Results on the Ground

The World Bank International Development Agency (IDA) Emergency Communications Development Project and Afghanistan Rehabilitation Trust Fund (ARTF) Telecommunications Project has significantly contributed towards supporting the development of the country’s telecom sector.

In 2006, the number of telephones in Afghanistan increased to 2.16 million and all provinces are now connected to a national telecommunications network. Mobile phone prices have dropped from about US$400 in 2002 to less than US$50 today, and calling costs have fallen from $2/min to $0.10/min. The telecom sector has attracted over US$300 million in private investments, which is 60 percent of all foreign direct investment in Afghanistan. (Read More)

Resources on Afghanistan and Telecommunication

• - Feature Story – Afghanistan Telecommunications Project
• - Afghanistan in Brief
• - Data and Statistics on Afghanistan
• - Poverty at a glance in Afghanistan
• - Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

More Numbers from “Data of the Week”

• 275 million rural poor in India depend on forest as part of their livelihood.
• 10% of rural households in Sri Lanka have access to tap water.
• 1.25 million hectares of land had been left completely barren due to sodification in Uttar Pradesh, India.
• 14% is the number of births attended by skilled health staff in Afghanistan.