Afghan Telecom is a telecom company offering fixed line, wireless voice and data services under a 25 year license in Afghanistan. The company was previously government owned and operated until 2005 when the Afghan Ministry of Communications spun it off into a private entity. In 2008, investors are being sought for an 80% stake of the company. The government will retain 20%, and the investment payment will go to the general budget of the government of Afghanistan.[1]
AfTel has roughly 1,000 employees in 34 provincial capitals and 254 district centers and villages. It offers traditional wire-line telephones and internet access in the major cities, a third generation CDMA-based wireless local loop telephony, WIMAX and fiber based high-speed internet services, based on state-of-the-art switching, wireless access and satellite equipment[2].