ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Ministry for Information Technology will set- up 500 telecentres under the Universal Service Fund (USF) to provide quality e-services in health, education and agriculture sectors to facilitate people in under served areas of the country.
In the first phase, the tender for establishment of 50 telecentres has been floated, a senior official of the ministry told the state-run news agency.
He said the USF was established by the government to extend the benefits of the telecom revolution to all corners of Pakistan.
“Universal Service Fund promotes the development of telecommunication services in un-served and under-served areas throughout the length and breadth of the country,” he added.
The fund consists of contributions (1.5% of adjusted revenues) by the Telecom Operators with no government funding involved, he added.
To utilize this fund for achievement of the targets, it was decided to follow a corporate Model, which led to establishment of USF Company under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984.
He said main objective of Universal Service Fund (USF) is to bring the focus of telecom operators towards rural population and increase the level of telecom penetration significantly in the rural areas through effective and fair utilization of the fund and to improve the Broadband penetration in the country, he said.
To a question he said each Telecenter will be connected to internet through high speed broadband, equipped with computers and other essential network elements (printer/scanner/copier/fax, etc), he said.
