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Right: Rakaposhi, 7,788 metres
Picture courtesy of COMSATS

In October 1999, Internet connectivity arrived in the remote, mountainous region of Gilgit, Northern Pakistan. The voices below come from users of the Gilgit Point of Presence (POP) Internet Service.

" We are grateful to COMSATS that it has solved our most wanted demand. We were particularly hard hit due to the poor communication and now the Internet facility has made easier our international linkages and will help to promote Tourism in Northern Areas [of Pakistan]." Mr. Ikram M. Beg, Adventure Centre Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd.

"... the Internet also gives us the option to transmit digital images of difficult eye cases to many of our ophthalmic sub specialists around the world. We have [a] digital camera. COMSATS essentially gives Gilgit access to some of the best eye doctors in the world." Mr. James Ryan MD, Gilgit Eye Hospital

"This is [the] second largest development, after KKH (Karakoram Highway) in the Northern Pakistan. It is true, that this facility will help improve education, health and economy." Mr. Khalid Nadeem, Aga Khan Cultural Service

"This project - ultimately a private, profitable company - will provide farmers in the Northern Areas [of Pakistan] with environmentally friendly cash crops that are twice the value of their other alternative cash crops. So this is largely possible due to Internet email access. Without it our company would need to drastically restructure." Mr. Tom Brown

Read on to find out more about the project.

In October, 1999 Internet connectivity arrived in the remote, rural, mountainous region of Northern Pakistan. There are now over 115 subscribers to the Gilgit Internet service, where at the same time, telephone calls remain both unreliable and expensive. This endeavor was achieved through the combined efforts of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Research (ICIMOD), Nepal and the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), Pakistan.

Funded by a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), ICIMOD and COMSATS teamed up in January 1999 to initiate a joint project entitled "Pilot Project for Providing Internet Services in Northern Areas of Pakistan". This 24-month project has the objective of establishing Internet connectivity in Northern Pakistan, while investigating the technical, cultural, organizational and regulatory challenges of providing Internet services in this remote setting. The project focuses on the use of Internet services by the local population, local government, and locally operating non-governmental and international organizations.

The Gilgit Internet Service remains the only initiative in Pakistan providing connectivity to rural areas of the country. COMSATS, having previous experience running Internet Services in six major cities in Pakistan, operates and manages the Internet service in the Gilgit region, while ICIMOD offers project administration services. Trained local staff operate the VSAT link between the Gilgit Internet Service and the COMSATS service in Islamabad.

The Gilgit Internet Service aims to serve over 1,000 Internet users. The local region will benefit from the training services offered by the soon to be established Public Internet Centre at Gilgit. The Public Internet Centre will also offer Internet facilities to local businesses, and low-cost access to individuals who cannot afford to purchase computers for home or office use. It is expected that the Gilgit Internet Service will contribute an enabling tool to enhance the educational, training, skills building and socioeconomic activities in the local region.

The wider goal of this pilot project includes investigating and developing skills required for establishing a sustainable public Internet service in regions with poor quality or non-existent telecommunications infrastructure. It is hoped that the lessons learned from the Gilgit Internet Service will provide valuable tools for adaptation in other remote regions of the world.

Despite it's successful operation, the Gilgit Internet Service still faces the challenges of overcoming telecommunications infrastructure and electricity related problems. As users and services continue to increase, it is expected that the Internet Service should be able to obtain a sustainable operational base.

Under the Universal Internet Access plan, soon to be announced by the Government of Pakistan, telecom operators will carry telephone calls to the nearest Internet POP at the cost of a local call (un-metered). COMSATS is pursuing SCO, the local telco, to provide dial up access to the whole of Northern Areas including Skardu, etc., to connect to the Gilgit POP Internet Service under this new scheme.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Hameed Ahmed Khan
Executive Director, COMSATS
Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail: drskhan@comsats.net.pk

Mr. Atif Mumtaz
Senior Assistant Director Systems
COMSATS Internet
Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail: atifm@comsats.net.pk

Mr. Naveed Tawab
Assistant Director of Internet Services, COMSATS
Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail: ntawab@comsats.net.pk

Mr. Javed Arshad Khan
Assistant Director Marketing
COMSATS Internet
Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: jakhan@comsats.net.pk

2001-02-02

News 47 of 50