Pakistan, Dec. 3 -- The Universal Service Fund (USF) approved nine new telecom projects on Wednesday, valued at Rs13.05 billion. The projects aim to provide high-speed internet and voice services to 5.55 million unserved and underserved residents across 11 districts. The initiative will cover 178 Towns/Union Councils and 753 Mauzas, empowering rural communities to access digital services.

The USF Board, chaired by Secretary IT & Telecommunication Zarrar Hasham Khan, awarded the projects to the lowest compliant bidders following a transparent process. The projects include six Next Generation Broadband Services (NGBSD) projects and three Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) expansion projects.

These initiatives will connect 1.27 million people throu...