New Subsea Cable System Linking Southeast Asia & North America to Be Completed by 2024; Will Span Over 15,000km

By
Zhi Hao
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Found yourself feverishly cursing your accursed Wi-Fi speed earlier this morning?

Well, those Internet-induced tantrums may soon come to be a thing of the past.

According to various news reports, low digital connectivity may soon be gone with the wind as a number of established entities, including Facebook, seek to create a ginormous new subsea cable system that will span over a staggering 15,000 km.

To put it in perspective, that’s the equivalent of over 6,250 IPPT runs and 355 full-length sundown marathons.

New Subsea Cable System Linking Southeast Asia & North America to Be Completed by 2024; Will Span Over 15,000km

According to The Straits Times, the subsea cable, called the Bifrost Cable System, will link Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, and the west coast of North America across over 15,000 kilometres of distance.

It is expected to finish production by 2024, after which it will become the largest capacity high-speed transmission cable across the entire Pacific Ocean.

Developed by Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation, Facebook, and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, the Bifrost Cable System promises to increase digital connectivity and expand network diversity between the affiliated nations.

It is said to proffer direct connectivity from Southeast Asia to North America.

“With global data bandwidth demands reaching unprecedented levels, surging cloud adoption, exponential growth in mobile device usage and 5G deployment, the demand for more bandwidth highlights the critical impact subsea cables have on global connectivity,” the companies stated in a joint press release on Monday (29 Mar).

Enhanced Role

Apart from boosting digital connectivity in the region, the cable will also serve to enhance Singapore’s position in the digital industry.

“This will be a transnational critical infrastructure which will enhance Singapore’s role as a digital hub, as well as support and accelerate the region’s growing digital connectivity needs,” said Keppel T&T chief executive Thomas Pang.

Meanwhile, Mr Kevin Salvadori, vice-president of network investments at Facebook, has reiterated the social media giant’s commitment to creating a faster digital network.

“We are committed to bringing more people online to a faster Internet, to support the growth of digital economies, and to do this in collaboration with local partners,” he said.

For more information about the Bifrost Cable System project, check out the video below:

And It Appears That Facebook Will Be Pretty Busy

According to Bloomberg, Facebook doesn’t just have its hands full with the Bifrost Cable System project.

Apparently, it’s also working on a separate submarine cable project with Internet giant Google: the Echo subsea cable.

Projected to be the first cable to link Singapore directly to the U.S., the fibre link is expected to finish production in 2023.

After completion, Internet bandwidth is expected to increase significantly.

Network Coverage

Meanwhile, if you find yourself distinctly unable to wait until 2024 or even 2023 for faster network coverage, here’s a little boost.

According to reports, Singtel is expanding its 5G network coverage, and is bringing the enhanced experience indoors to VivoCity, the country’s largest mall.

The company also plans to extend its in-building 5G coverage to popular malls such as Ngee Ann City and Bugis Junction over the next few months.

In their news release, Singtel said its 5G network will offer customers ultra-fast speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, even in VivoCity.

As for the general intention, the plan is to scale up the network gradually and have nationwide coverage by 2025.

Also for those unaware, 5G is expected to be nearly 100 times faster than 4G, meaning you could download a two-hour movie in fewer than 10 seconds.

Just some promising notions to tide you through this crisis.

Feature Image: Vismar UK / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purposes only)

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]