Editing Telecommunications in China

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{for multi|Hong Kong|Communications in Hong Kong|Macau|Telecommunications in Macau|the Republic of China|Telecommunications in Taiwan}}
{{Update|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
The [[People's Republic of China]] possesses a diversified [[communications]] system that links all parts of the country by Internet, telephone, telegraph, radio, and television. The country is served by an extensive system of automatic [[telephone exchange]]s connected by modern networks of [[Optical fiber|fiber-optic]] cable, [[coaxial cable]], [[microwave radio relay]], and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes [[roaming]] service to foreign countries. [[Fiber to the x]] infrastructure has been expanded rapidly in recent years.

==History==
{{History of science and technology in China}}
[[Chinese telegraph code|Telegraphy entered China]] in 1871 when a newly laid cable between Shanghai and Hong Kong linked Qing-era China to the British-dominated international telegraph system.<ref name=":Mullaney">{{Cite book |last=Mullaney |first=Thomas S. |title=The Chinese Computer: a Global History of the Information Age |date=2024 |publisher=[[The MIT Press]] |isbn=9780262047517 |location=Cambridge, MA}}</ref>{{Rp|page=36}}

When the People's Republic was founded in 1949, the [[telecommunications system]]s and facilities in China first established by the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] and [[Republic of China|Republican]] [[Imperial Chinese Telegraph Administration|ITA]] and [[Ministry of Posts and Communications]] had been seriously damaged from over thirty years of on and off war between [[Warlord Era|warlords]], [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Japan]], and the two sides of the [[Chinese Civil War]]. What little remained was largely outdated and rudimentary and limited to the eastern coastal cities, the [[Nanjing]]-[[Shanghai]] region, and a few interior cities. In the 1950s existing facilities were repaired, and, with [[Sino-Soviet relations|Soviet assistance]], considerable progress was made toward establishing a [[long-distance calling|long-distance]] [[telephone wire]] network connecting Beijing to provincial-level capitals.

Communications in China were established rapidly in the early 1950s. By 1952 the principal telecommunications network centered on [[Beijing]], and links to all large cities had finally been established. Work quickly got under way to repair, renovate and expand the system, and from 1956 telecommunications routes were extended more rapidly. To increase the efficiency of the [[communications system]], the same lines were used for both [[telegraphic]] and [[telephone]] service, while [[Teleprinter|Teletype]] and [[television]] ([[broadcasting]]) services were also added.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In addition, conference telephone service was initiated, radio communications were improved, and the production of telecommunications equipment was accelerated. Growth in telecommunications halted with the general economic collapse after the [[Great Leap Forward]] (1958–1960) but revived in the 1960s after the telephone network was expanded and improved equipment was introduced, including imports of Western plants and equipment.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In the years immediately following 1949, telecommunications – by telegraph or telephone – mainly used [[wire]]; by the 1970s, however, [[radio]] telecommunications equipment were increasingly used and began to replace wire lines. [[Microwave]] and [[satellite]] transmissions were soon introduced and have now become common. (China launched its first television-broadcast satellite in 1986.) In 1956 the first automatic speed Teletype was installed on the Beijing-[[Lhasa (prefecture-level city)|Lhasa]] line. By 1964 such machines had been installed in most of China's major cities. Radio-television service also was installed in major cities, and radio teleprinters became widely used.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio (收音机) |url=https://maoeraobjects.ac.uk/object-biographies/radio/#:~:text=By%201964%2C%20this%20infrastructure%2Dbuilding%20project%20had%20yielded,pole%20in%20a%20heavily%20frequented%20public%20place. |website=The Mao Era in Objects |access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref>

Telecommunications networks expanded significantly as a result of the [[Third Front (China)|Third Front]] campaign to develop basic industry in national defense industry in China's rugged interior in case of invasion by the Soviet Union or the United States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Meyskens |first=Covell F. |url= |title=Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China |date=2020 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-78478-8 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |doi=10.1017/9781108784788 |oclc=1145096137 |s2cid=218936313}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=4, 219}} Production of radios within the Third Front regions rose by 11,668%.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=219}}

An important component of the [[fourth five-year plan of China|Fourth Five-Year Plan]] (1971–1975) was a major development program for the telecommunications system. The program allotted top priority to scarce [[electronics]] and [[construction]] resources and dramatically improved all aspects of China's telecommunications capabilities.

[[Microwave radio]] relay lines and buried cable lines were constructed to create a network of [[wideband]] carrier trunk lines, which covered the entire country. China was linked to the international telecommunications network by the installation of [[communications satellite]] ground stations and the construction of [[coaxial]] cables linking [[Guangdong]] Province with [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]]. Provincial-level units and municipalities rapidly expanded local telephone and wire broadcasting networks. Expansion and modernization of the telecommunications system continued throughout the late-1970s and early 1980s, giving particular emphasis to the production of radio and television sets and expanded broadcasting capabilities.

By 1987, China possessed a diversified telecommunications system that linked all parts of the country by telephone, telegraph, radio, and television. None of the telecommunications forms were as prevalent or as advanced as those in modern [[Western countries]], but the system included some of the most sophisticated technology in the world and constituted a foundation for further development of a modern network.

Overall, China's telecommunications services improved enormously during the 1980s, and, the pace of telecommunications growth and technology upgrading increased even more rapidly after 1990, especially as [[Optical fiber|fiber-optic]] systems and digital technology were installed. After 1997, China's telecommunications services were enhanced further with the acquisition of [[Communications in Hong Kong|Hong Kong]]'s highly advanced systems. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, foreign investment in the country's telecommunications sector further encouraged growth. Notable has been the tremendous increase in Internet and cellular phone usage. China became the world leader in the early 21st century, in terms of number of cell phone subscribers. The nation ranks first in the world in numbers of both mobile and fixed-line telephones, and first in the number of internet users.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

China is the largest user of largest Voice calling over the Internet or Voice over Internet Protocol ([[VoIP]]) services with 51 million [[TOM Online|Tom]]-[[Skype]] users as of November 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.interfax.cn/displayarticle.asp?aid=29836&slug=CHINA-IT-INTERNET |title=Interfax-China |access-date=17 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123175520/http://www.interfax.cn/displayarticle.asp?aid=29836&slug=CHINA-IT-INTERNET |archive-date=23 November 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History of telecommunications services==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
In 1987 the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (now the [[Ministry of Information Industry]]) administered China's telecommunications systems and related research and production facilities. Besides [[mail|postal service]]s, some of which were handled by electronic means, the ministry was involved in a wide spectrum of telephone, wire, telegraph, and international communications (see [[Postage stamps and postal history of the People's Republic of China]]). The Ministry of Radio and Television was established as a separate entity in 1982 to administer and upgrade the status of television and radio broadcasting. Subordinate to this ministry were the Central People's Broadcasting Station, Radio Beijing, and China Central Television. Additionally, the various broadcasting training, talent-search, research, publishing, and manufacturing organizations were brought under the control of the Ministry of Radio and Television. In 1986 responsibility for the movie industry was transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the new Ministry of Radio, Cinema, and Television.

As of 1987 the quality of telecommunications services in China had improved markedly over earlier years. A considerable influx of foreign technology and increased domestic production capabilities had a major impact in the post-Mao period.

[[Image:China Shenzhen phonebooth.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Phone booth, [[Luohu District]], Shenzhen]]

The primary form of telecommunications in the 1980s was local and long-distance telephone service administered by six regional bureaus: Beijing (north region), Shanghai (east region), [[Xi'an]] (northwest region), [[Chengdu]] (southwest region), [[Wuhan]] (centralsouth region), and [[Shenyang]] (northeast region). These regional headquarters served as [[Telephone exchange|switching]] centers for provincial-level subsystems. By 1986 China had nearly 3 million telephone exchange lines, including 34,000 long-distance exchange lines with direct, automatic service to 24 cities. By late 1986 [[fiber optic]] communications technology was being employed to relieve the strain on existing telephone circuits. International service was routed through overseas exchanges located in Beijing and Shanghai. Guangdong Province had coaxial cable and microwave lines linking it to Hong Kong and Macau.

The large, continuously upgraded satellite ground stations, originally installed in 1972 to provide live coverage of the visits to China by U.S. president [[Richard M. Nixon]] and Japanese prime minister [[Kakuei Tanaka]], still served as the base for China's international satellite communications network in the mid-1980s. By 1977 China had joined Intelsat and, using ground stations in Beijing and Shanghai, had linked up with satellites over the [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] and [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] oceans.

In April 1984 China launched an experimental [[communications satellite]] for trial transmission of broadcasts, [[telegram]]s, [[telephone call]]s, and [[facsimile machine|facsimile]], probably to remote areas of the country. In February 1986 China launched its first fully operational telecommunications and broadcast satellite. The quality and communications capacity of the second satellite reportedly was much greater than the first. In mid-1987 both satellites were still functioning. With these satellites in place China's domestic satellite communication network went into operation, facilitating television and radio transmissions and providing [[direct-dial]] longdistance telephone, telegraph, and facsimile service. The network had ground stations in Beijing, [[Urumqi]], [[Hohhot]], Lhasa, and [[Guangzhou]], which also were linked to an [[Intelsat]] satellite over the Indian Ocean.

Telegraph development received lower priority than the telephone network largely because of the difficulties involved in transmitting the [[written Chinese]] language. [[Computer technology]] gradually alleviated these problems and facilitated further growth in this area. By 1983 China had nearly 10,000 telegraph cables and [[telex]] lines transmitting over 170 million messages annually. Most telegrams were transmitted by cables or by shortwave radio. Cutmicrowave transmission also was used. Teletype transmission was used for messages at the international level, but some 40 percent of county and municipal telegrams were transmitted by [[Morse code]].

Apart from traditional telegraph and telephone services, China also had facsimile, low-speed data-transmission, and computer-controlled telecommunications services. These included on-line information retrieval terminals in Beijing, [[Changsha]], and [[Baotou]] that enabled international telecommunications networks to retrieve news and scientific, technical, economic, and cultural information from international sources.

High-speed newspaper-page-facsimile equipment and [[Chinese character]] – code translation equipment were used on a large scale. Sixty-four-channel program-controlled automatic message retransmission equipment and low- or medium-speed data transmission and exchange equipment also received extensive use. International telex service was available in [[List of places on the coastline of the People's Republic of China|coastal cities]] and [[Special Economic Zones of the People's Republic of China|special economic zones]].

The Central People's Broadcasting Station controlled China's national radio network. Programming was administered by the provincial-level units. The station produced general news and cultural and educational programs. It also provided programs directed toward [[Taiwan]] and [[overseas Chinese]] listeners. [[Radio Beijing]] broadcast to the world in thirty-eight [[foreign language]]s, [[Standard Chinese|Standard Mandarin]], and a number of [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]], including [[Xiamen]], [[Cantonese]], and [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]. It also provided English-language news programs aimed at foreign residents in Beijing. Medium-wave, shortwave, and FM stations reached 80 percent of the country – over 160 radio stations and 500 relay and transmission stations – with some 240 radio programs.

The nationwide network of wire lines and loudspeakers transmitted radio programs into virtually all rural communities and many urban areas. By 1984 there were over 2,600 wired broadcasting stations, extending radio transmissions to rural areas outside the range of regular broadcasting stations.

In 1987 [[China Central Television]] (CCTV), the state network, managed China's television programs. In 1985 consumers purchased 15 million new sets, including approximately 4 million color sets. Production fell far short of demand. Because Chinese viewers often gathered in large groups to watch publicly owned sets, authorities estimated that two-thirds of the nation had access to television. In 1987 there were about 70 million television sets, an average of 29 sets per 100 families. CCTV had four channels that supplied programs to the over ninety television stations throughout the country. Construction began on a major new CCTV studio in Beijing in 1985. CCTV produced its own programs, a large portion of which were educational, and the Television University in Beijing produced three educational programs weekly. The English-language lesson was the most popular program and had an estimated 5 to 6 million viewers. Other programs included daily news, entertainment, teleplays, and special programs. Foreign programs included films and cartoons. Chinese viewers were particularly interested in watching international news, sports, and drama (see [[Culture of the People's Republic of China]]).

==Recent development==
The former telecoms regulator – the [[Ministry of Information Industry]] (MII) – reported in 2004 that China had 295 million subscribers to main telephone lines and 305 million cellular telephone subscribers, the highest numbers in both categories. Both categories showed substantial increases over the previous decade; in 1995 there were only 3.6 million cellular telephone subscribers and around 20 million main-line telephone subscribers. By 2003 there were 42 telephones per 100 population.

In 2004, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology began the Connecting Every Village Project to promote universal access to telecommunication and internet services in [[Rural society in China|rural China]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Shi |first=Song |title=China and the Internet: Using New Media for Development and Social Change |date=2023 |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |isbn=9781978834736 |location=New Brunswick, NJ}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=24-25}} The MIIT required that six state-owned companies, including the main telecommunications and internet providers [[China Mobile]], [[China Unicom]], and [[China Telecom]], build the communications infrastructure and assist in financing the project.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=25}} Beginning in late 2009, the program began building rural telecenters each of which had at least one telephone, computer, and internet connectivity.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=37-38}}By 2010, nearly  every administrative village was connected to phone networks.<ref name=":Liu">{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Lizhi |title=From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780691254104}}</ref>{{Rp|page=128}} Approximately 90,000 rural telecenters were built by 2011.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=38}} As of December 2019, 135 million rural households had used broadband internet.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=25}} The program successfully extended internet infrastructure throughout rural China and promoted development of the internet.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=25}}

Internet use soared in China from about 60,000 Internet users in 1995 to 22.5 million users in 2000; by 2005 the number had reached 103 million. Although this figure is well below the 159 million users in the United States and is fairly low per capita, it was second in the world and on a par with [[Japan]]'s 57 million users.

By June 2010, China had 420 million internet users. Incidentally, this is greater than the population of the US; however, penetration rate is still relatively low at just under 32%.<ref name="ChinaDaily">{{cite news | url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-07/15/content_10112957.htm | work=[[China Daily]] | title=China Internet population hits 420m | access-date=18 July 2010 | archive-date=19 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719012435/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-07/15/content_10112957.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> (See [[Internet in the People's Republic of China]].)

China's 2.7 million kilometers of [[Fiber-optic cable|optical fiber telecommunication cables]] by 2003 assisted greatly in the [[modernization]] process. China produces an increasing volume of televisions both for domestic use and export, which has helped to spread communications development. In 2001 China produced more than 46 million televisions and claimed 317 million sets in use. At the same time, there were 417 million radios in use in China, a rate of 342 per 1,000 population. However, many more are reached, especially in rural areas, via [[loudspeaker]] broadcasts of [[radio]] programs that bring transmissions to large numbers of radioless households.

98% of China's population was covered by a mobile phone network in 2011.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=148}} In March 2012, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that China has 1.01 billion mobile phone subscribers; of these, 144 million are connected to 3G networks.<ref name=engadgetmar2011>Donald Melanson, 30 March 2012, [https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/china-officially-tops-one-billion-mobile-subscribers/ China officially tops one billion mobile subscribers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223045222/https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/china-officially-tops-one-billion-mobile-subscribers/ |date=23 February 2020 }}, [[Engadget]]</ref><ref>2012-03-30, [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/30/content_14954435.htm China mobile phone users exceed 1 billion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101214345/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/30/content_14954435.htm |date=1 January 2017 }}, China Daily</ref><ref>30 March 2012, [https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jhpFZrHwD9qqSZ2pfh9WxJuDwE8A?docId=CNG.df05140bd848fd4930151160f19892b6.501 China's mobile phone subscriptions top a billion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619055145/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jhpFZrHwD9qqSZ2pfh9WxJuDwE8A?docId=CNG.df05140bd848fd4930151160f19892b6.501 |date=19 June 2012 }}, AFP</ref> At the same time, the number of landline phones dropped by 828,000 within the span of two months to a total of 284.3 million.<ref name=engadgetmar2011/>

As of at least 2023, China is the world's biggest mobile phone market.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Cheng |first=Wenting |title=China in Global Governance of Intellectual Property: Implications for Global Distributive Justice |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-3-031-24369-1 |series=Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies series}}</ref>{{Rp|page=119}}

==Regulation==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
The primary regulator of communications, in particular [[telecommunications]], in China is the [[Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China|Ministry of Industry and Information Technology]] (MIIT). It closely regulates all of the industries outlined below with the exception of the radio and television sectors, which belong to the remit of the [[State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television]].

Since 2014, the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] is responsible for setting policy and the regulatory framework for user content generated in online social activities on Internet portals.

==Sectors==
{{further|Telecommunications industry in China}}
===Telephone===
[[File:Map of the telephone area codes of the People's Republic of China.png|thumb|Telephone area codes]]
*Telephones – main lines in use: 284.3 million (March 2012)<ref name=engadgetmar2011/>
*Telephones – mobile cellular subscribers: 1.01 billion (March 2012)<ref name=engadgetmar2011/>
*Telephone country code: 86 (see ''[[Telephone numbers in China]]'')

China imported its first mobile phone telecommunication facilities in 1987 and it took a decade for the number of subscribers to reach 10 million. Four years later, in 2001, the country had the largest number of mobile phone subscribers in the world.

Domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use. But an unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns. China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 of China's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of an international consortium which, in December 2006, signed an agreement with [[Verizon Business]] to build the first next-generation optical cable system directly linking the [[United States]] and China.

In December 2005, its combined main lines and mobile lines exceeded 743 million.

By the end of August 2006, statistics from the Ministry of Information Industry showed that there were more than 437 million mobile phone users in the Chinese mainland, or 327 mobile phones per 1,000 population.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-02/09/content_6446261.htm| title = Chinadaily – English<!-- Bot generated title -->| access-date = 9 February 2008| archive-date = 10 February 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080210213912/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-02/09/content_6446261.htm| url-status = live}}</ref>

From January to August 2006, mobile phone users on the mainland sent 273.67 million [[Short message service|text messages]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/07/content_5172866.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121007165105/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/07/content_5172866.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 7 October 2012| title = Xinhua – English<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> Continuing as of at least 2023, fees for text messages and [[Multimedia Messaging Service|MMS]] in China are extremely low.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=148}}

Domestic interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Jeffrey |title=COMMUNICATIONS IN CHINA {{!}} Facts and Details |url=https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub44/entry-8306.html |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=factsanddetails.com |language=en |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329041655/https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub44/entry-8306.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations was{{when|date=July 2021}} in place.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

International satellite earth stations include 5 [[Intelsat]] (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 [[Intersputnik]] (Indian Ocean region) and 1 [[Inmarsat]] (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions).

Several international fiber-optic links include those to [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Russia]], and [[Germany]].{{cn|date=July 2021}}

Fixed and mobile operators in China include [[China Mobile]], [[China Netcom]], [[China TieTong Telecommunications Corporation|China TieTong]], [[China Satellite Communications|China Satcom]] (former), [[China Telecom]] and [[China Unicom]].

===Radio===
{{Excerpt|Radio in China}}

===Television===
{{Excerpt|Television in China}}

===Internet===
{{Excerpt|Internet in China|only=paragraph|paragraphs=1-2}}

==== Mobile phone web users ====
The affordability of mobile phones and internet data in China has resulted in the number of mobile internet users in China surpassing the number of computer internet users.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Parzyan |first=Anahit |url= |title=China and Eurasian Powers in a Multipolar World Order 2.0: Security, Diplomacy, Economy and Cyberspace |date=2023 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |others=Mher Sahakyan |isbn=978-1-003-35258-7 |edition= |location=New York |pages= |chapter=China's Digital Silk Road: Empowering Capabilities for Digital Leadership in Eurasia |oclc=1353290533}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=178}}

==Trans-Pacific Express==
{{main|TPE (cable system)}}
The Trans-Pacific Express is a telecommunications project to connect the [[United States]] with China with a [[fiber-optic cable]] that is designed to meet increasing internet traffic between the regions, with 60 times more capacity than existing cables.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/23/business/AS-TEC-China-US-Sea-Cable.php| title = Report: China starts work on first direct undersea cable to US| access-date = 3 February 2008| archive-date = 16 May 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516022851/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/23/business/AS-TEC-China-US-Sea-Cable.php| url-status = live}}</ref> It is to be the first undersea or submarine telecommunications cable that directly links the US with China and the first independent trans-Pacific connection. Current cable links between China and the US run through [[Japan]].<ref>[http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=15965 Trans-Pacific Express deal signed for US-China cable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806074031/http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=15965 |date=6 August 2009 }} 19 December 2006</ref>

The project includes US [[Verizon Communications]], Chinese firms [[China Telecom]], [[China Netcom]] and [[China Unicom]], South Korea's [[Korea Telecom]] and Taiwan's [[Chunghwa Telecom]]. The project was initiated in December 2006. Work began in mid-October 2007 in [[Qingdao]]. It was scheduled to be completed by July 2008 (before the [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]]).<ref>[http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=12854 Trans-Pacific Express cable ready in 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515180952/http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=12854 |date=15 May 2008 }} 1 June 2006</ref>

[[Earthquake]] hotspots have been avoided in the planned route of the cable to avoid potential disruption to internet and telephone networks in Asia. The cable will extend more than 18,000&nbsp;km and will cost about $500m. It will terminate in Nedonna Beach, [[Oregon]] with connections to [[Taiwan]] and [[South Korea]]. When complete, the new cable will be able to support the equivalent of 62 million simultaneous phone calls, with the design capacity to support future internet growth and advanced applications such as video and [[e-commerce]].<ref>[http://www.convergedigest.com/Bandwidth/newnetworksarticle.asp?ID=20225  Carriers Plan New Terabit Capacity Trans-Pacific Express Optical Cable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527175227/http://www.convergedigest.com/Bandwidth/newnetworksarticle.asp?ID=20225 |date=27 May 2011 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Internationalized domain name]] ([[IDN.IDN]]) for non-[[ASCII]] characters
*[[Chinese telegraph code]]
*[[Digital divide in China]]
*[[CERNET]] (China Education and Research Network)
*[[Media of China|Media in China]] and its [[media history of China|history]]
*[[Electronics industry in China]]
*[[Postage stamps and postal history of China|Postal system in China]]
*[[China Software Industry Association]]
*[[Mobile phone industry in China]]
*[[EUChinaGRID]]
*[[Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China]]
*[[List of telephone operating companies]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{country study|country=China|abbr=cn}}

{{Telecommunications in China}}
{{Asia topic|Telecommunications in}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{S&T in China}}
{{Economy of China}}
{{Television in China}}
{{Chinese-language radio}}
{{China topics|state=autocollapse}}

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[[Category:Telecommunications in China| ]]