Tech Shout!

China and Nepal have gotten into a significant pact that will connect the two countries via a modern optical super-highway link that will enable the closed-in Himalayan nation located in South Asia, to access the world with Chinese help, Xinhua news agency reported.

The execution deal of the optical fibre cable project from Kathmandu to Khasa in China was signed in Kathmandu, Nepalese capital on Sunday.

Two state-owned enterprises, China International Telecommunication Construction Corporation and Nepal Telecom signed the agreement.

Secretary of Ministry of Information and Communication of Nepal, Shankar Koirala said, “This link could be used as a transit point between India and China as well.”

Under the agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation struck between China and Nepal inked in December, 2003 and Exchange Letters signed between the two governments in August, 2004, China had approved of helping the “Kathmandu-Khasa Optical Fibre Cable Laying Project” at the request of Nepal, the report said.

As the 125-km super-highway completes, the project will make it possible for Nepal to stay connected with the rest of the world through China.

The project is slated to kick off in November this year and shall most probably be completed by mid-2008.