CPEC project: Rawalpindi-Khunjerab fiber optic cable by 2018

The 820-kilometer long Pakistan-China fiber optic cable project from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab is expected to be completed by June 2018 at a cost of $44 million. After completion, it would add a digital component to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The project is being built by the Special Communication Organisation (SCO) in collaboration with China’s Huawei, Senior SCO Project Manager Muhammad Adil said. “The Pakistan-China optic fiber cable project will be beneficial for [establishing] a strategic link between both Pakistan and China,” Adil said.

One of the aims of the project is to establish a safe route for voice-traffic between the two countries, he added. The foundation stone for the cable was laid in May this year. Adil said that around 18.2km portion of the fiber optic cable would pass through federal capital, 466km from G-B, 280km from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and 47km from Punjab.

The Express Tribune