PCCW Global to construct submarine cable system connecting islands of Rodrigues and Mauritius

PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT,says it has reached an agreement with Mauritius Telecom to construct and maintain the Mauritius and Rodrigues Submarine Cable System (MARS) to upgrade connectivity for Rodrigues by linking the Indian Ocean Islands of Rodrigues and Mauritius.

Working with Huawei Marine Networks, PCCW Global will build the 700-km high-speed submarine cable with a 16-Tbps design capacity. Additionally, PCCW Global will manage operation of the cable. The MARS undersea cable will be ready for service in 2019.

Rodrigues is the second largest island in the Republic of Mauritius, with a population of nearly 40,000 residents. Once the MARS cable is live, Rodrigues's residents will have access to advanced bandwidth and connectivity, as well as a portfolio of content, digital applications, and online services through PCCW Global's international network.

"We are proud to collaborate with Mauritius Telecom and PCCW Global to revolutionize the broadband infrastructure of Rodrigues by providing a step-change in high-speed internet connectivity and facilitate the growth of digital communications," said Mike Constable, Huawei Marine's chief executive. "This is the 12th submarine cable system we have deployed in the African region, which reinforces the confidence in our technology and robust network solutions to further enable the transformation of the region's digital economy."

Over the past year, Huawei Marine has also partnered with Belize Telemedia Ltd. to complete its SEUL submarine cable project, and with Tropic Science Co., Ltd. to complete a desktop study for the PEACE submarine cable, which will connect South Asia and East Africa (see "Belize Telemedia, Huawei Marine complete SEUL submarine cable project" and "Huawei Marine to begin survey for PEACE submarine cable following desktop study").

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