By Sa Youn Hwang
The long-awaited Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) undersea cable system appears to be nearing completion. Korean carrier KT has opened a network operating center for the APG in the city of Busan and has confirmed that it is preparing for full operation in early 2015, according to local media reports.
The trans-Asian submarine fiber-optic cable system has been in the works since May 2009, when a consortium of network operators in Asia agreed to lay more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) of cable from Malaysia to Japan, connecting nine countries in total. Facebook later joined the consortium.
The current cable landing points for the APG include Tanah Merah in Singapore, Kuantan in Malaysia, Songkhla in Thailand, Da Nang in Vietnam, Tseung Kwan O in Hong Kong, Toucheng in Taiwan, Nanhui and Chongming in mainland China, Busan in South Korea, and Shima and Maruyama in Japan.
