Three additional Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) projects costing Rs. 5 billion have been initiated by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) for six districts in Sindh.
The projects, which will be finished in 16 months, would give high-speed access to 4.2 million people in Larkana, Hyderabad, Badin, Qambar Shahdadkot District, Jamshoro, and Badin. The Universal Service Fund (USF) and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited inked a contract for the projects (PTCL).
Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Sindh, said the MoITT has been operating various programmes through the Universal Service Fund in keeping with the goal of Digital Pakistan (USF). These projects have a significant impact on the local community’s socioeconomic growth.
Syed Amin uI Haque, the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications, said at the event that the ministry aspires to connect all inhabitants of Pakistan through the USF since digitization has become a priority for businesses and communities.
The USF has contracted approximately 16,000 km of OFC as part of its Next Generation Optic Fiber (NG-OF) Network & Services programme, which will assist 31.5 million people across the country by providing access to information and e-suite services like e-healthcare, e-finance, e-agriculture, and e-education.
The MoITT, according to the minister, helps rural and distant communities compete better and boost economic development, resulting in a beneficial influence on the national GDP while also contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).