The Process of Pulling Fiber Optic Cable

Pakistan’s communication authorities have been pushing for the timely completion of deployment of fiber optic cables in Balochistan Province. 4500 kilometers of fiber optic cables have been laid so far. The members of the sub-committee under the Senate standing committee for IT and Telecommunications, responsible for overseeing the implementation of communication infrastructure in Pakistan told they are happy with the progress of deployment of fiber optic cables in Balochistan province. Pakistan government has laid out extensive plans to connect its south-west region in an attempt to connect it effectively with the rest of the country, which is essential for national integrity as well.

Balochistan is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the southwestern region of the country having it’s provincial capital and largest city Quetta. Balochistan shares borders with Punjab and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the northeast, Sindh to the southeast, the Arabian Sea to the south, Iran to the west, and Afghanistan to the north. Balochistan is noted for its unique culture and extremely dry desert climate. Recently the province has been in news headlines for separatist movements that Pakistan claims to have been supported by secret service agencies from India.

Balochistan is largely underdeveloped, but the provincial economy is dominated by natural resources, especially its natural gas fields, which supply the entire country. Gwadar Port, where the Chinese funded multimillion economic corridor will end also plays a significant role in the economic development of the province. Fiber optic cables have been deployed along the corridor to provide communication access and control to Chinese authorities.

The members of the Sub-Committee expressed satisfaction over the deployment of 4500 km long fiber optic Networks in the Province of Balochistan but asked the concerned departments to start development of the remaining 1100 km of fiber optic cables to complete the project without delay.

The delay in the project was attributed to the unrest in the region. Some factions have been protesting against the government at the center and have been demanding freedom from Pakistan. The committee asked the Law Enforcement Agencies to ensure cooperation for deploying the remaining fiber optic cables in the region. The project should cover 5600 km of fiber optic cables in the province.