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KATHMANDU, (AFP) - India said Friday it will fund an 18 million-dollar telecommunications network to bring better and cheaper service to isolated Nepal.

New Delhi will provide complete funding for a 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) optical fibre cable to be built within two years near the Indian border.

"The project will boost the capabilities of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation as well as private cellular, basic and value-added service providers to expand their network and introduce the latest services," the Indian embassy said in a statement.

The project is being undertaken by the public-sector Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd.

The Indian offer came after China expressed interest in investing in Nepal's telecommunications sector, according to sources at the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation.

India has long assisted its smaller neighbour in telecommunications.

Nepal's first optical fibre cable link was set up between the border town of Birjunj and Raxaul in India, which provides the landlocked kingdom its closest access to railways heading to the sea.

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