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Pakistan-China Fiber Optic Project

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The Pakistan-China Fiber Optic Project is an 820 kilometer long optical fiber cable laid down between the Khunjerab Pass on the China-Pakistan border and the city of Rawalpindi. It has been constructed as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor at an estimated cost of $44 million.[1] Groundbreaking on the project took place on 19 May 2016, in the city of Gilgit.[2] The line was first envisaged in 2009,[3] with Pakistan and China signing an agreement in 2013 to implement the project.[4] However the project was not implemented until being included as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Placement of the line will take an estimated 2 years, and will bring 3G and 4G connectivity to the Gilgit-Baltistan region.[5]

The line will connect the Transit Europe-Asia Terrestrial Cable Network with that of Pakistan,[6] which currently transmits its telecom and internet traffic through four undersea fiber optic cables, with another three undersea fiber optic cables under construction.[7]

466.54 kilometers of the route will be located in Gilgit-Baltistan, while 287.66 kilometers will be laid in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 47.56 kilometers will be in Punjab province, and 18.2 kilometers in Islamabad Capital Territory.[8] which will be extended to Gwadar.[9][10]

The project is financed by the Exim Bank of China at a concessionary interest rate of 2%, versus the 1.6% typical of other CPEC infrastructure projects.[11]

The project has been completed and inaugurated in July 2018.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "India Snubbed: Pak-China Initiate CPEC Project in Gilgit-Baltistan". The Quint. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  2. ^ "PM inaugurates Pakistan-China Fiber Optic project". The News. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  3. ^ Khan, Mehwish (19 May 2016). "Pakistan To Deploy Fiber Optic Cable to Connect with China". ProPakistani. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  4. ^ "PM performs groundbreaking of Pak-China optic fiber project". Dunya News. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. ^ "India Snubbed: Pak-China Initiate CPEC Project in Gilgit-Baltistan". The Quint. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  6. ^ "PM performs groundbreaking of Pak-China optic fiber project". Dunya News. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Pakistan to Get $44 Million Fiber Optic Back Haul to Link with China". ProPakistani. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Pakistan to Get $44 Million Fiber Optic Back Haul to Link with China". ProPakistani. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Optic fibre cable connecting Pakistan, China to be inaugurated today". The Express Tribune. 13 July 2018.
  10. ^ "China builds Digital Silk Road in Pakistan to Africa and Europe". asia.nikkei.com. NIKKEI Asia. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ^ Naveed Butt (3 September 2015). "Economic corridor: China to extend assistance at 1.6 percent interest rate". Business Recorder. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Pak-China fibre optic cable to start functioning by year-end". The Express Tribune. 15 September 2018.
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