NTT Communications discusses fiber-optic cable projects

Global communications service provider NTT Communications Corp. (NTT Com) has announced a pair of cable initiatives, one undersea and the other terrestrial.

The larger of the two projects will see NTT Com begin operations August 20 on the Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE), a 40-Gbps, 7800-km undersea cable system that connects major cities in Asia. ASE, which eventually will incorporate 100 Gbps optical technology, will launch with a total capacity exceeding 15 Tbps and is designed to withstand earthquake and typhoon damage – important considerations after the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011.

NTT Com is the major investor in ASE, along with partners Telekom Malaysia, Philippines-based PLDT, and Singapore-based StarHub. The cable lands in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia; a landing in Hong Kong is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.

The Japan-Singapore route not only minimizes latency but also connects directly to the Serangoon Data Center in Singapore, NTT Com points out. A connection to the Hong Kong Financial Data Centre will be part of the new link next year.

Services over ASE will become part of NTT Com’s Arcstar Global Leased Line Service.

Meanwhile, NTT Com said it also has extended its global low-latency network with a dedicated connection between London and Hong Kong using the new Transit Europe Asia (TEA-2) system, which runs across Siberia.

"We are always looking at how we can expand our network to give customers greater capacity with newer, faster and more reliable routes but also better value for money,” John Hammond, vice president, Business Network Services at NTT Europe, said via a press release. “The TEA-2 cable system really does strengthen our capability in Europe."