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Race to Build First High-Speed Transpacific Undersea Cable Leads to Honolulu

Pacific Telecommunications Council
2006-12-21 15:53 1199

PTC '07 Hosts Deal's Contenders

HONOLULU, Dec. 21 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Between the U.S. and Asia, a

battle looms over the rights to carry information -- in the form of high-

speed underwater cable or satellite -- between Asia's booming economy and

the U.S. A number of contenders, representing opposing consortiums in the

race to be the world's first Asian-American high-speed superhighway, will

converge in Honolulu January 14 - 17 at Pacific Telecommunication Council's

(PTC) 2007 Conference Beyond Telecom.

Some experts say only one consortium will emerge because multiple high

speed cables may flood capacity. The prize at stake: the first in the

market will gain the earliest opportunity to woo Asia's highly coveted

customer base. Demand for a variety of high-capacity applications including

IPTV, online gaming, and business process outsourcing will be enhanced by

2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Renowned submarine cable expert and newly elected member to PTC's Board

of Governors John Hibbard, CEO of Australia's Hibbard Consulting Pty. Ltd.,

will lead one of two keynote forums on the topic: Innovations for the Asia

Pacific Region. "Submarine cable technology is a rapidly evolving

industry," he said. "High technology companies around the world are

knocking on China's door for a chance at the immense telecommunications

business that is emerging," he said. China has been tightly controlled by

the government, and any foreign company wanting access to the market is

required to work with an existing Chinese carrier. "The new multi-national

deals being forged now will lay the groundwork for one of the biggest

telecommunications opportunities on the world's horizon," he said. "We are

honored to host the global industry leaders at PTC '07."

Verizon Business -- which will be represented at PTC '07 -- currently

leads the race to Asia with its recently signed deal with Asia consortium

members Chunghwa Telecom Co., China Netcom, China Telecom, China Unicom and

KT Corp. Most members of the consortium will be represented at PTC '07.

The anticipated start date of Verizon's project, dubbed the Trans-Pacific

Express, is just around the corner in early 2007.

It will create capacity for future internet growth, video-conferencing,

and e-commerce while supporting the equivalent of 62 million simultaneous

voice calls and will increase, by 60-fold, the undersea capacity between

China and the U.S. A new direct link between the two world economies, whose

existing low capacity cable has routed data through Hong Kong and Japan,

will be forged. Expected price tag: $500 million.

At the same time, Asia Netcom -- whose CEO Bill Barney will deliver a

keynote presentation at PTC '07: Beyond the Bubble and into a New Reality --

is reportedly talking with an unnamed Indian carrier about a proposed link

between the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, the mainland U.S. and Japan.

According to those reports, the company has already raised $800 million for

the project.

Other groups on Verizon's heels include AT&T, also to be represented at

PTC '07. AT&T is reported to be considering an alliance with the Telekom

Malaysia-backed Asia-America Gateway -- currently linking various ASEAN

nations to the U.S.

Opening Plenary speakers include:

-- Srinath Narasimhan, Executive Director, VSNL India

-- Shin Cho, Senior VP & Head of Strategy & Planning Group, SK Telecom

-- Larry Keeley, President, Doblin, Inc.

PTC '07 will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. Space

is limited. Online registration is available at www.ptc07.org . Interviews

with keynote speakers can be arranged through the Pacific Telecommunications

Council contacts listed above.

PTC '07 is presented by Pacific Telecommunications Council and co-hosted

by Stealth Communications Inc., Telus, Tyco, Verizon Business International

Partner Solutions (IPS), VSNL International, Arbinet, Asia Netcom, AT&T,

CPCNet Hong Kong Ltd, France Telecom Group, GCI, Intelsat Ltd., Loral

Skynet, Macquarie Telecom, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, Qwest

Communications, Korea Telecom (KT), PacketFront, REDCOM Laboratories,

Redline Communications, Boeing Satellite Systems International, China

Telecom USA, CITIC 1616, Level 3 Communications Inc., Pacific Crossing

Limited (PCL), and SubOptic.

Founded in 1980, Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) is an

international, non-profit, non-government membership organization based in

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Its mission is to promote the development,

understanding, and beneficial use of telecommunications and information

technology throughout the Pacific region. PTC creates opportunities for

networking and the sharing of ideas and information through its annual

telecommunications conference, regional seminars, and various activities and

task groups.

Contact:

Mark Hukill, Senior Advisor

Pacific Telecommunications Council

Tel: +1-808-941-3789, ext. 112

Email: mark@ptc.org

Julie Ford, President

Schweitzer Consulting, LLC

Tel: +1-808-947-4269

Mobile: +1-808-384-3386

Email: schweitzerconsulting@hawaii.rr.com

Source: Pacific Telecommunications Council
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