Insecurity hinders telecom development: Sangin

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MCIT) on Sunday said the bilateral security agreement (BSA) with the US would help overcome insecurity that continued to pose a big challenge to bringing about improvement in the telecom sector.

MCIT Minister Eng Amirzai Sangin told a news conference in Kabul signing the BSA could help ensure security for expanding telecom services in the country.

He said the security deal would bring stability in the security situation that would allow the telecommunication sector to further flourish, otherwise the gains so far achieved could go in waste.

Washington has been pressing President Karzai to sign the agreement promptly to allow foreign forces a legal stay in Afghanistan for the next decade.

But Karzai says his conditions including reviving the stalled peace talks with the Taliban and end to raids on Afghan homes should be met before he signs the deal.

Talking about challenges facing the telecommunication sector, Sangin said they had been facing big obstacles in implementing their projects in the southern region.

He said a project that took a year or so to be completed in northern provinces, the same could not be completed in five years in southern provinces.

He said much of areas in the north enjoyed almost 100 percent telephone services, but many areas in the south, particularly remote parts, remained deprived of the services due to insecurity.

mds/ma

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