According to a statement issued following the USF Board’s 98th meeting, the new projects will benefit nearly 960,000 people across 347 locations in 10 districts. The meeting was chaired by Zarar Hasham Khan, Secretary of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, at the USF headquarters on Sunday.

Among the approved initiatives are two large-scale Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) projects targeting the districts of Sanghar and Jhang. These projects, worth over Rs5.65 billion, will deploy 940 kilometres of fibre optic cable, connecting 113 towns and union councils and providing fixed broadband access to approximately 2.8 million people.

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In addition, five mobile broadband projects valued at Rs1.83 billion will extend 4G services to around 1,000 villages and settlements in Attock, Khushab, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Chiniot, Badin, and Abbottabad.

The 98th Board meeting of the Universal Service Fund - Pakistan (USF Co) was convened on June 19, 2025, under the chairmanship of Mr. Zarrar Hasham Khan, Secretary IT & Telecommunication, with CEO Universal Service Fund Chaudhry Mudassar Naveed, Member Telecom Mr. Muhammad… pic.twitter.com/v6l4J76paG

— Universal Service Fund- Pakistan (@USF_Pak) June 29, 2025

USF Chairman Zarar Hasham Khan highlighted the Fund’s role in reshaping the country’s digital infrastructure under the leadership of Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. He noted that USF has already connected over 37 million people and is contributing to the growth of freelancing and entrepreneurship in remote areas.

The contracts for all seven projects were awarded to the lowest bidders through a competitive procurement process. The USF emphasized its commitment to not only initiating new projects but also ensuring timely completion of ongoing efforts to strengthen digital inclusion across Pakistan.