Smart University project proceeding well, HEC clarifies.

ISLAMABAD -- The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has rejected the allegations contained in a news item entitled 'HEC project to equip varsities with WiFi yet to be completed', as being based on false and misleading information. The HEC Smart University project is proceeding well ahead of its schedule and within its approved budget. It is one of the fastest executed programmes in the Asia Pacific region. Any allegation to the contrary is completely false and without foundation. The project was approved in 2015, at a total cost of Rs. 2.4 billion. There is no change in the contract cost since then. Work on the project started in 2016, and is scheduled to be completed in eight years, i.e. 2024. The allocation is to be spent in eight years, and not in the first two or three years of the project. However, the main deployment of the equipment (Phase-I of the project) will be completed in 2019. It is fully on schedule and all targets will be met.

The aim of the project is to equip university campuses with blanket WiFi coverage, in order to enable the deployment of other smart instruments as needed. The project has provided a suite of important services to thousands of students and faculty members across the country. This includes blanket wifi coverage, student authentication, guest WiFi portals for visitors, and eduroam (a secure...