ISLAMABAD, Sept 4 – Pakistan Railways has formalized a significant partnership with China’s Sunwalk Ltd. to establish a comprehensive optical fiber cable network along the Main Line-1 (ML-1), spanning from Karachi to Peshawar.
As per a recent announcement, Sunwalk Ltd. has already made an advance payment of Rs205.60 million to begin the deployment. Additionally, a local Pakistani firm has been granted the same rights, contributing Rs130 million in advance for the project. Both agreements are initially set for three years, with an option for extension.
Amir Ali Baloch, CEO of Pakistan Railways, represented the railway authority in signing the agreement.
This development follows an earlier statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology, revealing Sunwalk's plan to invest up to $2 billion over the next decade, aiming to install a fiber optic network covering 100,000 kilometers. Sunwalk has secured a Telecommunication Infrastructure Provider (TIP) licence and has already committed $5 million to the project.