Aitizaz Hassan ISLAMABAD, June 08, (INP-WealthPK): The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MITT) has launched several projects to connect hundreds of towns and union councils in the country through optical fibre cable and benefit millions of people. The ministry has launched three projects worth Rs5 billion to extend optical fiber cable (OFC) to six districts of Sindh. The Universal Service Fund (USF) has also finalised paperwork for several other projects including laying 400-kilometre cable in Gwadar and providing 4G internet services to Loralai district of Balochistan. According to the spokesperson for the ministry, the MITT is awarding contracts to firms for laying OFC in the underserved districts of Dadu, Jamshoro, Larkana, Kamber Shahdadkot, Hyderabad and Badin in Sindh. The projects will be executed at a cost of more than Rs5 billion to connect a total of 207 towns and union councils through 2,192-kilometre OFC and benefit a population of 4.2 million in these areas. It will play a vital role in the socio-economic uplift of the people by providing them with e-suite services. The spokesperson said that telecom services have already been provided to Makran coastal highway and National Highway 50-70 in Balochistan. Procedural issues delayed work on some parts of RCD Highway and Quetta-Jacobabad Highway. However, the issues have been resolved. According to the annual report of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the prime minister performed the soft launch of the project in Gilgit on April 30, 2021. This phase will also see the Special Communication Organisation (SCO) laying OFC from Rawalpindi to Gwadar and Karachi along the routes of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It will cost Rs37.9 billion, of which 15 percent has been appropriated for the local component and 85 percent for the foreign exchange component. The spokesperson said that the MITT through USF aims to connect all the citizens of Pakistan as digitisation has become a priority for businesses and communities in the modern world. He said that USF has contracted laying over 16,000-kilometre OFC to benefit 31.5 million people across the country under its Next Generation Optic Fibre (NG-OF) network and services programme. “MOITT is enabling the rural and remote communities of the country to support the economic development and put a positive impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan while contributing to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals,” the spokesperson told WealthPK. Haaris Mahmood Choudhry, chairman of USF, said the they are spreading the benefits of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to all corners of Pakistan. USF strives to provide IT and telecommunication services to people in the underserved areas of the country to bridge the digital gap in line with the vision of digital Pakistan.