The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GMSA) Asia-Pacific (APAC) team visited the Universal Service Fund (USF) office to learn about the progress of USF work on Thursday. The Chief Executive Officer of USF, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary said that he feels honored to have hosted the GSMA APAC team that included the Head of APAC, Julian Gorman, Head of Public Policy APAC, Jeanette Whyte and Country Lead on Digital Transformation, Saira Faisal. The GSMA APAC and USF discussed ways to strengthen their relationship and actions to overcome the current challenges faced by the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industry of Pakistan. During the meeting, GSMA APAC team appreciated the efforts of the USF and said that the ICT infrastructure provided through USF programs is integral for the future of Digital Pakistan. Earlier, a comprehensive presentation was given by the CEO of USF regarding the impact of USF work in rural and remote areas of the country. He said, “Since inception, USF has awarded 123 projects worth approximately PKR 124.8 billion in subsidy under its flagship programs and empowered more than 26 million people living in over 12,000 mauzas, thereby covering over 120 districts across Pakistan. USF has also successfully laid more than 12,000 km of Optical Fiber which has connected more than 600 Tehsil Headquarters (THQs)/Union Councils (UCs) and major towns of Pakistan and is paving the way for 5G technology. We would not be able to deliver our excellent performance and services without the unconditional support of the Federal Minister of IT and Telecommunication, Syed Amin Ul Haque, the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication and the service providers.” Furthermore, current and future plans with regards to high-speed mobile broadband and optical fiber programs were covered in the presentation. The senior management of USF informed that all these projects are playing a vital role in gender empowerment and accelerating the accessibility for e-suite services that include e-education, e-health, e-agriculture, e-finance and e-commerce, and bridging the digital divide in Pakistan./Ends
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