The telecom sector of conflict ridden Afghanistan has seen robust growth in the previous year with revenue crossing 190 million dollar, 30 million dollars more than in the year before.

This was revealed by Afghan Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Amirzai Sangin in an interview with a local news agency.

He said that the telecom sectors'' rapid growth across the country had contributed to soaring revenues. He attributed the growth to robust communication services industry and installation of fiber-optic network crises-crossing the country. 

The growth could be gauged from the fact that presently high-speed telecommunication cable network connects  most provinces of Afghanistan. The ambitious plan to lay fiber-optic cable country-wide kicked-off in 2007, spanning 3,300 kilometers, connecting Kabul with four provinces of the country. Although security risks hampered installation works in some parts of the country, but 80 percent work of the project was completed in two years, AIR reports. 

Telecom and Information Technology Minister said with the completion of the mega technology project, subscribers would enjoy cheaper rates for telephone calls, internet, television and radio services, with improved speed and quality as well.

Telecommunications is one of the sectors in which Afghanistan has made rapid progress during the last decade. Telecom services in Afghanistan are currently available in almost 85 per cent of the country and there are 18 million subscribers nationwide. Afghan government has planed to provide telecom services across the nation in the next two years. Internet connectivity in Afghanistan is also increasing phenomenally. Nearly eight percent telecom consumers are using internet services, and with the introduction of the 3G and WIMAX services, the figure is likely to swell to 50 percent very soon. Afghan government is also planning to install its own telecommunication satellite, which will further improve telecom services in the country, According to AIR.