Wateen Telecom has been awarded a PKR 449 million project to develop an extensive optical fibre network in Sindh. The USF Sindh project entails the laying of over (1,037) km of an optical fibre network in Southern Telecom Region. An amount of PKR 449 Million will be provided by USF in the form of a subsidy; the rest of the cost will be borne by Wateen.

The new optical fibre network will connect 17 unserved cities and towns. Wateen has joined hands with the Universal Service Fund Company (USF Co.) to undertake this project of national importance, which will go a long way in bridging the digital divide in the country. The project, funded through a USF subsidy, will provide state of the art digital infrastructure in remote areas of Sindh, and could be further exploited to build IT, telecom, education, health and business services in these areas.

This protect has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on 23 February 2013, in Sanghar – Chak # 11 along with a number of telecommunications and health and education projects. Wateen is already working with USF on four optical fibre projects in underserved areas of Balochistan and Sindh, with subsidies worth a total of PKR 3.7 billion. These existing projects entail optical fibre networks spanning over 4,563 km (in Sindh and Balochistan)

Commenting on the project, Mr Zamindar said

Wateen’s vision is to take Pakistan into the digital revolution of the 21st Century by offering complete communications and media solutions, including telephony, internet, data and TV/multimedia to the public at large, and to make Pakistan a regional communications hub, inter-connecting the East with the West and Central Asia with the Middle East, participation in USF regions aligns with Wateen’s vision of taking Pakistan into the digital broadband revolution of the 21st century while promoting education and literacy through these means.