China helps African countries eliminate digital divide: white paper

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China is helping African countries eliminate the digital divide, said a white paper released Friday.

Chinese companies have participated in a number of submarine cable projects connecting Africa and Europe, Asia, and the Americas, according to a white paper titled "China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals."

They have cooperated with major African operators in achieving full basic coverage of telecommunications services in Africa, as well as built more than half of the continent's wireless sites and high-speed mobile broadband networks.

In total, more than 200,000 km of optical fiber has been laid, giving broadband internet access to 6 million households, and serving more than 900 million local people, it said.