17 million people to benefit from China Pakistan Fiber Optic Project

17 million people to benefit from China Pakistan Fiber Optic Project (CFOP).

Both countries noted this as a major project of digital connectivity between China and Pakistan.

17 million people to benefit

For the first time fiber optic cable has become operational between the two countries.

The two countries consider this as the backbone of digital connectivity.

Besides, they consider it important for the information technology exchange between China and Pakistan.

According to China Economic Net (CEN) report on Saturday, the digital connectivity technology of China can now help China transfer it to Pakistan through fiber optics.

Notably, transformation of industrial revolution in the age of information and artificial intelligence has converged the whole world at the finger tips.

In a rapidly changing arena, Pakistan has to keep pace with this ongoing revolution to reap the benefits through ensuring ample and seamless global connectivity.

In order to improve the international connectivity, special communication organization conceived an optical fiber cable link with china.

Their plan aims to provide an alternate route for national communication as well as international traffic.

850 km of underground and Ariel optical fiber cable

The project included laying of 850 km of underground and Ariel optical fiber cable from Rawalpindi to khunjerab ultimately linking with China.

High capacity microwave links support the system as backup.

Thus the stage set to execute one of the most challenging and unique telecommunications and information technologies projects in the highest mountain ranges of the world.

Otherwise, many problems existed due to extreme weather conditions, frequent landslides, limited deployment corridors with glaciated mountains, continuous water channels and negotiating large number of bridges and tunnels..

Moreover, the work executed in most professional manner with multiple tiers of supervision and management and execution levels.

To address the problems of limited deployment corridors, they imported specialized machinery to avoid damage for recently constructed roads.

Official sources confirmed completion of the work on optical fiber cable deployment through the planned route along with the installation of high-end capacity microwave transmission equipment.

They completed it in a record time of two years against the projected timeline of 3 years.

Broad socio economic dimensions

Besides this strategic significance, the project has broad socio economic dimensions as well, with its key role in support of other schemes being implemented under the ambit of CPEC, the optical fiber cabling has great importance for international transit traffic.

Due to low latency, the project with such broad socio economic and technological dimensions is excepted to be a game changer by transforming trade corridor into digital corridor.

The Pak-China fiber optic cable is to be laid along three main routes of CPEC, including railway tracks. The project aims at enabling another high-speed international connection and caters to the rapidly growing Internet traffic needs of both countries.

CPFOP project will help improve the telecom and ICT industry of Pakistan, promote tourism and create trading opportunities for northern areas of the country.

It will also provide the ICT infrastructure for 3G/4G services in the northern areas and enhance communication security with an alternative fiber route.

The CPFOP is one of the core projects, which will deliver safe route of voice traffic between both countries. CPFOP is greatly beneficial in terms of enhanced security and revenue generation.

An alternative route for international telecom traffic

Currently, Pakistan’s international connectivity is via submarine cables.

However, CPFOP will provide an alternative route for international telecom traffic and also assist in achieving the rapidly growing internet traffic demand in Pakistan.

AS per estimate, 17 million people will get benefit from this project.

The new network will remain beneficial to Pakistan because it would improve internet penetration and increase speed, especially in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

These regions witness internet connectivity range from poor to non-existent.

Furthermoremor, it should also reduce the cost of internet connections.

17 million people to benefit

GTV