The Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) said Wednesday that the country's power utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, also known as DABS, aims to supply Afghan telecom companies with the use of fiber optics.

According to ATRA, the process of issuing the license for DABS to implement this is in the final stages.

Officials at ATRA say DABS has already made the use of fiber optic cable free for Afghan Telecom, but the company needs a license to lease its optical fiber to other telecommunications companies.

“ATRA wants to pave the way for such network extensions, thereby improving the quality and price of the Internet in the marketplace. Soon they (DABS) will get their license,” said Atta Mohammad Yari, an adviser at ATRA.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) says that for about three years now, the Afghan state-owned company Afghan Telecom has been using DABS's fiber optics where they (Afghan Telecom) do not have fiber optics, and, likewise, DABS uses Afghan Telecom's fiber optics when in areas where it does not have its own. 

“The lower the consumption, the lower the Internet rate. Every time we go to the ground to transfer fiber optic wires, it costs more than to transfer the fiber onto the power towers,” said Ahmad Samad Hamed Poya, an adviser for the MCIT.

IT experts believe that DABS 's fiber optic supply to telecommunications companies could have a positive impact on the price and quality of Internet services.

“DABS has had a great deal of experience with Afghan Telecom in recent years and can now gain more market share in the Internet sector by providing opportunities for private telecommunications companies' access to this fiber optic,” said Gada Mohammad Khurasani, expert.

The Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) says that DABS has transferred power wires to its routes for its own needs and to monitor the wires and power towers on the same routes that the fiber optic cables have been transferred.