By IANS,
Islamabad : About 5,500 km of optic fibre cables will be laid in Pakistan’s Balochistan province as part of a major telecommunication project.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Wednesday said the government was providing modern telecommunication services to the remote areas of Balochistan to help it connect to the rest of the country.
Balochistan, the largest of the four provinces of Pakistan, is spread over an area of 347,190 sq km, forming 43 percent of the total area of Pakistan.
Speaking at a contract singing ceremony of Universal Service Fund’s (USF) project of laying optic fibre cables in Balochistan in Quetta, the prime minister underlined the significance of telecommunication and information technology in making the world a global village.
Gilani described the USF optic fibre cable project as an important initiative on the part of the federal government as it ensures telecommunication services in various parts of the province, reported Associated Press of Pakistan.
He said under this programme about 5,500 km of optic fibre cables were being laid in Balochistan, connecting 44 tehsil (sub-district) headquarters and 29 smaller towns in the province besides creating job opportunities for the local youth.
“Four of these five Rs.7.1 billion projects are already under execution and the last one is being signed today (Thursday) after undergoing an open bidding process…which after completion would benefit about 5.2 million users,” Gilani was quoted as saying.