Islamabad, Sep 25: The Universal Service Fund (USF) is revolutionizing Pakistan’s digital landscape by providing broadband services to unserved and underserved areas. At a seminar organized by Pakistan School on Internet Governance (PKSIG) on ” Bridging the Connectivity Gap,” USF CEO Chaudhary Mudassar Naveed highlighted the organization’s vision to empower unserved & underserved communities through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
“Established on the model of global infrastructure, USF is the one of the key organizations in Pakistan taking vigorous steps to bridge the digital divide and connectivity gap by providing broadband services indiscriminately in remote and unserved/underserved areas,” said Mudassar Naveed.
He further stated that USF’s vision is to empower unserved and underserved communities through ICTs to achieve a digitally inclusive Pakistan. Meanwhile, their mission is to improve the lives of unserved and underserved communities by making high-speed internet available and affordable for all.
Regarding the organization’s key achievements, Mudassar said.”Since its inception, USF has provided subsidies of over 136 billion Rupees for a total of 161 projects, provided broadband services to nearly 40 million residents of more than 23,000 villages/Mauzas.”
After 2018, USF experienced a record acceleration in project launching. In a short period from 2019 till date, through 90 different projects worth over PKR 80 billion; 10,192 km of OFC has been laid and 2,915 mobile towers with 4G services have been installed across the country.
Highlighting the challenges overcome, he said, “Despite obstacles such as security concerns, difficult terrain, sparse population, harsh weather conditions, electricity and backhaul issues, poor logistics, and business case, USF remains committed to its mission.”
“USF’s efforts aim to eliminate the rural-urban divide, connecting people to modern health, education, and business facilities. By addressing these obstacles, USF is playing a vital role in realizing Digital Pakistan’s vision and stabilizing the digital economy,” Mudassar Naveed added.
It is worth mentioning that Section 33 (A) sub-section 1 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Re-Organization Act, 1996 (as amended), led the Federal Government to establish the Universal Service Fund (USF) in 2006. USF is a non-profit organization established under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) to promote the development of ICTs in underserved and unserved areas.
