China Telecom: Internet services back to normal on Jan. 15

China Telecom said here Sunday that its internet services, which were disrupted by the severance of undersea cables following an earthquake off the Taiwan coast, would be back to normal on January 15.

"Five vessels have been dispatched to repair the damaged lines," said an official with the company on Sunday. "But heavy seas have made the repair work very difficult."

The earthquake has left some cables trapped under the seabed, and others are tangled up, said the official. We will have to add some new sections of cable -- up to 400 meters -- to reconnect the lines.