Telecom services: Govt sets eight key targets

Aftab Ahmed

Islamabad: The PTI government has set eight targets for the country’s new telecom policy 2021, which will equip Pakistan with the world’s developed countries in 2031 in the telecom services of internet, broadband, mobile phone, and online.

The new telecom policy aims to provide broadband to 80 percent of the country’s population by 2025 and increase access to telecom services in the country from the current 41 percent to 80 percent.

Under the new telecom policy, government targets 80% of the country’s population to provide telecom services of high-speed internet service by 2025.

As many as 75% of Pakistan’s metropolitan corporations, district assemblies, town assemblies, tehsil councils, union councils will connect to the optical fiber cable network.

Under the new telecom policy, the government will provide internet and broadband to all social service providers in Pakistan for schools, colleges, hospitals, courts, police stations, fire service stations, district councils, union councils. Telecom companies will raise internet speed to at least 50 Mbps.

As many as 75% of Pakistan’s corporate sector to have broadband internet service and mobile broadband internet service by 2025 to boost telecom services.

Every Internet service user will be able to access the smartphone service.

By 2025, 25% of cities in Pakistan will be equipped with fixed phone service and landline phone service and mobile service, while by 2030, 75% of Pakistan’s cities, districts, and tehsil councils will be with landline, fixed-line, and mobile phone service as well as internet service.

The government will provide support to the youth to increase their use of internet facilities for employment. This will also help Pakistan to be at par with telecom services in India.

It will also provide them access to more than 30% internet service at the uniform cost, providing internet and mobile service to persons with disabilities in Pakistan. It will reduce their disability, proposing to keep these telecom services 50% cheaper for them.

By the year 2030, all types of the education in Pakistan will connect to the online education system, making the country equal to the developed countries of the world in the forties by building telecom services in the country to promote distance education.

IT Ministry has proposed to provide broadband and mobile communication facilities to Pakistan’s small and medium enterprises, all tourist destinations, and tourism companies, as well as to open community broadband service centers for every 1 million population in the most backward areas for smooth telecom services.

At least, the government will set five smart communities in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.