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94,000 phone lines to be digitalised by 2001

KARACHI: Some 94,000 analogue telephone lines in Sindh, Telephone Region-III will be digitalised by the year 2001.

Nafis Siddiqui, General Manager STR-III, told APP on Tuesday that 20,000 analogue telephone lines in Gulshan-e-Iqbal alone would be digitalised after June this year whereas 10,000 lines each in PECHS and Pak Capital exchanges have already been made digitalised.

He said remaining 54,000 analogue lines would be made digitalised gradually till 2001. These include 20,000 lines of New Karachi, 10,000 lines of Nazimabad, 1,000 lines of Memon Goth and 20,000 lines of Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

GM STR-III said that telephone lines in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Shah Latif Town and Malir Cantt, were already digitalised.

Meanwhile expansion of telephone network in some parts of STR-III including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Gulzar-e-Hijri has been planned to provide telephone lines in areas which have grown "dry".

Nafis Siddiqui said that some 3,168 applications for new connections were pending in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, 1,290 in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and 2,411 in Gulzar-e-Hijri.

Cases for laying of network in these areas have been referred to Development Region for planning and execution purposes.

He said additional 10,000 lines in Gulistan-e-Jauhar would become functional by July this year after which the pending applicants would be given connections.

However, residents of block-10 along Rashid Minhas Road and of Block 13-D/2 of Gulshan-e-Iqbal will have to wait for at least six months to get a connection.

In Gulzar-e-Hijri STR-III would be able to provide new connections such as 2,000 lines switch was under testing at present and network was under execution. APP