China Telecom Group is helping the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps of the country's westernmost Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to access the information highway over the next few years.

Under a framework agreement on all-round cooperation signed on September 21, the national telecommunications giant is expected to build a special high-speed broadband information network for the corps. The agreement also covers other major information projects regarding urban areas and villages under the administration of the corps.

China Telecom, which has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, will also help the corps to work on plans for the development of information networks, the information technology industry, and training programs. The two sides will jointly set up a telecommunications service company to build and operate information networks for the corps.

The production and construction corps, which was founded in 1954, comprises 14 divisions (also known as "reclamation zones"), 174 regiments (also called "agriculture and livestock farms"), and more than 4,390 large and small enterprises. It has a total of over 2.45 million people.