The Universal Service Fund (USF) has awarded contract worth Rs 588 million to Telenor Pakistan for providing hi-speed broadband in Sanghar Lot, Sindh.
Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Syed Aminul Haque inaugurated the 'Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development' project in Sanghar (Districts of Sanghar and Umerkot) at a ceremony held at the Ministry of IT and Telecom, here on Thursday.
The contract was signed by USF CEO Haaris Mahmood Chaudhry and Telenor Pakistan CEO Irfan Wahab Khan. Secretary IT Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui was also present on the occasion.
Through the project in Sanghar Lot, broadband coverage will be provided in 500 mauzas in Sanghar, covering an approximate un-served area of 12,000 square kilometers and benefiting a population of 1.47 million people.
Haque stated that under the vision of 'Digital Pakistan,' the Ministry of IT and Telecom is taking concrete steps to spread the benefits of digitalization to the masses.
He said during the spread of Covid-19, the Ministry of IT and Telecom would keep on making efforts to ensure that broadband connectivity help us to overcome this crisis.
Haque said the key stakeholders in IT and Telecom sector should vigorously work together to come up with innovative ways for fighting Covid-19 through technology.
Secretary congratulated the teams of USF and Telenor Pakistan, and also hoped that they would continue to achieve these milestones in the future as well.
He said the main objective of USF was to facilitate the masses through broadband technology in the country.
He said during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of IT and Telecom was making sure that broadband connectivity played an integral part in creating ease for the people.
He further said the USF projects were already making a huge difference in the lives of the people, and with the new challenging scenario during the Covid-19 outbreak; these projects had become more crucial for socio-economic benefit.
The USF CEO said Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque, Secretary IT Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, and the USF board of directors had been giving constant guidance and support to the USF for making rapid progress.
He also added that all those projects were playing an integral role in enabling people of Pakistan to carry on their activities through broadband technology during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Telenor Pakistan CEO said, "We are more committed than ever before to strengthen the pillar of connectivity as part of our purpose of connecting people to what matters most to them. At Telenor Pakistan we are driven to empower the country through enhanced connectivity, creating opportunities and uplifting the lives of millions and stand firm in our commitment to break socio-economic barriers through the use of mobile technology."
Senior officials of the Ministry of IT, the USF and Telenor Pakistan were also present at the ceremony.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.