Sumitomo Corp. and two of its business allies said Tuesday they have concluded a contract with the Myanmar government to build an optical fiber-based telecommunications network to link the country's three major cities.

Under the contract's terms, Sumitomo, NEC Corp. and NTT Communications Corp. will build a core high-speed network capable of transmitting data at 30 gigabits per second linking the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw via the Web.

The trio will also lay down fiber-optic networks inside each of the three cities to transmit voice and other data at a speed of 10 gigabits per second.

The networks will also provide such services as long-term evolution high-speed wireless communications, fixed-line phones and Internet connections.

The companies will take advantage of a ¥1.71 billion grant that the government pledged to provide to Myanmar in late December, they said.

They envision completing construction of all necessary facilities by the end of November and providing operational support between December and mid-January to enable Myanmar people to utilize the new facilities.