Poor telecom services affect our lives: Paktika people

SHARANA (Pajhwok): Residents of southeastern Paktika province complain about poor telecommunication services in the province, saying the situation has affected their lives.

They say half of the 24 districts of the province are without telecom coverage while there are poor voice and internet services in the remaining half.

Hekmatullah, a resident of Sharana, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the telecommunication system in the province was so weak that he had to change his location or climb hills to find access to the service.

He said that whenever he activated an internet package, his mobile credit  was deducted but the service did not work properly.

"The services of telecom companies in Paktika are equal to zero efficiency, in addition to that, many districts in the province are without telecom coverage since the last two decades, the government should pay attention to that,” he said.

Haji Ghulam Mohammad, a tribal elder from Terwa district, located around 200 kilometers from Sharana, said that people of the district faced great trouble when making phone contacts and they have been ignored for years.

"Before other things,the first need is to install telecommunication towers in the district, because people can't easily get information about their relatives living abroad,” he said.

He says some residents of remote districts use satellite phones for talking with their friends because they had no local services for communication while some others travel for hours to move to a city for sending their message.

He called on the government to take necessary steps to address the telecommunication problems in the province.

A number of other residents of the province held similar views and asked the government to take action on the regard.

Mulavi Mohammad Anwar Qeyam, Paktika telecommunications and information technology director, told Pajhwok that they surveyed the province and found 12 districts without telecom service.

The districts which have no telecom services include Gayan, Omna, Dila, Khoshamand, Warmami and parts of Arghon district, he said, adding that they are working to install telecom towers in the mentioned areas.

"These 12 districts are in our plan which, will be covered by telecom services this year God willing. We monthly meet officials of telecom companies and we share our reports and surveys with them…,” he said.

Roshan, Etisalat, MTN, Afghan Wireless and Salaam telecom companies are currently active in Paktika province.

mds/ma