Rural Development in
Pakistan Through
Multipurpose Community
Telecenters
Khalid Mahmood
University of the Punjab
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Pakistan: Some Facts
 Area: 796,095 sq. km. (Second largest in
South Asia)
 Admn Division: 4 provinces, FATA
 Population: 149 million
 Literacy: 48%
 Per capita GNP: US$ 492
 Poverty: 33% pop. below poverty line
Rural Pakistan
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Over 50,000 villages
Population: 61% of total
Literacy: 37% (in women 10%)
Occupation: Agriculture (24% of GDP employs
48% of total work force)
 Problems
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Poor living standard
Poor education
Poor health
Lack of clean drinking water
Improper sanitation
Poor communication
Telecommunication
Infrastructure
 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), set up in
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1996, as regulatory authority
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd. (PTCL) –
Main service provider – Showed impressive growth in last
5 years – record profit last year
5 million fixed phone lines
3,000 exchanges
Teledensity: 2.87%
National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) with
72,000 lines
Special Communications Organization (SCO) with 92,000
lines
Many private organizations set up public call offices
Cellular phone
 Started in 2000
 4 operators
 3 million connections
 Penetration rate 1.4%
 PTA has issued licenses to 2 more operators
 Number will surpass fixed lines by end
2004
 Potential demand of 25 million by 2018
Rural telephony
 2.4% villages have access
 Teledensity 0.77%
 PTA’s top priority area
 PTCL plans to connect 50% villages by end
2004
 WLL technology will be used
 New connection fee reduced for rural area
Computers
 PCs are rapidly spreading
 700,000 PCs
 Increasing at 100,000 per year
 25% urban schools have PCs
 5% rural schools have PCs
Internet
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Started in 1996
200+ ISPs
1700+ cities and towns covered
3 million users
Access charges reduced drastically
Available for remote areas on local call charges
Thousands Cyber Cafés
90% use Net for communication and
entertainment
IT policy 2000
 Compulsory computer literacy in high
schools
 Internet in educational institutions
 Promotion of WLL technology in rural areas
 Encourage telecom operator in rural areas
 Encourage IT in rural development,
education, health, e-government
Cable TV
 Rapidly growing industry
 9 million TV
 2 million cable TV
 900+ cable TV licensed operators
Public libraries
 300+ public libraries
 All in big cities and towns
 Not in good condition
 No library in villages
 Rural area people use school/religious
school libraries, personal libraries, private
subscription libraries, mosque libraries,
shrine libraries
Community based information
system
 New concept in Pakistan
 Sustainable Development Networking Program
(SNDP) of IUCN set up 3 Cyber Community
Centers (CCCs) in 2001 in remote areas
 In cooperation with local NGOs
 With limited staff
 Offer Internet surfing, e-mail, online chatting,
computer training
 On payment
Lessons learnt from CCCs
 Lack of awareness
 Less use
 Very limited effects
 No women users
 Technical problems
 Not financially sustainable
Future plans – PTCL
 PTCL planning to set up tele-info-centers in rural
areas
 Proposed services include national/international
PCO, fax, Internet, email, voice mail, word
processing, document printing, document
scanning, computer hands-on training,
photocopying and multi-media on payment
 Existing 444 telegraph offices should be used
Future plans in northern areas
 International Development Research Center
(IDRC), International Center for Integrated
Mountain Research (ICIMOD) and the
Commission on Science and Technology for
Sustainable Development in the South
(COMSATS) are planning to set up Internet
Service Center in Gilgit and Skardu
 First phase – an ISP – is complete
Challenges to ICTs in rural
Pakistan
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Low literacy
Lack of awareness about ICTs
Affordability of ICTs
Absence of local content on Web
Interrupted power supply (only 58% villages have
facility)
 Failed experiments of MCTs in other developing
countries
 Lack of political will (priority to other basic
facilities)
Opportunities for ICTs
 Only way to help poor villagers
 Awareness at government level
 Promotion of distance education
 New local government system –
decentralized decision making
 Promotion of WLL technology
A Model for ICTs – We propose
Policy formulation
 At federal government level
 Key role for Ministry of Information Technology
 National Task Force with representatives from
– Ministry of Education
– Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development
– Pakistan Library Association
– Telecom operators in private sector
– National and international NGOs
Model – Planning
 Pilot project
 Views of concerned govt. departments and
NGOs
 Community needs assessment
Model – Management
 Franchised model
 Local advisory committee
 Govt. departments provide subsidy
– Building by local govt.
– Funds for lib. material by local govt.
– Training, technical support and coordination by
National Task Force
– Beginning equipment by NGOs
– Phone, fax and Internet by telecom operators
– Electricity by public electricity supply company
– Marketing by local schools
Model – Building, Equipment,
Technology
 May be set up in local government office, school,
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community center, post office, or any private house or
shop
2 rooms are needed
Hardware include 3 to 4 PCs, Laser printer, photocopier,
UPS, scanner, CD-writer, laminator, binder, telephone set,
facsimile, television, video cassette player and audio
cassette player
Software include office applications, Internet browser,
anti-virus programs, educational software, recreational
software, networking software, web page design and
multimedia software
WLL technology
Model – Services to offer
 Basic services in first phase
– Telephone sending and receiving fax messages; access
to computers; printing; scanning; photocopying; access
to Internet; sending, receiving and translating e-mail
messages; providing meeting space for small groups;
access to government forms and information; word
processing; training in computer use; binding; showing
videos; laminating; lending library materials and
providing reading room
 Advanced services in second phase
– Developing local databases; designing and maintaining
web pages; supporting distance education; tourist
information; tele-medicine; tele-trading; graphic design;
video or still camera hire; employment agency; and
online banking
Model – Targeted user groups
 Local government functionaries
 Teachers and students
 Health workers
 Farmers
 Small business entrepreneur
 Local NGOs
 Sports clubs
 General population
Model – Promotion
 Local advisory committee
 Local government functionaries
 Posters, leaflets and brochures
 Community meetings
 Opinion leaders
 Religious institutions
 Local school system
Model – Sustainability
 Most important issue
 Networking of MCTs
 Focus on local community needs
 Public-private partnership
THANK YOU