HARBIN, June 17 -- A new telecommunication cable directly connecting China and Russia, has been put in use.

The cable, which passes through the border province of Heilongjiang, has reduced the distance that IP, data and voice transmission must travel between Beijing and Moscow from 27,000 km to 7,000 km.

The previous connection transmitted signals via Europe by submarine fiber cables, Liang Zuojun, deputy head of the Heilongjiang provincial telecommunication administration, said Friday.

The new network will halve the operating costs born by telecommunication companies, so end users will also make a saving, too, he said.

Currently, voice calls between the two countries cost between 4.60 yuan (70 U.S. cents) and 8 yuan per minute.

"The shorter distance means that voice quality will improve," Liang said.

According to Liang, the former network will remain accessible in case of disruptions.