Parts of Balochistan, South Waziristan still deprived of mobile broadband services

The Universal Service Fund (USF) has spent around Rs56.013 billion to extend cellular, broadband internet, fibre optics and other telecommunication services to un-served or underserved areas but some areas in Balochistan as well as South Waziristan and Kurram districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa still lack access to basic telephony and mobile broadband services, it is learnt.
The USF was created in 2007 to stretch cellular, broadband internet, fibre optics and other telecommunication services to un-served or underserved areas. All telecom companies have been contributing 1.5 percent of their revenues to the USF.
Officials revealed that USF has over Rs32billion in balance and spent Rs56.418 billion during the last ten years for expansion of telecommunication services to the under-served and un-served areas of the country.
They maintained that despite massive growth, there were many areas that remained underserved. The challenges, they asserted, that the USF faced were rugged terrains, sparse population, harsh weather, lack of electricity, no backhaul, and poor logistics as well as security clearance. Some of these areas include South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram, Jhal Magsi, Dera Bugti, Nasirabad and Jaffarabad that are not being catered.
According to the sources, the areas which do not support business plans of telecom operators, the government subsidises projects there to reach the under-served and un-served.
According to documents, of the total Rs56.013 billion subsidy, Ufone took major chunk of subsidy i.e. Rs17.12 billion (30.5 percent), PTCL, Rs14.66 billion (26 percent), Telenor, Rs 12.787 billion (22.8 percent), Zong, Rs 4.55 billion (8.1 percent), Wateen, Rs 3.717 (6.6 percent), World Call, Rs1.134 billion (2 percent) and Mobilink, Rs 382.145 million (0.68 percent).
Telecommunication coverage was around 44 percent before USF-2006-07 which reached around 75 percent during the last ten years while covering 6225 un-served mauzas.
Official said broadband for sustainable development programme under the USF is designed to provide telecom services to the un-served mauzas across the country. After issuance of 3G/4G licences by the federal government, this programme has been redesigned to include the broadband equivalent data (internet) services as a compulsory component. For new projects, powering of telecommunication site through solar energy was also made a part of each project. According to documents, 844 BTS have been installed and 6225 mauzas have been covered.
Optic fibre programme is another initiative under USF that aims to promote development of telecommunication services in un-served and under-served rural areas to make available and affordable the voice telephony and basic data services. This requires also the establishment of a stable and reliable optic fibre network in all corners of the country.
This project aims to extend the optic fibre connectivity to the un-served Tehsil headquarters for meeting the growing requirements of voice, data and video in these areas.