According to China's Ministry of Information Industry, China Telecom and China Netcom have signed an MOU with three overseas companies to build a 5.12T undersea cable for the provision of Internet and telecom services. The undersea cable, named Trans-Pacific Express Cable Network, will connect Taiwan, China, Korea, and the United States, and is expected to start operation in 2008. South East Asia and India are expected to be included in this network in the future.