By Irfan Ahmed ISLAMABAD, Feb 17 (INP-WealthPK): The Universal Service Fund (USF) has approved 10 projects of worth Rs11.5 billion to bring broadband internet services and an optical fiber project to the Kumrat Valley of Swat and 19 other under-served districts. These projects will benefit approximately 4.4 million people. The USF Board met under the chairmanship of Secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication Sohail Rajput in which the award of high-speed mobile broadband contracts to three telecom companies – Jazz, Ufone and Telenor –was approved, while the optical fiber cable projects were handed over to the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). According to details, the board has approved the award of high-speed mobile broadband contracts to Jazz for Mianwali and Khushab districts in Punjab that will serve an unserved population of around 0.37 million in 186 unserved muazas and an approximate unserved area of 5,080 sq. km. Furthermore, the board also approved the award of a contract to Ufone for providing high-speed mobile broadband services in Lasbella and Awaran districts of Balochistan that will serve an unserved population of around 0.15 million in 223 unserved muazas and an unserved area of approximately 39,012 sq. km. The board approved the award of a contract to Telenor for providing high-speed mobile broadband services in Buner and Shangla districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that will serve an unserved population of around 95,840 in 102 unserved muazas and an approximate unserved area of 1,232 sq. km. Speaking on the occasion, USF Board Chairman Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput said though the USF was established 15 years ago, the pace of implementation of projects in the first 12 years was quite slow. “In the last three years since the current government took over, especially in the last two years, a record 37 projects worth over Rs31 billion have been contracted; in FY 2019-20, 12 projects were contracted, in FY 2020-21, 25 projects were contracted. In FY 2021-22, we plan to contract 28 projects,” Rajput said. The board also approved Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) Program at the union council level and the award of optical fiber cable contracts to PTCL for providing backhaul connectivity in districts of Mianwali, Dadu, Jamshoro, Badin and Hyderabad in Sindh that will serve an unserved population of around 3.7 million in 135 unserved union councils by laying 1,385 kms of optical fiber cable and installing 301 base transceiver station (BTS) Towers. Universal Service Fund promotes the development of telecommunication services in unserved and under-served areas throughout the length and breadth of the country. Source: Universal Service Fund A lot of students and professionals from remote regions want to start their own online businesses. Since internet is the backbone, the freelancers need the best internet service in the backward areas. These initiatives will help establish a freelance marketplace in the rural areas. Owing to a lack of access to the internet, people in the distant locations have been unable to obtain projects from abroad. The freelance market will also create jobs and increase national income. This step is also good for tourism. The pandemic has demonstrated the urgency of providing access to the remote areas in the country. It must be appreciated that government has taken the initiative to increase connectivity and access to the remote regions, while more connectivity initiatives have been redesigned to boost tourism. These new projects will also create opportunities for Pakistani businesses, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to trade online across the country and international markets. These initiatives will make a significant contribution to Pakistan’s trade and long-term economic growth.