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Afghan Telecom and Roshan Jointly Announce the Signing of the Agreement to Utilize National Optical Fiber Backbone Ring Network in Afghanistan

Posted on: Monday, 6 July 2009, 08:36 CDT

KABUL, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Afghan Telecom (AT) Afghanistan's first long distance domestic private leased circuit (DPLC) and international private leased circuit (IPLC) provider through Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), today announced a significant agreement with Roshan to sell the transmission capacity of its National OFC Backbone Ring Network. The OFC, constructed by AT, will complement Roshan's existing infrastructure, enabling Roshan to ensure the redundancy of its network and provide additional capacity for its growing number of subscribers. AT and Roshan intend to expand the areas of their partnership in the coming months as the OFC is extended throughout Afghanistan and connected to any part of the world through its international connectivity to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and AT commenced the construction of the OFC Backbone Project in April 2007. When completed, the OFC will revolutionize telecommunications services in Afghanistan, bringing high speed and high capacity telephony, internet and video services to cover 68 cities in 17 provinces of the country. The OFC project will not only improve telecommunications infrastructure in Afghanistan with provision of world class high speed voice and Internet services to rural areas, but will also generate significant direct and indirect employment in the country.

"This is an important milestone for the development of Afghanistan and the telecommunications industry. We are extremely pleased that Roshan is the first GSM operator to be entering into a commercial partnership with Afghan Telecom for fiber capacity," said His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

Roshan is the first GSM operator in Afghanistan to utilize the OFC. The OFC will enable Roshan to better serve its growing subscriber base, which today includes 3.5 million subscribers across Afghanistan's 34 provinces. AT under its social obligation will ensure that OFC capacity and bandwidth is also available to other companies and organizations operating in Afghanistan.

"We declared our interest in, and support for, the OFC project over four years ago and we are proud to be able to express our long term commitment to Afghanistan by being Afghan Telecom's first major anchor tenant. We believe that this project can have a significant impact on the information and telecommunications sector in Afghanistan, ensuring the availability of competitively priced capacity and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the industry. We look forward to strengthening our relationship and cooperation with AT in the years to come," said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer, Roshan.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and approximately 3.5 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,100 people and provides indirect employment to more than 25,000 people. Since its inception 5 years ago, Roshan has invested almost US $400 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

About Afghan Telecom

• Afghan Telecom (AT) is the first company in Afghanistan under Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to implement a nationwide OFC network project with international connectivity. The OFC project is designed to construct a fiber optic backbone linking the main road system in the country and cover the main ring from Kabul - Kandahar - Herat - Mazar - Kabul. Other major cities like Kunduz, Ghazni, Pul-e-Khumri and Charikar are already connected.
• OFC project will also benefits various ministries, universities, Internet Service Providers, GSM operators, the Afghan National Army, the Ministry of Interior, ISAF, Banks, and NGOs for efficient e-governance, e-Commerce, distance learning, etc.
• Afghan Telecom signed agreements with telecom operators in neighboring countries and many international carriers to cater high capacity IPLC requirements on the OFC of Afghanistan to any part of the globe.

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SOURCE Roshan

Source: PR Newswire

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