DXN Delivers Modular Cable Landing Station to Palau for Echo Cable Landing
By Dan Swinhoe, Data Center Dynamics
August 31, 2023
DXN has installed a modular cable landing station (CLS) at Ngaradmau on the island of Palau for the Meta/Google-led Echo subsea cable.
“DXN Limited successfully manufactured and delivered a turnkey Cable Landing Station (CLS) for the Echo Cable System's new branch, Palau Cable 2 (PC2),” the company said on LinkedIn this week. “Chosen for our expertise, DXN has played a key role in connecting Palau to global digital networks, meeting the growing demand for bandwidth and ensuring redundancy for Palau's initial cable.”
DXN said it was delivering a CLS module to the state-owned Belau Submarine Cable Company (BSCC) for a new cable spur to Palau last year. According to the Japanese Embassy in Palau, ground was originally broken on the site in December 2021, with an inauguration ceremony held in June 2023.
The Palau Submarine Cable Branch System Project (PC2) is a dedicated branch of the upcoming Echo cable network. NEC is developing the cable.
Announced in 2021, the Meta-led Echo cable is being built in partnership with Google and XL Axiata. The 17,000km cable links the US to Indonesia and Singapore via Guam and Palau. It is set to go live next year, with the Palau spur expected to be operational in Q1 2025.
The $30 million spur to Palau is being funded with efforts from Australia, Japan, and the US under the Trilateral Partnership for Infrastructure Investment in the Indo-Pacific, as well as Palau.
Palau’s first subsea cable, the 15,000 km SEA-US – the 200km Palau branch is known as Palau Cable 1 (PC1) – was laid in 2017 and connects the US to the Philippines and Indonesia. It is owned by a consortium of GTA TeleGuam, Globe Telecom, Hawaiian Telcom, RTI, and Telin. The Palau spur was partly paid for via loans from the Asian Development Bank. That cable also lands in Ngeremlengui.
