Islamabad:
Pakistan has signed four new projects worth Rs1.16 billion ($4.1 million) to expand higho-speed mobile broadband services across selected districts in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the government accelerates efforts to close the digital divide and strengthen the country’s digital economy.
The agreements were signed between the Universal Service Fund (USF) and telecom operator Jazz, with Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, USF Chief Executive Mudassar Chaudhry, and Jazz Chief Executive Aamir Ibrahim in attendance. Senior officials from the Ministry of IT, USF and Jazz were also present at the ceremony in Islamabad.
Under the projects, high-speed mobile broadband and voice communication services will be rolled out in four districts, including Chiniot and Abbottabad. The initiative is expected to provide reliable internet connectivity to 203 villages, benefiting more than 533,000 people in underserved and rural areas.
Speaking at the event, Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim said the company had already completed 36 projects in collaboration with the USF and would continue to play a leading role in Digital Pakistan initiatives. “Expanding broadband access is critical for economic inclusion, digital skills development and the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy,” he said.
Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima said all four projects would be completed within a relatively short timeframe of six to 18 months. She added that improved connectivity would support education, healthcare, e-commerce, freelancing and small businesses, particularly in areas that have historically lacked reliable internet access.
Addressing broader sector reforms, the minister said the government was in the final stages of increasing spectrum availability and preparing for the launch of 5G services, steps she described as essential to meeting rising data demand and enabling next-generation digital services.
She noted that billions of rupees worth of new broadband and optical fibre cable projects were being introduced under the USF framework, adding that more than Rs20.5 billion in projects had been approved in just the past six months.
“Our goal is to provide internet access to every citizen without discrimination,” Shaza Fatima said. “Without fast and affordable internet, national development is not possible. The prime minister’s vision of Digital Pakistan can only be realised through concrete infrastructure and service delivery on the ground.”
The government says the latest projects form part of a wider strategy to boost digital inclusion, expand Pakistan’s digital economy and position the country to compete more effectively in regional and global technology markets.
