Trans-Soviet Fiber-Optic Venture to Include US West

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.

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.