ISLAMABAD, May 11: A sophisticated Fibre Optic Network (FON) will be laid in Islamabad in the next fiscal to provide better internet and cable channel facilities to over 35,000 subscribers, official sources told Dawn here on Saturday.

The FON will be laid by some private company with the assistance of Capital Development Authority (CDA), the sources said.

“The project will be completed within one-year duration at an estimated cost of Rs. 1 million and no phone line will be required to use this facility.”

He said three firms had briefed the CDA chairman on Saturday about the feasibility of their plans in this connection.

Following the briefing, the CDA chairman has constituted a committee to scrutinize these plans. The committee, after scrutiny, will submit its report to the Capital Development Authority Board which would then award the contract to the best one among the three on the basis of the report.

After the laying of the FON, the subscribers in Islamabad will be provided with the facilities like high speed access to existing multimedia applications, downloads at millions of bits per second, unlimited internet and E-mail access, full range of corporate and VPN connectivity solutions, video conferencing, quick downloads of large database and graphic files and multiple E-mail addresses for multiple workstations.

A representative of one of the contesting firms claimed that people would have the facility to watch 80 to 100 TV channels.

The clients will have to pay about Rs350 per month for having fibre optic cable facility.