Telstra International announced on Jan. 24 that it has partnered with Trans Pacific Networks (TPN) on the Echo cable system, the first subsea cable to connect the United States directly to Singapore.
The first Echo segment, connecting Guam and the U.S., is slated to launch in mid-2024; the remaining segments are scheduled for 2025. Once finished, the cable system will connect California, Jakarta, Singapore, and Guam. Telstra reports that the cable system will create a new path and offer low latency, high-speed, and resilient network infrastructure.
Through the partnership, Telstra will provide secure, long-term stability on the route, deliver cable landing station services in Singapore, and provide network operating center services. XL Axiata will deliver cable and service to Indonesia.
Roary Stasko, Telstra International’s CEO, said in a press release, “Our subsea network scale makes Telstra International uniquely placed to successfully navigate the complexity of these environments to ensure the stability of the world’s digital connectivity.”
The demand for bandwidth in the Trans-Pacific is rapidly growing, with Telegeography forecasting it will increase by 39% year-over-year until 2029. Stasko has called the area in which the cable will be built one of the more challenging regions to operate in.
Aaron Knapik, TPN’s CFO, said in the same press release, “Trans Pacific Networks is thrilled to partner with industry leader Telstra to expand telecommunication access between the U.S. and Asia. To be partially funded by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Echo subsea cable system will be a critical element of the Indo-Pacific’s digital infrastructure, ultimately strengthening networks and increasing capacity while reducing internet costs in the region.”
Stasko also added, “We’re accelerating growth in our international digital infrastructure with investments in subsea fiber capacity on unique, diverse routes—helping to move more traffic around the world and strengthening connections from Asia to the U.S. Echo’s cable system has the ability to allow other countries to take advantage of its redundancy. In addition, we’ve recently added 3Tbps of capacity through the SEA-US cable connecting the U.S. mainland to Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines, which complements our existing Trans-Pacific cables like AAG, UNITY, FASTER, NCP, and JUPITER.”
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