VZCZCXRO4273
OO RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #3166 2801241
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071241Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1996
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7973

UNCLAS KABUL 003166 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EEB/CIP, S/SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/RA, SCA/A 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: ECPS EINV PGOV AF
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ISAF PLAN TO PROVIDE CELLULAR TELEPHONE SERVICE 
FROM FORWARD OPERATING BASES IN AFGHANISTAN 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Embassy and ISAF are working together to 
provide cellular telephone services from Forward Operating Bases 
(FOBs) located in RC-South and RC-East.  In RC-East, commercial 
providers will have the opportunity to build towers on or near FOBs 
under a pilot program.  In RC-South, ISAF plans to contract an 
American provider to construct a separate towers-on-wheels network 
that will provide service to Afghan and U.S. Government officials as 
well as PRT personnel.  The RC-South plan, pending COMISAF approval, 
will allow private telecommunications companies to provide 
commercial service through the towers.  End summary. 
 
RC-East: Commercial Towers on U.S. FOBs 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) ISAF has offered to allow Roshan, Afghanistan's largest 
telecom company, to build a pilot tower on or near FOB Paktika by 
the end of 2009.  ISAF chose Paktika for its lack of cellular 
coverage, the provincial government's engagement on this issue and 
the tenuous local security situation.  Under the proposed pilot, 
ISAF would provide residual security and Roshan would pay all other 
costs for the tower's construction and upkeep. 
 
¶3. (SBU) After a two-month trial period, Roshan and ISAF will 
evaluate whether the tower's presence on the FOB results in 
increased threats to Roshan's personnel and infrastructure.  Post 
will provide logistical support to Roshan's survey team and 
interface with the Paktika governor.  If the pilot program is 
successful, ISAF and Roshan will consider further sites in RC-East. 
While Roshan has expressed interest in initial, exclusive use of new 
sites, Post will coordinate with ISAF to propose similar pilot 
programs to other providers to ensure competitive access to the 
FOBs.  If the pilot is successful, the program may expand to FOBs 
throughout Afghanistan. 
 
RC-South: Towers-on-Wheels 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Attackers have destroyed dozens of cellular towers in the 
south during 2009 to pressure cellular providers to turn off their 
towers overnight.  This challenging security situation requires a 
different approach from the one applied in the more stable RC-East. 
In this RC, ISAF plans to establish a secure government wireless 
network managed under the auspices of government-owned Afghan 
Telecom.  The network would be primarily dedicated to emergency 
response and as a command and control system for Afghan government 
and military and security personnel.  Due to Department of Defense 
funding restrictions, ISAF will not own the towers, but will lease 
them from a vendor on a one-year basis with a renewal option.  This 
contractor (most likely a U.S. company) will provide maintenance and 
technical support and its staff will live and work on selected FOBs. 
 Because of the technological and logistical complexities involved, 
U.S. military planners believe only a U.S. company will be able to 
provide these services under Afghan Telecom's name.  This service 
should help to increase government legitimacy in the eyes of the 
local population. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Commercial cellular providers, as well as television and 
radio networks, would be able to rent space on the towers from the 
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) for 
their equipment, thereby providing commercial services to the 
surrounding population.  (Note: USFOR-A is seeking a legal opinion 
on this possibility.  End note) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Since ISAF will only support the towers-on-wheels as long 
as coalition forces need them, a handover plan is crucial for the 
program's sustainability.  Post is exploring different funding 
options to purchase the towers and donate them to the Afghan 
Government and/or local communities when ISAF no longer needs them. 
We estimate the buyout cost at $4 to $5 million, depending on the 
number of towers.  This figure does not include maintenance 
expenses, which would increase the cost significantly. 
 
¶7. (SBU) ISAF is conducting a detailed assessment and cost analysis, 
which it plans to complete by the end of October.  COMISAF is 
expected to approve the proposal by the end of November, followed by 
a tender process and transport of the towers.  The towers could be 
operational in RC-South in the spring of 2010.  We are not yet 
certain of the number of towers to be installed because COMISAF has 
not yet approved the initiative and its budget. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Post and ISAF plan to meet jointly with Minister of 
Communication and Information Technology Sangin to discuss relevant 
details of this plan. 
 
EIKENBERRY