The Second Part Of TDF Project Officially Inaugurated

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is responsible for provision of telecom services throughout the country.  Based on the Afghanistan Telecom market economic requirements, MCIT had forecasted that development of telecom services would be started from big cities and would be developed to the rural areas of the country step by step. It should be mentioned that the telecom companies include the Telecom services in the rural and remote areas in the end of their extension list for telecom networks due to logistics issues, security situation, and expensive cost of investment and receipt of less income related to provision of telecom services in the rural areas.

MCIT there fore established Telecom Development Fund (TDF) to cover the rural and remote areas of the country with telecom services on time. Based on terms and conditions of the issued licenses to the telecom companies, each company pays 2, 5% of its net revenue to the mentioned fund quarterly, and about 2 billion Afghani has been collected for this fund so far.


Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory (ATRA) of MCIT prepared and finalized universal access policies for telecom services and procedures for usage of the (TDF) amount for rural areas in 2008. Of course, they have been prepared for achieving implementation plan of universal access projects and they are implemented step by step on the basis of universal access plan and projects.


ATRA signed contract of 20 BTS towers of the first project of universal access with AWCC for provision of telecom services in the rural areas of twenty districts of the Nooristan, Badakhshan, Zabel, Paktia and Daikundi provinces in 29th July 2009 after completion of bidding process.


 Based on the last report of AWCC, sent to this department in respect with 20 BTS towers of the first project of universal access, it shows that on the basis of mentioned project contract, AWCC has covered the following districts so far and Telecom services are available for the related areas inhabitants:

1- Kety district of Daikundi province covered with telecom services in 20 November, 2009.
2- Ashtarly district of Diakundi province covered with telecom services in 3 June, 2009.
3- Wama district of Nooristan province covered with telecom services in 10 January, 2009.
4- Khader district of Daikundi province covered with telecom services in 29 January, 2009.
Beside that the AWCC company has installed and activated the Telecom services in the Yamgan district of the Badukhshan province which is related to the 2nd RTD Project contract that has been signed with AWCC on 28th Jan 2010.


At least, Telecom services have been made available for 25000 people in 5 abovementioned districts by the constriction of the established sites. The installed Telecom systems in the mentioned sites are extendable. Therefore, capability of the established networks will be improved step by step if needed. Voice and Internet services opportunity has been made accessible to subscribers by establishment of the mentioned sites.