The $300 million contract will build a 6,000-kilometer submarine cable system known as the Asia Link Cable (ALC) system. The aim is that the ALC will support economic growth in Southeast Asia by linking Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, as well as the Philippines, Brunei and Hainan, China.
The consortium is co-led by SingTel and China Telecom Global Limited (CTG) and includes four other regional operators: China Telecom Group (CTC), Globe Telecom Philippines (Globe) and DITO Telecommunications Corporation (DITO), as well as the Unified National Brunei Network (UNN).
The system consists of eight fiber pairs, each capable of carrying speeds of up to 18Tb/s, which will allow ALC to add more capacity and routing diversity to its existing network, thereby increasing the resiliency of international Internet traffic through Southeast Asia.
ALC will use an open cable system design, which will reduce dependence on any single vendor alliance partner and enable timely capacity upgrades to meet evolving carrier needs. Upon completion, the ALC will enhance SingTel's submarine cable infrastructure and unlock opportunities for businesses in Singapore and the region to leverage SingTel's network, solutions and services, as well as its regional data center expertise, to transform the industry, enterprise and consumer experience.
Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and the digital needs of consumers and businesses are growing under the influence of the pandemic," said Bill Chang, chief executive officer of SingTel's Group Enterprise and Regional Data Center business. Consumers and businesses are increasingly relying on services and solutions that require higher bandwidth and lower latency connectivity to work, learn or play. ALC will bring greater connectivity capabilities to transform the industry, unlock more opportunities for innovation, further enhance the digital experience for consumers in Southeast Asia, and support the region's growth ambitions."
Build is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2025.
