KABUL, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has signed a contract with state-owned Afghan Telecom for the construction of 52 telecommunications towers in border and remote regions, the ministry announced on Tuesday.
Valued at more than 6.45 million U.S. dollars, the project will focus on frontier districts in northern Badakhshan and eastern Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktia and Khost provinces, according to the ministry's statement.
Officials described the initiative as a strategic step to expand network coverage and close persistent connectivity gaps in underserved areas.
The expansion comes as Afghanistan reports approximately 32 million active SIM cards and around 17 million internet subscribers, of whom nearly 10 million use 4G services.
The agreement builds on an earlier contract to install 31 telecommunications towers across 13 border zones in southern Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, and eastern Paktika provinces, underscoring the government's broader push to advance digital infrastructure nationwide. ■
