China Telecom, a leading telecommunications provider in China, has launched a broadband network project in Ningxia, investing a total of 5 billion yuan (US$793.54 million).

According to an agreement signed by China Telecom and the Ningxia government, the broadband Internet service, including 3G mobile networks, wired fiber-optic broadband networks and wireless local area networks (WLANs), is expected to cover the entire Ningxia region by 2015.

The company’s Ningxia branch will focus on the construction of fiber-optic Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), IP backbone networks and Internet Data Centers (IDCs), and provides fiber-optic access solution to urban communities.

It is estimated that by the end of this year, China Telecom’s fiber-optic access service will cover at least 300,000 families in Ningxia.