May 25, 2006 Tokyo -- Dhiraagu (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Private Limited), the largest telecom carrier in the Maldives, and Sri Lanka Telecom have tapped NEC Corp. to provide an optical submarine cable system. The contract is valued at $22.7 million.
The contract is for the construction of the first submarine cable system in the Maldives. The international system will connect Male' to Colombo and is a joint investment by Dhiraagu and Sri Lanka Telecom. A domestic system also will connect four islands in the Maldives. The total length of the WDM network will be approximately 1,100 km with an initial transmission capacity of 20 Gbits/sec, which can be increased up to 160 Gbits/sec. NEC will provide a comprehensive set of equipment and services, including commissioning and integration on a full turnkey basis.
The Maldives, consisting of over 1,200 islands, is well known as one of the world's most famous resorts and diving spots. The country currently relies on a satellite system for its international telecommunications connection. However, in order to improve international and domestic network services, Dhiraagu has decided to construct a submarine cable. Upon completion, the condition of the Maldives' international connection greatly will be enhanced, as it will link the Maldives to Asia, Europe, and the rest of the world through the international submarine cable landed in Sri Lanka.
In the last year, NEC has signed three supply contracts for the construction of new submarine cable systems (Indonesia JASUKA project, EAC1 Qingdao Extension project and Bharat Lanka (India - Sri Lanka) cable project). In addition to the new construction contracts, NEC also has been awarded capacity upgrade contracts for existing submarine cable systems including APCN2 (Asia Pacific Cable Network 2), MAYA-1 in the Caribbean, and domestic cables in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.
"We are honoured to take part in construction of the first submarine cable in the Maldives," reports Osamu Harada, general manager of NEC Corp. "This is certainly a reflection of our comprehensive project implementation capability and highly advanced DWDM technologies for broadband telecommunication, proven by our past submarine cable projects. NEC will continue to aim to win other projects for the upgrading and new construction of submarine cable systems," he adds.