February 27, 2006 London, UK -- FLAG Telecom, a provider of international wholesale network transport and communications services, announced a multi-million dollar contract to provide 2 x 10 Gbit/sec wavelengths to Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan. Under the terms of the open tender contract, FLAG will provide full circuit connectivity to carry large volumes of voice, data, and Internet traffic between Taiwan, R.O.C. and the West Coast of the U.S., on behalf of TANET, the Taiwan Academic Network.
TANET connects four academic sites across Taiwan. Under the agreement, TANET traffic will be carried from its LAN to the FLAG landing station in Taiwan via Chunghwa Telecom. The companies say the demand for connectivity is being predominantly driven by the continuing rapid growth of bandwidth-hungry Internet applications in East Asia.
According to a press release, FLAG Telecom will provide bandwidth on its FLAG North Asia Loop (FNAL) system between Taiwan and Japan, where the FLAG cable network connects with VSNL International's (India) Trans-Pacific cable network, which will provide Trans-Pacific connectivity from Japan to the Equinix facility in Los Angeles, and to the PAIX international Internet exchange in Palo Alto, California.
"We selected the bid by FLAG Telecom as it offered a high quality, scaleable solution at a cost-effective price," comments T. F. Leng, VP of Chungwa Telecom's international business group. "Our connectivity will be carried entirely on the latest generation of terabit/sec loop cable systems, providing additional resilience."
"This is the latest in a series of open tender contracts we have won from Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) since 2002, which recently passed the milestone 70Gbit/s mark," adds Fabrizio Civitarese, VP of Asia-Pacific sales for FLAG Telecom. "Most of the Internet is still U.S.-centric so CHT needed fast, reliable connectivity to the U.S. West Coast to meet the enormous growth of Internet traffic in and out of Taiwan. Through our on-going relationship with VSNL International we are able to provide a one-stop shop solution for customers throughout Asia looking for quality connectivity to the U.S.A."