that while projects for the four provinces have been ensured under the rules and regulations, projects worth PKR 3.57 billion have been approved in principle, giving particular importance to deprived Balochistan.

Dr. Sohail Rajput further said that although the vast area of Balochistan and the provision of broadband services to the spread population is costlier than any other area, the Board, under the direction of Federal Minister for IT Syed Amin-Ul-Haque, always included Balochistan in its priorities.

Meanwhile, according to the projects approved at the USF Board of Directors meeting, the project to provide 4G services in Qila Saifullah and Zhob in Balochistan has been awarded to Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone) with a total subsidy of PKR 3.57 billion. At the same time, the completion period would be 18 months.

The project would benefit more than one hundred thousand people in 111 villages spread over an area of 8,408 sq. km.

The plan to provide broadband services in the Jhang, Bhakkar and Toba Tek Singh districts of Punjab has been given to Pakistan Mobile Company Limited (Jazz), on which the amount of subsidy given is PKR. 2.25 billion with a one-year completion time. In a short period, the government will provide facilities to a population of over 1 million in 722 villages spread over an area of 8,925 sq. km.

The meeting also approved the uninterrupted voice and broadband services project on the 95 km section of the Hakla D.I. Khan Motorway that connects Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Mianwali, Attock, and Rawalpindi districts to Jazz at a subsidy of PKR 375.33 million.

Similarly, a plan to provide broadband service in six Mauzas on the outskirts of Islamabad has been handed over to Jazz at the ca of PKR. 11 million. A project to provide mobile services in the Mauza of Mandi Bahauddin has also been handed over to Jazz for PKR. 22.6 million.

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PTCL has been given a 555 km long fiber optical cable laying project in the Larkana and Qambar Shahdad Kot districts of Sindh under the optical fiber cable (OFC) program, with a total subsidy of PKR 1.61 billion and a one-year completion period.

By connecting the 62 union councils of these districts, it will be possible to provide high-speed connectivity to more than 1.2 million people.

Another project under the Optical Fiber Cable Program, PTCL, was also assigned to lay a 106 km long cable for a population of more than 136,000 in 6 Union Councils of Haripur and Islamabad at a cost of PKR 410 million, with a subsidy approved of PKR 235 million.

In addition, the USF Board of Directors has approved in principle the appointment of Ms. Alia Afridi from among the three shortlisted names after interviews of 37 candidates on the recommendations of the Human Resource Committee for the post of Company Secretary in the Universal Service Fund. Ms. Alia Afridi has high academic qualifications and significant experience in the related field.