The new undersea fiber optic cable connecting Vietnam to international destinations is called Asia Link Cable (ALC). This is a project in which FPT Telecom has invested $87 million.
According to information from FPT Telecom, the company’s Board of Directors has recently approved the investment plan for the Asia Link Cable project, which will connect Vietnam to international destinations via an undersea fiber optic cable.
Asia Link Cable is a submarine cable approximately 6,000km in length. The cable connects multiple locations in the Asian region, such as Hong Kong, Hainan (China), Luna, Bauang (Philippines), Tungku (Brunei), and Changi (Singapore).
Asia Link Cable undersea cable route that FPT Telecom will invest and exploit.
According to the design, the ALC fiber optic cable system will have a minimum of 8 pairs of fiber optic cables, with a minimum designed trunk capacity of 18 Tbps on each pair of cables. When completed, this cable will contribute to adding capacity and diversity to the existing Internet network in the region.
The ALC fiber optic cable construction project is expected to cost $300 million and will be completed in Q3/2025. The project involves many big names in the regional telecommunications industry such as China Telecom Global Limited (CTG), Globe Telecom, Inc. (Globe), DITO Telecommunity Corporation (DITO), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel), and Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN).
FPT Telecom plans to invest $87 million, equivalent to approximately VND 2,100 billion, in this cable. This cost does not include VAT and other taxes and fees related to investing in international cables in Vietnam.
FPT Telecom will raise the investment capital from bank loans and the company’s business development investment capital. According to FPT Telecom, in 2023, the company is expected to spend VND 300 billion to invest in cable.
During the project implementation process, the submarine cable route will be carried out according to the ALC process. For the stations, FPT Telecom will invest, construct, install, and manage operations.
Currently, Vietnamese telecommunications companies are involved in operating five international submarine cable routes, including the Asia America Gateway (AAG), Asia Pacific Gateway (APG), SMW3 (also known as SEA-ME-WE3), Intra Asia (IA, also known as the Liaison), and Asia-Africa-Euro 1 (AAE-1).
In addition, two major companies, VNPT and Viettel, have joined alliances to invest in building new submarine cable routes, SJC2 and ADC. These two submarine cable routes will be completed and put into official operation this year. By 2023, the total number of submarine cable routes used by Vietnamese companies will be increased to seven.
According to the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications, by 2025, the total number of submarine cable routes used by Vietnamese companies is expected to be around 10, twice the current number. The operation of new submarine cable routes such as SJC2, ADC, and ALC will contribute to realizing this policy and supplementing capacity to meet the demand for international internet connectivity.
@Vietnamnet
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Source: Vietnam Insider