Bifrost Subsea Cable Receives Regulatory Approval to Land in the U.S.
By Gigi Onag, Light Reading
January 24, 2025
Bifrost, the first submarine cable system to directly connect Singapore to the West Coast of North America, has been granted a US submarine cable landing license, reinforcing the country's position as a major digital hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The license, issued by the United States Federal Communications Commission (USFCC), is the final hurdle in an extensive transnational regulatory approval process that would pave the way for Bifrost's successful deployment, Singapore-based company Keppel said in an announcement on Friday.
It noted that Bifrost is the first subsea cable system between Southeast Asia and the US to be approved in the last eight years.
Keppel, together with Meta and Indonesia's Telin, is building the more than 20,000km submarine cable system at an estimated cost of US$760 million, of which Keppel is contributing $350 million.
The Bifrost cable system connects Singapore to the US through Indonesia by passing through the Java Sea and the Celebes Sea.
It was originally scheduled to enter service in the second quarter of 2024, but was delayed due to bad weather and difficulties in obtaining permits to land the cable in Indonesia and pass through Indonesian waters. It was not until the beginning of June 2024 that Telin began the construction of the cable landing station in Jakarta for the Bifrost cable system.
According to Keppel, Bifrost has started system commissioning and acceptance testing on Tuesday. It is expected to be ready for commercial service in the second half of 2025.
“We look forward to Bifrost's successful deployment, which will not only deliver enhanced connectivity and network diversity to our customers but also generate attractive returns for Keppel and our private fund co-investors,” Loh Chin Hua, Keppel CEO, said in a statement.