By Ijaz Kakakhel

The government is advancing 15 Universal Service Fund (USF) 4G access projects to extend internet connectivity to more than 3.65 million people across 21 districts, with a total contracted subsidy of over Rs14 billion.

Official project data available with Wealth Pakistan show that the ongoing connectivity programme will cover 1,893 mauzas with a combined target population of 3,656,923. The total contracted subsidy for the 15 projects stands at Rs14.007 billion, with Jazz, Ufone and Zong undertaking the network expansion in different underserved areas.

The projects span districts across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, demonstrating a commitment to expanding high-speed mobile broadband access beyond Pakistan’s major urban centres.

The Kurram project has reached 75% completion. Implemented by Jazz, it targets 40 mauzas and 251,980 people, with a contracted subsidy of Rs92.25 million.

Five projects have reached 50% completion. These include the Pishin, Chiniot, Abbottabad and Badin projects being implemented by Jazz, and the Kohat project being executed by Ufone.

The Pishin project is one of the largest in terms of geographical coverage, targeting 306 mauzas in Pishin, Killa Abdullah and Quetta. It is designed to provide connectivity to a population of 574,545 at a contracted subsidy of Rs1.32 billion.

The Chiniot project covers 117 mauzas and 333,267 people, while the Abbottabad project targets 61 mauzas and 157,473 people. In Badin, the programme covers 144 mauzas and targets 432,666 people.

The Kohat project, which includes Frontier Region Kohat, is now 50% complete and will benefit 24 mauzas and 41,404 people.

Two Ufone projects, Umar Kot and Khuzdar, have reached 25% completion. The Umar Kot project covers 142 mauzas and 243,695 people with a subsidy of Rs914.61 million. The Khuzdar project, involving the largest subsidy among the 15 schemes at approximately Rs2.945 billion, targets 144 mauzas and 75,637 people.

Work is also in progress on seven other projects covering Small Lot P-15, Gujranwala, Muzaffargarh, Mansehra, Haripur, Rajanpur and Sujawal.

The Small Lot P-15 project covers areas in Bahawalnagar, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and Hafizabad, while the Gujranwala project also extends to Mandi Bahauddin.

Among the projects currently under implementation, Muzaffargarh has the largest target population at 498,927, covering 138 mauzas. Rajanpur will cover 215 mauzas and 301,512 people, while Sujawal will connect 144 mauzas with a target population of 246,759.

Jazz is implementing nine of the 15 projects, Ufone five and Zong one. The programme will substantially expand 4G services’ reach across underserved and less-connected communities, bringing millions more people within the country's digital connectivity network.

Credit: INP-WealthPk