Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 becomes operational

New optical submarine cable around 10,500 km in length.

The Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2), which features optical wavelength division multiplexing technology, has commenced operations.

Aimed at enhancing submarine cable infrastructure for improved connectivity, SJC2 is approximately 10,500 km long and can transmit more than 126 terabits per second. The high-capacity optical submarine cable seeks to provide additional capacity, route diversity, and network resilience in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

"As a critical part of global digital infrastructure, the SJC2 cable system will boost connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region, delivering unparalleled bandwidth capacity and ultra-low latency to power the next-generation of cloud computing, AI-driven (artificial intelligence) services, and real-time data exchange across Asia's leading economies," commented Meng Fai Yue (Singtel) and Herbert Xiong (China Mobile International), co-chairs of the SJC2 consortium's management committee.

Aside from Singtel and China Mobile International, other members of the SJC2 consortium include Chunghwa Telecom, Donghwa Telecom, KDDI Corporation, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, SK Broadband, True Internet Corporation, and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group. The cable was constructed and supplied by NEC Corporation, which was named as partner in 2018.

"In this project, NEC participated as a system integrator, providing everything from the manufacturing of submarine cables and repeaters to route design, installation, and testing," added Tomonori Uematsu, corporate senior vice president and Submarine Network Division managing director at NEC.

"By establishing a highly reliable communications environment, NEC is contributing to the digitalisation and technological innovation of countries throughout the region."

The launch of SJC2 comes on the heels of a new project for NEC in the region. On 16 July, the company announced the signing of a contract to build the 8,900 km Asia United Gateway East (AUG East) submarine cable system.

Chaired by Singtel, the AUG East consortium includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, ARTERIA Networks, Chunghwa Telecom, DREAMLINE, Globe Telecom, Telekom Malaysia, and Unified National Networks. The project is set to be completed by 2029, connecting Singapore and Japan with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan.