Could two new submarine Internet cable lines scheduled to open in 2023 or early 2024 ease Vietnam's international connectivity problems
According to VietNamNet, two new submarine Internet cables, called ADC and SJC2, are expected to be operational later this year or in early 2024.
They will be jointly operated by Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Viettel.
SJC2 is also known as the Southeast Asia-Japan 2 cable system. It is 10,500 kilometers long, has a total capacity of 126 Tbps, has multiple investment partners including Meta, KDDI and SingTel, and will begin operations later this year.
It will connect six countries and have 10 landing hubs, including the coastal city of Qui Nhon in Vietnam.
The ADC (or Asia Direct Cable) is nearly 9,800 kilometers long and has a capacity of more than 140 Tbps. It will help connect countries and regions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It is again backed by many investors, including Viettel in partnership with major companies such as Singtel, China Telecom, Softbank, China Unicom, NT, PLDT and TATA Communications.
The two new systems will bring the number of available submarine cables in Vietnam to seven.
The arrival of these two new cables may not be too soon for the country's ISPs. Earlier this month, we reported that problems with four of the five cable lines they use were seriously affecting Internet connection traffic from Vietnam.
At the time, Vu The Binh, secretary general of the Vietnam Internet Association, said Vietnam would need at least two to three additional submarine cable lines in the next five years to meet the growing demand. It looks like he's going to get his wish.
