From: BBC SWB

Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing,

The Tibet Autonomous Region is to introduce digital microwave telecommunications equipment from SRT Company of Italy to upgrade its telephone facilities in the rural areas, Xinhua news agency reported. The region has recently obtained a Canadian government loan totalling 7.5m US dollars, which will be used to provide telephones in 35.2 per cent of the townships in the region. According to the regional government, Tibet will invest a total of 155m yuan to build 25 rural telecommunications systems for 25 counties and 327 townships. By the end of this century, 50 per cent of the townships in the region are expected to have telephones.