A group of telecommunication consortiums has signed agreements that will see hundreds of millions in investment for a submarine cable system called “Asia Link Cable” in Southeast Asia. The project is estimated to cost $300 and seeks to enhance data capacity in the region and improve local connectivity.
The group comprises renowned tech giants such as China Telecom Global Limited (CTG) of China, Globe Telecom, Inc. (Globe) and DITO Telecommunity Corporation (DITO) of the Philippines, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) of Singapore, and Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) of Brunei Darussalam.
The planned ALC system will stretch approximately 6,000-kilometer in length and will be connecting Hong Kong SAR China and Singapore and also feed connection into the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, and Hainan, China. HMN Technologies Co., Limited (HMN Tech) will be responsible for the system supplier and could complete the construction of ALC by Q3 of 2025.
ALC is expected to provide extra capacity within Asia and boost resiliency for international bandwidth. The subsea system will have a minimum of eight fiber pairs in it with an 18 Tbps/Fiber Pair minimum trunk design capacity. It will add more capacity and diversity to the current networks in the region.
***Nokia enhances GBI optical network from mid-east and Europe
Asia Link Cable will overcome COVID-19 effects and reinforce the resilience of interconnectivity in Asia
ALC Co-Chair Mr. Chang Weiguo (CTG) pointed out, “ALC is a great accomplishment of Asian carriers which overcame difficulties of Covid impacts, and it is also the only subsea project with zero-face-to-face meetings from the MoU to the C&MA signing in the industry. ALC consortium adopts an open and inclusive principle and will attract more investors in the near future to make it more cost-effective, which will reinforce the resilience of interconnectivity in Asia and better serve the digital economy in the region.”
ALC Co-Chair, Mr. Alan Tan (Singtel) said, “We started planning and designing the ALC cable more than two years ago at the onset of the pandemic, having anticipated the inevitable growth in high-definition content consumption, trade, and innovation in this region. Despite the challenges presented by safe management restrictions, we managed to come up with a system that will help meet the evolving needs of consumers and enterprises and boost local economies today and in the near future.”
CEO of HMN Tech, Mr. Mao Shengjiang commented, “It is a great honor for HMN Tech to team up with the global leading telecom operators to provide innovative turnkey subsea cable solutions for the ALC System. This new cable system will provide new impetus for the ALC consortium to establish digital and intelligent networks in Asia and around the world.”
*** Ericsson and Ooredoo Qatar sign up for traffic surge
The ALC leverages an open cable system architecture which enables Parties to select and maintain independent line terminal equipment that would suit their customer needs.
With the prospects of massive digital growth prospects, there has been an increased interest to interconnect in the trans-Asian region, enriching the infrastructures for prospective customers. This subsea cable system will help upgrade the existing facilities in curating to the future requirements in the region.