Asian service providers back Asia Link Cable submarine network deployment
China Telecom Global Ltd. (CTG) of China, Globe Telecom, Inc. (Globe) and DITO Telecommunity Corp. (DITO) of the Philippines, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (Singtel) of Singapore, and Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) of Brunei Darussalam have combined to create a consortium that will spend approximately $300 million to deploy the Asia Link Cable (ALC) submarine cable system in Southeast Asia. The consortium hired HMN Technologies Co., Ltd. as system supplier for the deployment, which is expected to complete by the third quarter of 2025.
The ALC submarine cable will have a minimum eight fiber pairs, with 18 Tbps/fiber pair as the minimum trunk design capacity. The undersea network will feature an open cable system architecture that will enable the parties who will use it to select and maintain independent line terminal equipment.
"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,” pointed out ALC Co-Chair Chang Weiguo (CTG). “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 digital economy in the region."
"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,” added ALC Co-Chair Alan Tan (Singtel). “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."
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About the Author
Stephen Hardy
Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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