The new fiber system will also connect with the SEA-US optical submarine cable system.
NEC signed an agreement with RTI Connectivity to supply a high-capacity fiber optic submarine cable for a new system connecting Hong Kong and Guam. NEC said the contract will partially utilize capital from the Fund Corporation for the Overseas Development of Japan’s ICT and Postal Services.
The 3,900 kilometer Hong Kong Guam Cable System is scheduled to begin operation in January 2020, featuring 100 gigabit per second optical transmission capabilities said to deliver a total capacity of more than 48 terabits per second. The system will connect in Guam with the SEA-US optical submarine cable system that directly connects Southeast Asia to the United States. NEC began constructing that link in March 2015.
“NEC is delighted to be selected as the supplier of the HK-G submarine cable planned by RTI Connectivity,” said Toru Kawauchi, GM of NEC’s Submarine Network Division. “With Guam becoming a new hub in the Pacific, we look forward to helping the RTI group of companies provide for the expanding Asia-Pacific demand for more connectivity.”
NEC claims more than 40 years of experience in the submarine cable business and said it has laid more than 250,000 kilometers of submarine cable. The Japanese firm produces optical submarine cable, optical submarine repeaters and equipment for connecting optical transmissions to land, in addition to carrying out ocean surveys, route design, laying optical submarine cable and training personnel for the handover of the systems.
RTI Connectivity is a private cable developer company established by U.S. entrepreneurs in Singapore.
