ASC International has kicked off a project to build the first 100G cable linking Western Australia with Singapore.
ASC (Australia Singapore Cable), a subsidiary of Australian project development and contracting company Leighton, has commissioned Alcatel-Lucent to build the 4,800km multi-terabit cable, in a deal the European equipment vendor says is worth several million dollars, and covers turnkey installation of cable, repeaters, branching units, power feed equipment and line terminals.
The cableco says it will have an option to upgrade the cable to 100Gbps, which would make it the first 100Gbps connection between Western Australia and South East Asia. It will use D+ fiber, giving it an ultimate capacity of 16Tbps if the 100Gbps option is taken.
The cable will land in Western Australia’s state capital Perth, and travel through Indonesia's Sunda Straight.
Leighton will use the terrestrial fiber operated by another subsidiary, NextGen Networks, to transport traffic to Sydney, allowing it to provide international wholesale services on both the east and west coasts. The key subsea cables running into Australia – the Southern Cross Cable (SXC) and Australia-Japan Cable (AJC) – both land in Sydney.
ASC aims to begin constructing its new cable in 1Q12, with a view to starting commercial operations in 2013.