ISLAMABAD, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The first ever land-based cross border optical fiber project between China and Pakistan was inaugurated Friday, a significant digital achievement under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The project, signed in April 2007 between Pakistan's Special Communication Organization and China Telecom, was approved in 2010.

The 820-km underground cable starts from Rawalpindi and ends at Khunjerab bordering China and connects with optical fiber in the Chinese side.

Pakistani interim Prime Minster Nasir-ul-Mulk said in the inauguration ceremony that the connection of both countries' communication facilities will improve Pakistan's telecommunication infrastructure, push forward the development of its communication technology and facilitate the communication connectivity between the two countries and the entire region.