Nepal's first information technology (IT) highway, stretching almost the 1,200-km length of the East-West Highway, has opened. Officially dubbed the East West Telecom Information Super Highway, the optical fibre network ends Nepal's dependence on communications satellites and will cut the rate for domestic and international phone calls by almost half, said Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sugat Kansakar at the inauguration Monday. It will also make phone connections affordable in rural areas yet to see a telephone, he added. The project was financed mainly by India, which budgeted Rs 745 million but saved Rs 100 million by delivering the IT highway a year ahead of schedule. Nepal Telecom invested Rs 400 million. The network also prepares the ground for telemedicine, e-banking and other e-commerce. A North South IT highway is also on the cards, to be built with Chinese assistance.