(Yicai Global) July 16 --  Telecom giant Huawei has laid the first ever overland optical fiber cable between China and Pakistan, which marks a major development in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk inaugurated the Pak-China Optical Fiber Cable project on Friday, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported, adding that commercial operation is expected to start within this year.

The Shenzhen-based phone hardware firm functions as the contractor while Pakistan's public bureau Special Communication Organization and China Telecom will jointly operate the cable. The Export-Import Bank of China granted the initiative an 85 percent concessional loan with the total funding rising to USD44 million.

The project will improve Pakistan's telecommunication infrastructure and facilitate the communication connectivity between the two countries, as well as the entire region.

The 820-kilometer-long cable starts from Rawalpindi near Islamabad and goes to northern Khunjerab Pass, linking up with such cord in China.

Editor: Emmi Laine