The China Telecom branch in Xinjiang's Altay prefecture has made remarkable progress in increasing mobile network coverage and broadband availability in Hemu village, Burqin county.

From 2015 to 2020, the annual growth rate in the number of mobile broadband users in Hemu was 6.45 percent. Households with broadband access grew by an average rate of 10.77 percent each year during the same period, according to the branch.

The Alatay branch said it will launch a poverty-alleviation effort by constructing a reliable information network for residents of impoverished villages in the prefecture from 47 ethnic groups.

Because of the long cold winter in Alatay, work on the network can only take place in a four-months window each year, which requires the construction teams to improve their efficiency. They also have to overcome various difficulties to carry out their work in areas of varied topography and temperature.