PESHAWAR: The Federal Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication Wednesday approved award of contracts to Telenor and PMCL (Jazz) worth Rs680 million for Kurram tribal district and Sanghar district of Sindh.
PMCL (Jazz) has been awarded the contract of Kurram Lot while Telenor has been awarded the contract of Sanghar Lot under Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development (NG-BSD) Programme. This is part of the inclusive approach of the government and to strengthen the pillar of connectivity under ‘Digital Pakistan’.
According to a press release, Federal Secretary Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui chaired 68th Board of Directors meeting of Universal Service Fund (USF) Company in Islamabad.
During the meeting Chairman USF Board and Secretary IT were briefed about the progress of USF projects. The hi-speed broadband services in Kurram Lot will benefit an unserved population of approximately 400,000, thereby covering 200 unserved muazas and an approximate unserved area of 2,900 square kilometres. Kurram Lot encompasses Frontier Region (FR) Kurram, Lower Kurram and Upper Kurram tehsils. Similarly, an unserved population of approximately 1.4 million will gain advantage from ii-speed broadband services in Sanghar Lot. The lot consists of Sanghar and Umerkot districts with an approximate unserved area of 12,000 square kilometres and 500 unserved mauzas.
Shoaib Siddiqui emphasized the need for connecting the people of Pakistan who did not have access to latest ICT facilities. He also said these projects will bring the people of Kurram and Sanghar districts at par with the wider society and helpful in solving the problems of illiteracy, poverty and unemployment.
The federal secretary welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s expression of support for the continued and ongoing work of Digital Pakistan. He said swift development is possible only through development of IT sector. He stressed the importance of the Ministry of IT and Telecom remaining closely engaged to support and encourage implementation of the vision. In addition to this, he also acknowledged other board members’ valuable contribution to make advancements in implementation of USF projects.
The board appreciated chairman USF Board and secretary IT for providing guidance and wisdom to accomplish USF mission.
