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ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (APP):The Universal Service Fund (USF) has completed a total of 10 broadband connectivity projects under its 4G Access Program and Tourist Destination initiatives during 2025.
According to a document available with Wealth Pakistan, the completed projects aim to empower unserved and underserved communities by expanding access to high-speed and affordable internet services across remote and less-developed regions of the country.
Under the NH&MW Tourist Destination (4G) Program, two projects were completed.
The first project, NH&MW Lot-10-M-8, was implemented in Gwadar, Kech, Awaran, Khuzdar, Jhal Magsi, Kambar Shahdad Kot, and Larkana districts. The project involved 413.81 kilometers of road segments, with a total capital expenditure subsidy disbursement of Rs3.8 billion.
The second project under the tourist initiative, Tourist Destination K-2, was executed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, covering Swat, Upper Dir, and Battagram districts. This project included eight tourist locations, 49.86 kilometers of access routes, and 413.81 kilometers of road segments, with a total subsidy disbursement of Rs4 billion.
In addition, eight projects were completed under the Access Program (4G) across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab, collectively covering 1,092 mauzas and benefiting a population of 1,244,935 people. The total capital expenditure subsidy disbursed for these projects stands at Rs12.18 billion.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Swat Lot project covered 26 mauzas with a population of 43,520, involving a subsidy of Rs586 million.
In Balochistan, four projects were completed, including Lasbela Lot (218 mauzas, population 149,614, subsidy Rs1.7 billion), Loralai Lot (143 mauzas, population 81,963, subsidy Rs2.5 billion), Sibi Lot (43 mauzas, population 38,178, subsidy Rs1.2 billion), and Killa Saifullah Lot (109 mauzas, population 120,257, and subsidy Rs3.5 billion).
In Punjab, three projects were completed. The Mianwali Lot covered 190 mauzas with a population of 372,742, and a subsidy of Rs1.6 billion, while the Nankana Sahib Lot covered 250 mauzas, serving 294,506 people, with a subsidy of Rs457 million.
The Sialkot Lot, spanning 113 mauzas with a population of 144,155, involved a subsidy of Rs586 million.
According to an official at the USF, these initiatives align with the organization’s vision to empower unserved and underserved communities through Information and Communication Technologies and its mission to improve lives by making high-speed internet available and affordable for all, contributing towards a digitally inclusive Pakistan.