Facebook Announces Second Transpacific Cable Link
New S'pore-North America subsea cable system to be completed in 2024
By Calvin Yang
March 31, 2021
SINGAPORE – A new subsea cable system linking Singapore to North America will help boost digital connectivity and offer network diversity between the regions.
The Bifrost Cable System will be the high-speed transmission cable of the largest capacity across the Pacific Ocean when it is completed in 2024.
Spanning over 15,000km, it will link Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America.
The project will be developed by Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation, Facebook and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, a subsidiary of Indonesia's Telkom telecommunication and network service provider.
The undersea cable system will cater to the rising connectivity needs of South-east Asia by offering direct connectivity to North America, said the companies in a joint press release on Monday (March 29).
“With global data bandwidth demands reaching unprecedented levels, surging cloud adoption, exponential growth in mobile device usage and 5G deployment, the demand for more bandwidth highlights the critical impact subsea cables have on global connectivity.”
There has also been demand for more capacity through the Pacific region due to the significance and growth of Asian markets.
This is the first subsea cable project undertaken by Keppel.
Keppel T&T chief executive Thomas Pang said the development of the cable system allows the company to strengthen its connectivity platform “by building a new adjacent and complementary business to our data centre business”.
“This will be a transnational critical infrastructure which will enhance Singapore's role as a digital hub, as well as support and accelerate the region's growing digital connectivity needs,” he added.
