By Submarine Cable News Feed

In a filing to the District Council Members of Hong Kong, Reach Networks Hong Kong Limited has detailed its plans for the installation of the Asia America Gateway (AAG) transpacific cable in Hong Kong waters.

The project involves the installation of two fiber optic telecommunications cables of approximately 10km in length (within the Hong Kong SAR waters), starting from the Tong Fuk beach area southward, extended to the South China Sea and connected to the AAG Cable System, which links to several South East Asian Countries as well as to the North America.

For this project Reach has already applied with the District Lands Office, Island for the relevant licenses, and the Gazettal and public consultation process. All relevant lands documents are currently being organized by the Lands Department, Islands District Office.

The project will cater to the increasing needs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and to enhance Hong Kong's position as the telecommunications hub in the region. It will begin in August and is to be completed by September 2008.

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority of HKSAR supports the AAG project. The District Lands Office, Island has already consulted relevant government offices and there have been no objections received on this project to date. Reach has applied with the District Lands Office for project gazettal under the Foreshore and Seabed (Reclamations) Ordinance and the relevant Gazettal is to be published in May 2008 for public consultation.

For the on-shore segments, one cable will enter into the existing manhole at Tong Fuk Beach and the other cable will enter the existing manhole southwest of Tong Fuk Village. The intended burial depth of the offshore cable segments and near-shore/on-shore sections will be approximately 7 meters and 2 meters below seabed, respectively.

For the on-shore portions (beach and tidal zone), the cables will be installed through minor trenching hence to bring the cables into the existing manholes. For the tidal zone to 400 meters offshore, divers will trench the cable to about 2 meters below the seabed using jetting techniques. A cable-laying barge that will inject the cables to a 7 meters burial depth approximately will undertake offshore burial of the cables.