QUETTA, May 19: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced on Monday that mobile telephone facilities would soon be introduced in rural areas of the country to provide maximum communication facilities to the people.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of U-Fone service here, he said the government was working on a project to introduce wireless loop technology to provide most modern communication facilities in the country. “There will be no need of wire in that system,” he said.

He said the Balochistan province consisted of 46 per cent of the total land of the country and, therefore, it deserved a special attention for development as it was without modern communication facilities.

He asked authorities concerned to pay maximum attention to provide modern telecommunication facilities in the province.

Mr Jamali said the province had a vital role to play in the region and the next few years were very crucial in this connection.

He said that with the construction of the Gwadar Deep Seaport there would be tremendous pressure on communication facilities as the people would come to the area from abroad. He said in that situation there would be a great need for modern communication facilities.

He urged officials of Pakistan Telecommunication Company and other sectors concerned to prepare themselves for meeting requirements of the future.

The prime minister, while appreciating efforts and achievements of the PTCL in the field of mobile telephone service, expressed the hope that the standard set by the PTCL in this field would be maintained.

He further hoped that the U-Fone service would not be restricted to Quetta only and it would soon be expanded to other areas of the province.