SCO Requests PTA for LDI Licence to Operate on CPEC

The Special Communications Organisation (SCO) has requested Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to provide the Long Distance International (LDI) licence as a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

SCO Requests PTA for LDI Licence to Operate on CPEC

Presently, SCO LDI license is limited to Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), due to which it cannot work in other areas of the country. The organisation is requesting that LDI license may be approved, in view of its role on CPEC and to achieve full business potential.

Sources have confirmed that the plea is at stake with PTA, furthermore SCO will have to pay $0.5 million as fee if it gets the sanction for the license.

Pakistan and China are working on fibre-optic cable from the Chinese border to Rawalpindi. This $44 million fibre optic cable is being placed between Pakistan and China and it will turn into another high-speed international connection to gratify the speedily increasing internet traffic needs of Pakistan.

China has released $11.24 million for building of cross-border optical fibre (OFC) system between China and Pakistan for international connectivity of voice or data traffic under the CPEC, according to the Economic Affairs Division.

After completion of the project the fibre optic cable will offer Pakistan with a direct telecom access to China, Central Asian states and from there to the Europe and to and from the United States. The optic fibre will be placed between Rawalpindi and Khunjrab and the assignment of the project has been given to SCO.

Officials informed that this project will be really beneficial for Pakistan in terms of enhanced security and revenue from the state of the art optic fibre project between Pakistan and China, which will be commenced by Huawei.

At present Pakistan is linked with the world through four undersea fibre optic cables, while another four are under construction and will be functioning within the next few years.