¡¡ A 1,100-kilometer optical fiber cable designed to improve telecommunications in China's Tibet Autonomous Region has been put on line recently.

¡¡ The 110-million-yuan cable links Lhasa, Tibet's capital, with Nyingchi and Qamdo counties, which are located in mountainous areas, and is the second long-distance optical fiber cable on the Tibet Plateau. The first section runs from Lhasa to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province.

¡¡ It provides high-capacity picture transmission and tele- conference services for nine counties in eastern Tibet and for Bangda Airport, the world's highest airport, according to Zeng Zhongyi, head of the regional Post and Telecommunications Bureau.

¡¡ Tibet plans to connect all cities and prefectures by optical fiber cable by 2003 and to connect all counties by 2005, Zeng said. (Xinhua)