Govt to Provide High-Speed Internet Services at Tourist Spots

The Government of Pakistan has decided to provide basic telephony and high-speed internet services at tourist places, considering it one of the prerequisites to promote tourism in the country.

A proposal has been forwarded to the Universal Service Fund (USF) board to launch special projects that ensure the provision of fast internet service at tourist spots including Babusar Top, Saiful Malook Lake, and Kumrat Valley.

According to reports, USF’s board was advised by the IT Minister to provide internet connectivity at key spots.

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The Federal Secretary for Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and the Chairman of the USF Board, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, presided over the seventy-sixth meeting of the Board of Directors of the USF and approved the launch of a new program called the ‘Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development Programme for Tourist Locations’ to promote tourism in the country.

The USF Chief Executive Officer, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, briefed the attendees that a USF team is working to provide fast broadband services in Babusar Top, Lake Saiful Malook, and Sharan Forest in Mansehra District, Kumrat Valley in Upper Dir District, Mahodand Lake in Swat District, and various spots in Galiyat and the Hazara division.

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“This will not only provide information and communication technologies (ICT) to domestic and foreign tourists but will also play a significant role in sending a timely response to agencies concerned in case of an emergency,” he said.

The USF Board has also approved nine projects worth around Rs. 8.15 billion to provide fast mobile broadband services to almost 7.59 million people in the deprived and underprivileged areas across Pakistan.