Japanese Companies To Build High-Speed Cable In Burma

Three major Japanese companies announced on Tuesday that they have reached an agreement with the Burmese government to build an optical fiber-based telecommunications network linking Rangoon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw. The Japan Times reports that Sumitomo, NEC and NTT Communications will build a 30-gigabit-per-second network between the cities, as well as fiber-optic networks inside each city capable of transmitting data at 10 gigabits per second. A Japanese government grant of 1.71 billion yen (US $16.7 million) will be used to pay for the project, which is expected to be completed by November.