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Trans-Soviet Fiber-Optic Venture to Include US West

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From Reuters

The Soviet Union, US West Inc. and seven other telecommunications companies plan to form a venture to develop a fiber-optic line linking Japan, the Soviet Union and Europe, it was announced Thursday.

The 12,000-mile line would be the longest fiber-optic line in the world, crossing the Soviet Union and making undersea connections to Denmark, Italy and Japan, US West said.

The Englewood, Colo.-based communications company, a regional telephone company for much of the West, estimated that the project will take three to five years to complete once construction begins and will cost $500 million. US West said it hopes to begin construction in the second half of 1990.

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The line will serve growing demand for communications capacity between the Pacific Rim and Europe and provide long-distance connections between Soviet cities.

The Soviet Union’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications will participate in the venture, called Trans-Soviet Line Development Corp.

Other principals include Kokusai Denshin Denwa, Societa Finanziaria Telefonica of Italy, British Telecommunications PLC and Deutsche Bundespost Telekom and Australian and Danish firms.

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