By Aitizaz Hassan ISLAMABAD, March 04 (INP-WealthPk): The Pak-China Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) Project is connecting China and Pakistan through the terrestrial links. The project will attract international entrepreneurs in telecom sector. The linkage with China will provide an improved way of communication through the landline internet service. According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) annual report, the Special Communication Organization (SCO) – a public sector organization working under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication – has connected Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) with the OFC. It also connects AJK and GB with the rest of the country and China. The project has been completed recently under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) program. The SCO has deployed approximately 1,092 kilometers of OFC from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab, and Karimabad to Khunjerab to establish the first-ever land-based connection with China. The total length of OFC laid across AJK and GB, inclusive of the Pak-China OFC, is 5,252 kilometers. The SCO is consistently increasing its OFC, which grew by 2.4% during FY 2021. [caption id="attachment_64499" align="aligncenter" width="696"] PTA: Annual Report 2021[/caption] Wahaj us Siraj, CEO and co-founder of Nayatel, told WealthPk that the land cable connection with China will provide an alternative internet route to Pakistan and diversify the means of communication. “Suppose, if there is a disruption in the sea cable, Pakistan will consume the substitute connection from a different route in shape of land connection,” he added. Wahaj said it was indeed a positive move by the SCO because by this Pakistan will enjoy access to international network via China. “It will be a breakthrough in telecommunication because China’s internal internet users are in millions, and currently it is a global hub of internet users”. He said optical fiber cable was usually used where two countries were landlocked. Pakistan is already connected with Afghanistan through the terrestrial cable and with China through the CPEC. He said the terrestrial cable was inexpensive compared to the sea fiber cable. “Although the sea cable is a more reliable connection, you can improve the reliability factor of land cable by improving its redundancy”. As per the annual report, the SCO initiated the Pak-China OFC project in 2018. This is the first-ever land-based telecommunication connection between China and Pakistan. The project has multidimensional avenues for future Information Communication and Technology (ICT) developments in CPEC trade corridor in Pakistan. Under Phase-I, the SCO has deployed 992 kilometers of OFC from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab and has established the first-ever direct telecom connectivity with China. [caption id="attachment_64498" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Source: SCO overview[/caption] The link is operational and currently carrying traffic from China to Europe and from China to Pakistan for China Mobile International-Zong connectivity. Meanwhile, negotiations are underway with the Chinese operators for higher volumes of traffic for different international destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Phase-II of the project encompasses planned extension of OFC network from Rawalpindi to Karachi and Gwadar. The PTA annual report said the prime minister of Pakistan performed the soft launch of the project in Gilgit on April 30, 2021. This phase will also see SCO deploying OFC from Rawalpindi to Gwadar and Karachi along the CPEC routes, along with 37.9 billion, of which 15% has been appropriated for local component and 85% for foreign exchange component (FEC). The project will create a national ICT infrastructure, thereby reducing reliance on foreign infrastructure. It will additionally provide regional connectivity between China and neighboring Afghanistan and Iran, thereby making Pakistan the hub of regional connectivity. Moreover, the project forges broad strategic and socio-economic dimensions in addition to the synergy created by meeting the ICT requirements of Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority (NHA) through unified networks.