The project “Seamless broadband coverage from Hub to Jiwani: Makran Coastal Highway” was inaugurated by Chairman PTA, Muhammad Naveed at a ceremony held on Tuesday in Islamabad. The project is worth Rs759 Million.
The contract of the project was signed by Rizwan Mustafa Mir Chief Executive Officer Universal Service Fund and Rashid Khan CEO Ufone. Senior officials of the Ministry of IT, Ufone, USF and representatives of IT and Telecom companies were also present at the event.
As part of the project, 58 BTS towers are to be installed in a contracted time frame of 18 months. All major motorways and highways are to be facilitated through seamless connectivity in future.
Muhammad Naveed, Chairman PTA addressed the ceremony and stated that that with constant dedication and devotion, they have achieved yet another milestone. He also said that the event marked one of the greatest landmarks achieved in the field of Telecom in Pakistan and would go a long way in taking the developmental work being done by the Ministry.
According to him, the Ministry for IT through USF would continue to work towards achieving the mission of broadband penetration across the country to facilitate the masses in rural areas.
At the event, Rizwan Mustafa Mir also gave an introduction of the project where he informed the audience that this is the first project under the Next Generation-Broadband for Sustainable Development Program that is focused on broadband coverage to allow for seamless operation of modern APPS.
Rashid Khan, President and CEO Ufone speaking on the occasion said, “Universal Service Fund (USF) was established to promote the development of telecommunication services in un-served and under-served areas throughout the length and breadth of the country. At Ufone we resonate the same goal of providing telecommunication services to every Pakistani. The project has a special significance, as an important highway in Balochistan will be connected through broadband services under this initiative.”
It is to be noted that this is the first network in Pakistan where the winning bidder will be required to enable national subscriber roaming for other consumers to benefit from the service.
Moreover, under the project seamless voice and broadband services will also be provided to the coastal highway of 694 km and for the first time in Pakistan national roaming is also being made available
