The Universal Service Fund (USF) Board approved the award of eight contracts worth approximately Rs10 billion on Thursday to provide internet connectivity to approximately 3.3 million people in un-served and under-served areas of Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces through High-Speed Broadband services and Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) connectivity.
Jazz, PTCL, Ufone, and Telenor were awarded contracts. All projects would be completed in 16 months from the date of contract signing.
The USF Board also approved the USF annual budget of over Rs31 billion for the Fiscal Year 2022-23. According to a news release, Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, Secretary MOITT, and Chairman USF Board, presided over the 82nd meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD).
While congratulating the USF Board on the projects’ approval, Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Syed Amin-Ul-Haque stated, “From July 2018 to June 2022, USF has launched a record 57 projects worth Rs62 billion, which speaks volumes about its performance and a proof of its commitment to connect all the communities of Pakistan, enabling them to compete better in an economic environment that is constantly changing in response to technological evolutions.”
He stated that the USF annual development budget for digital connectivity has increased from Rs18 billion to Rs31 billion in FY 2022-23, increasing connectivity in underserved areas and strengthening ICT activities.
Under these projects, the USF will deploy a total of 884 km of OFC that will benefit over two million people in the districts of Gwadar in Balochistan and Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, and Mardan in KPK.
These projects are designed to connect 872 educational institutions, 391 government offices, and 216 health institutions along with the mandatory connection of 527 BTS towers within a five-mile radius of the node.
“Efforts are being made to eliminate digital disparities in urban and rural areas. USF has launched projects in remote and backward areas of the four provinces of the country,” he added.
