May 17, 2022 (MLN): Federal Minister for Information and Technology (IT), Syed Aminul Haq has said that the cellular mobile subscribers (number of active sims) have reached 193 million by March 2022 due to reforms taken in the IT sector in the last three years.
The number of mobile and fixed broadband subscribers in the country has reached 116 million with an increase of 39.4%.
The projects were launched across the country through the Universal Service Fund of the Ministry of IT.
By June 2021, more than 37 projects have been started at a cost of Rs31 billion whereby 50-70% of work on most of these projects has been completed. In Punjab, Rs6.47 bn is being spent on nine different projects of optical fiber and broadband services.
Projects worth over Rs8.48 billion are underway in Sindh for the provision of high-speed internet and nine different fiber optical projects. The total number of projects for 14 districts of Balochistan is 11 with a cost of Rs8.43 billion.
Meanwhile, Rs29 billion is being spent on 28 more projects in remote and backward areas this financial year. Nine different projects of optical fiber cable are in progress in all four provinces.
A total of 4,746 km long cable is being laid at a cost of Rs13.14 billion.
Under the Universal Service Fund, projects for the provision of mobile networks on 1929 km long main highways have been completed, said Amin ul Haq.
