Residents of several districts in Badakhshan province, especially those in border areas, report a lack of essential telecommunication and internet services. According to them, while security challenges against communication networks, previously posed by the Taliban, have been addressed, telecommunications issues persist due to the lack of support from local Taliban officials.
Sources in the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Badakhshan province state that approximately 80% of the residents in the districts of Kuf Ab, Yawan, Raghistan, Nusay, Wurduj, Khash, Darayim, Yumgan, Shekay, Argo, Kohistan, Tagab, Hazrat Sayed, Zebak, Wakhan, Ishkashim, and the Upper Darwaz region lack access to quality telecommunication services.
Some telecommunication networks in the capital of the country claim to have provided telecommunication services to all areas of Afghanistan. However, the lack of access for people in most parts of Badakhshan province indicates that telecommunication networks have shown little interest in investing in this region over the past twenty years due to Taliban threats.
Amidst the 27 districts of Badakhshan province, residents of the districts of Maimay, Khwahan, Shighnan, Wakhan, Kuf Ab, Shekay, Nusay, and Ishkashim, which share approximately a thousand kilometers of border with Tajikistan, are utilizing Tajik telecommunication networks due to the absence of domestic communication networks.
The “Salaam” telecommunications network is the sole government-owned company in these districts. However, due to the subpar quality of telecommunications and internet services provided by this network, most residents in these areas refrain from using the services offered by this company.
Rohullah Yemgani, a resident of the Yemgan district in Badakhshan, informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that establishing contact through Salaam’s SIM cards has posed challenges for them. He added, “Our call and internet consumption is very high, and our people are struggling with telecommunication issues. We urge Taliban officials to address our telecommunication problems.”
This resident of Badakhshan states that the Salaam telecommunications network exists in the central areas of the border districts but is not functioning properly.
He states, “In the central areas of the districts of Kuran Wa Munjan, the Salaam telecommunications network exists, but even when we go near the base, establishing a call becomes problematic, and the signal is feeble. There are approximately 800 families in the Manjan Valley, and there is no telecommunication network there.”
Ebrahim, a resident of the Kuran Wa Munjan district of Badakhshan province, says that telecommunication services in this district are so poor that making a call is extremely difficult. According to him, in some areas, there are no telecommunication or internet services, and about 800 families in the Manjan Valley resort to using the Salaam network on horseback near the base to make phone calls.
This resident of the Kuran Wa Munjan district calls on the officials of the Taliban Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Badakhshan province to address the situation of telecommunication services in this district.
Abdul Nasser, the Head of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Technology for the Taliban in Badakhshan province, also states that residents of more than 20 districts in this province are deprived of quality telecommunication services.
The Taliban’s Head of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Badakhshan adds that the lack of expansion of telecommunication networks has caused significant issues for the people of this province. He stated, “We have received the report of the challenges people face, and we have conveyed the issues to the authorities in Kabul the capital. Officials at the ministry have promised urgent attention to the issues facing the people of Badakhshan.”
The low quality of telecommunications services in the country has consistently been a subject of criticism. In the past, citizens launched protest campaigns with the hashtag “Where is ATRA?” to address this situation. Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority or ATRA is the regulatory body for telecommunications services in Afghanistan.
This agency was an independent entity in the previous government, but under the Taliban regime, it has been merged with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology.
