Seven carriers this week agreed to co-deploy a submarine cable directly connecting Southeast Asia and the US in a project worth $250m. To be completed by the end of 2016, the cable system will provide an additional 20Tbps capacity, connecting Indonesia and the Philippines to the US with 100G technology.

A consortium of seven companies agreed to cooperate in the Southeast Asia – United States “SEA-US” consortium: PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), Globe Telecom, RAM Telecom International (RTI), Hawaiian Telcom, Teleguam Holdings (GTA), GTI Corporation and Telkom USA. NEC is the system supplier

“The SEA-US project is connected seamlessly with Telkom’s Domestic Backbone, and the cable will provide unmatched latency from Indonesia to the United States,” said Syarif Syarial Ahmad, President Director of Telin. “The project will also support Indonesia’s strong economic growth and its government’s Master Plan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Development (MP3EI). We began pursuing SEA-US in 2013 and are very proud to be a part of this historic project that marks the first gateway from the east part of Indonesia to the world.”

The SEA-US submarine cable system links the five areas and territories of Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines), Piti (Guam), Oahu (Hawaii, United States) and Los Angeles (California, United States). The system will be approximately 15,000 kilometers in length, avoiding earthquake prone areas in East Asia, and thereby helping to ensure stable connectivity.

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