Cable to link US and China

A new fibre-optic telecommunications channel is to be laid across the Pacific Ocean to link China and the US, reports the China Daily.

Work has started on the cable, which is due to be finished in July 2008. Once installed, it will provide 60 times more capacity than the cables currently in place. Dubbed the Trans-Pacific Express, the cable will cover 18,000 kilometers, running from the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao to the west coast of America at Nedonna Beach, Oregon. The route of the cable is being laid so that if there is an earthquake, service will not be disrupted.

Among those invested in the cable are Verizon, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Korea Telecom and Chunghwa Telecom. The cable will cost $500 million. Approximately 62 million phone calls will be able to be simultaneously carried by the cable, which will be able to support internet expansion as well.