On the anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), we join the international telecommunication fraternity to commemorate the World International Telecommunication and Information Society (WTIS) Day, under the theme, "Better life in rural communities with ICT".
This theme in line with ITU's advocacy of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT 4D) through development of telecommunication infrastructure and ICT applications, particularly for the benefit of people living in remote and far flung areas.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the lives of the people. The technological developments in the field of telecommunications and information technology have not only benefited the people living in urban areas, but also brought positive impact on the lives of the people living in the betterment of people the rural areas. As more can be done for the use of ICTs for in rural communities, the ITU has rightly selected this year's theme to bring change in the lives of the inhabitants of the rural and remote areas.
My government's vision is to empower every citizen of Pakistan by providing access to telecom service. Government of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Information Technology is committed to extend the reach of ICTs across the length and breadth of the country. The democratic government has launched special initiatives for imparting IT education, in rural areas of the country by extending the geographical coverage of the Virtual University. Similarly, the Universal Service Fund Company is executing projects for the deployment of telecommunication and IT infrastructure in rural areas. These include provision of basic telephony services to 12,000 un-served mauzas; deployment of 8,387 kilometers of optical fibre cable to connect 115 un-served tehsils; and extension of broadband service and applications reach to un-served areas of Pakistan. Under these projects, Educational Broadband Centres will be established in approximately 2,000 higher secondary schools and colleges and around 700 Community Broadband Centres will also be established for people who cannot afford computers. This will also give boost to provision of other e-services like e-health, e-government, e-commerce etc.
We stand proud as a nation for having made significant progress in developing a broad-based and advanced telecommunication infrastructure. The benchmark of an information society is universal access to information technology and knowledge for the entire population of the country irrespective of their social status, geographical location and economic level. I am sure that with the consistency of policies and their smooth, fair and transparent implementation, the country is on the right track in providing its citizens the affordable access to communication services on a non-discriminatory basis.
I wish the Ministry and other concerned institutions every success in their endeavour of translating the Government's vision into reality by providing access to telecom service to every individual.