PTCL is investing $40 million to construct a new submarine fibre cable linking Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The $500 million link is to be invested in jointly by PTCL and 12 other international telecom companies. Work on the project is going on and it is due to be completed by September 2005. The cable network would connect 12 countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy and France.