Cell Phone Use On The Rise In Afganistan

It seems that the world is getting a little bit smaller everyday, even for people that live in Afganistan.

Amirzai Sangin, the country’s communications minister, recently announced that approximately 150,000 citizens subscribe to cellular phone services. He also predicted that the telecommunications sector would “be the engine of growth for Afghanistan.”

Although it considered a developing nation, cellular companies have been doing strong business in the region.

“In Afghanistan, the majority of our people will be connected through mobile phones,” Sangin told The Associated Press. “… We have gone straight into the age of personal communication.”

Calling rates are currently about 10 cents a minute, with the cheapest phone cards on sale for the equivalent of $1. Coverage is generally available in all the country’s 34 provinces.

Currently, the IT and telecommunications industry employs around 50,000 people, and roughly 12 percent of Afghanistan’s 25 million people have cell phones.