KATHMANDU?- Nepal Telecom (NT), Nepal's state-owned telecom company, and China Telecom Global have signed an agreement on providing internet protocol service between the two countries through cross-border Terrestrial Cable Route, the NT said.

Geelong Port (Kerung) of China will be used as the route for providing the internet service. The two companies signed the agreement in China's Hong Kong on Tuesday, the Nepalese company said in a press statement on Wednesday.

The agreement was signed after the two countries were connected with optical fiber through the Geelong (Keyrong)- Rasuwagadhi border point in June, ending Nepal's sole dependence on India for connecting the Himalayan country with global telecom and internet services.

"As the two countries have now been connected through terrestrial cable route, it will help Nepal to connect with telecom service providers of other countries too," the NT said, adding "it is an alternative for Nepal for international connectivity after the existing connectivity through Indian territory."

According to NT, with the latest agreement, access to internet service through the route of China has been possible. As of now, Nepal has access to internet service only through Indian route. Currently, Nepal Telecom has been connected with various Indian telecom service providers through bordering southern towns -- Bhairahawa, Birgunj and Biratnagar.

After the connectivity was established through optical fiber, Nepal now can be directly linked with China's Hong Kong Data Center, which is one of the two biggest global date centers in Asia, through the Chinese mainland.