This week, Vocus communications announced that it has entered into an agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to construct the Australia Singapore Cable (ASC). The project is a 4,600 km submarine cable system linking Australia to Singapore and Indonesia.
The companies anticipate the project to take about 19 months to build, and are looking at a completion date by August 2018. The company says that the cable was a key consideration when Vocus purchased Nextgen Networks which they say will create a fully interconnected high capacity fiber network from the East Coast of Australia to Singapore.
Vocus says that ASC provides it with a platform to increase utilization and delivers a unique competitive advantage. The companies disclose that the project is expected to cost around $170 million.
Recently, TeleGeography have reported that the estimated bandwidth between Australia and Asia will exceed 50 Tbps by 2029. The report estimates that the ASC has an opportunity to capture a minimum of 15.5 Tbps of capacity sales by the end of 2029.