Pakistan adding USF broadband connections

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 21 (UPI) -- Pakistan expects to add 1.5 million broadband connections over the next two years under its Universal Service Fund program.

IT Minister Awais Khan Leghari said over the weekend that he had asked government regulators to monitor the USF program to ensure that Internet speeds in Pakistan remain high.

The USF program is being used primarily to expand Internet and telephone service to rural areas.

Leghari also said in an interview that the government was counting on the private sector to play a major role in developing IT education and training a skilled workforce to support Pakistan's high-tech sector, the Gulf Times reported.