Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) said on Tuesday that for the first time, a ceiling has been set on the charges of internet and phone calls across the country, and there has been a 40-50% reduction in costs.
ATRA spokesman said that previously 1GB data cost 250 afghanis, but now the price has been set at 110 afghanis.
“The rate of calls from one network to another is set at 2.2 Afghani per minute. Previously, calls were charged every sixty seconds, but now it has been reduced to 30 seconds. For example, if we call someone and talk for five or six seconds, it used to count as sixty seconds, but now it counts as 30 seconds.
“There has been a significant reduction in the price of the internet. The price of one GB of internet for telecommunication companies is set at 110 Afghanis and they cannot offer more than this,” said Jalal Shams, ATRA’s spokesman.
The authority said that telecommunication coverage has increased compared to the past and telecommunication services have been expanded in remote areas. Officials said that ATRA earned 1.2 billion Afghanis in the solar year 1401.
“The plan that ATRA is currently working on is quality improvement. The most important one is standard frequency. A standard frequency is given for telecommunication networks. Work on the distribution mechanism is ongoing. Currently, the frequency that telecommunication networks use for 4G is not the 4G frequency. They use 3G frequency for 4G, the reason why there is a problem with the quality,” Shams said.
Citizens also call on the government and telecommunications companies to improve the quality of services in addition to reducing the rates of internet services and telephone calls.
“We are satisfied with the government for reducing internet packages. But the demand of Afghan people from internet service providers is that the quality should be improved, because the quality is very low,” said Musawir Darwesh, a Kabul resident.
“Alhamdulillah, we are satisfied with the internet, but we don’t have the internet as we should have,” said Reshad Insan Dost, a Kabul resident.
There are currently five telecommunication companies operating in the country, and the Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) has the largest coverage in the country.
