The Chinese mainland's telecommunications department is planning to build a undersea optical cable across the Taiwan Strait, a mainland official said Wednesday.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office told a press conference that the mainland hopes operators on both sides of the Strait to accelerate the process of building the undersea optical table.

"Building cross-Straits undersea optical table is a longtime wish held by telecommunications enterprises of both sides and is helpful in improving communication quality for people of the mainland and Taiwan," Fan said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2009)