Cross-Straits undersea cable expected by year-end

An undersea cable will link the Chinese mainland and Taiwan for the first time, increasing the speed of information exchange by up to 10 times, China Telecom said yesterday.

Preparation work has been finished for the construction of the first cross-Straits undersea telecommunications cable project linking the mainland's Xiamen city and Taiwan's outlying Kinmen island, known as Jinmen on the mainland.

After its approval and construction, the undersea cable could be put into operation as early as the end of this year.