ISLAMABAD: The national exchequer has earned Rs160 billion through six transparent auctions of telecom spectrums and the amount is expected to reach Rs200bn soon, Minister of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday.

The government is estimating another Rs50bn from the auction of telecommunication spectrum, Mr Dar said while speaking at the signing ceremony between Universal Service Fund (USF) and the Ministry of Science and Technology for laying optic fiber at Awaran and Lasbela.

With diligence and transparency mechanism, there has been multi-fold increase in the earnings, he added.

The contract for the project – given to Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone) – is worth Rs2.3bn and will provide mobile broadband internet and 3G services to the unserved areas consisting of 269 mauzas in Balochistan, with a population of about 196,166 covering an area of 39,434 sq ft.

Mr Dar said the government was determined to promote digitalisation all across the country for increasing outreach and access of financial services to people for sustainable development.

The government is also working for technical and financial inclusion to provide better services to people all across the country, he said.

The finance minister reiterated the government’s resolve to provide internet and mobile access across the country, he said.

Even remote areas would also be covered in the network to promote digitalisation, Mr Dar added.

Villages with a population of just 100 people would also be covered under the network even though it is not financially viable, but providing these services and facilities to the common people is the duty of the state, he added.

Mr Dar said the government is focusing on build infrastructure and developing telecommunication, highways and railways to ensure proper connectivity.

For the sake of better connectivity, the government kick started Multan-Sukkur project despite the fact that it was not financially viable, he said

The minister said that international institutions are predicting that Pakistan would become the eighteenth biggest economy by 2050.

The challenge to the nation is to materialise this goal in a half time as has been done in case of macro-economic stability, which was predicted by the economic experts in six years but the present government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif achieved in just two and half years.

Mr Dar said the merger of all stock exchanges into Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in January 2016 has been bearing fruits as it has been declared fifth fastest performing exchanges now.

It was not an easy job which was pending till last 15 years but the present government did it, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2017