Observer Report Islamabad
As part of the broader Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is set to lay the final stretch of a cross-border fiber optic cable in Pakistan that will create the Digital Silk Road, serving the geostrategic interests of both countries, Nikkei Asia reported.
The fiber cable will link to the Pakistan East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) submarine cable in the Arabian Sea, to service countries participating in BRI, and Europe.
The PEACE cable will provide the shortest direct internet route between participating countries and drastically reduce the time taken to transfer internet data.
The report stated that the cable is currently being laid between Rawalpindi and the port cities of Karachi and Gwadar. “The $240-million project, which is in partnership with China’s Huawei Technologies, was approved by the government last week,” it added. The laying of sea cable in the country’s territorial waters will begin in March, following government’s approval this month to construct an Arabian Sea landing station in Karachi. “The Mediterranean section of the cable is already being laid, and runs from Egypt to France.
