ASN Has Started Building Bifrost System
A new submarine telecommunications system that will connect Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America.
ASN Press Release
May 11, 2021
Joint build partners Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Limited (Keppel T&T), through a wholly owned subsidiary, Keppel Midgard Holdings Pte. Ltd. (KMH), a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. (Facebook) and PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk have announced the signing of the joint build contract with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) for the manufacturing and laying of the Bifrost Cable System, a new submarine telecommunications cable that will directly connect Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia, the Philippines and Guam, through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.
The new cable, spanning more than 15,000km will meet the growing bandwidth demand between Asia and the American continent, as well as provide direct and high-performance connectivity between Singapore and the west coast of North America.
The Bifrost cable system, when completed, will be the highest capacity system across the Pacific Ocean and will also feature a significant innovation – the use of SDM1 technology.
The system will also feature very high traffic availability, thanks to its ability of multiple single-end feeding electrical reconfigurations. In addition, with the use of ASN OALC-4 Deep Water Armored cable in areas of intensive fishing activity, the Bifrost Cable System will benefit from safe and reliable protection during its installation operations as well as during its 25-years design life.
Cable laying is scheduled over 2023 and will be ready for operation in early 2024.
Alain Biston, President of ASN says “We are proud that Keppel, Facebook and Telin have trusted ASN to build this direct Singapore-North America cable. We will mobilize our enhanced production facilities to deliver a highly reliable and high-capacity system, implementing our SDM technology over transpacific distances. This new submarine system will add very significant
bandwidth and resilience to the vital Asia to North America route, contributing to making the worldwide network stronger and safer.”
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About Alcatel Submarine Networks
Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia, leads the industry in terms of transmission capacity and installed base with more than 650,000 km of optical submarine systems deployed worldwide, enough to circumnavigate the globe 15 times. From traditional telecom applications to content and “over the top” service provider infrastructures, as well as to offshore oil and gas applications, ASN provides all elements of turnkey global undersea transmission systems, tailored to individual customer’s needs. An extensive services portfolio completes its comprehensive offering for the
submarine business, including project management, installation and commissioning, along with marine and maintenance operations performed by ASN’s wholly owned fleet of cable ships.
Alcatel Submarine Networks – media contact
Guillaume FAUSTEN
[email protected]
