Sihanoukville-HK Submarine Optical Fibre Cable to be Completed in 2025
By Sreekanth Ravindran, Khmer Times
November 15, 2023
The project to build submarine optical fibre cable network between Sihanoukville and Hong Kong will be completed in July 2025, Chinese media reported quoting Unicom Group sources.
Unicom Group is one of the largest telecommunications operators in China and according to reports the company has signed a deal with the Cambodian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to implement the project.
Once completed, Cambodia will have its first state-owned submarine optical fiber cable with a large capacity for international communications.
The nearly 3,000-kilometer submarine optical fiber cable will run from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville in southern Cambodia and will be completed in July 2025, the Beijing-based company sources was quoted by Chinese media, noting that it will further deepen its partnership with Cambodia on digital infrastructure construction and digital economy in the future.
Unicom owns and operates more than 20 land optical fiber cable border stations connecting China with over 10 neighbouring countries and regions, reaching more than 20 international land optical fiber cable systems. The firm also has 10 submarine cable landing stations globally and more than 60 submarine cable systems.
The SEA-H2X submarine cable, co-initiated by China Unicom, connects Hong Kong, China’s southernmost Hainan province, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, and further stretches to Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Cambodia’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, earlier this year announced government plans for a submarine cable connection between Hong Kong and Sihanoukville.
According to the minister, the telecommunications ministry is pioneering Internet expansion across the country while giving maximum emphasis on boosting Internet speed.
Cambodian demand for Internet services has increased dramatically as its economy is resurging after the downturn caused by the pandemic. Making Cambodia’s Internet faster and cheaper has been one of the most important government priorities.