HONG KONG, Jan. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Asia Netcom today announced plans to add a new trans-Pacific portion to its regional submarine cable system, EAC. The new 23,500 km infrastructure --EAC Pacific-- will extend the existing infrastructure with a new trans-Pacific ring.
The project, expected to be completed by July 2008, consists of a northern route connecting Japan to the US, and a southern route linking the Philippines to the US via Guam and Hawaii. EAC Pacific will also include a subsea link between the Philippines directly with Japan, which will close the ring design and integrate the trans-Pacific infrastructure with the current system.
EAC Pacific has received committed funds of $636M through its partners, investors and debt holders which will cover the build and peak funding requirements for the new system. The system, which will use a new innovative capital structure that is hybrid of the "traditional" club cable and a "private cable" structure, will be operational in July 2008. Asia Netcom will announce its landing partners for the system by April 2007 and will complete vendor selection by May 2007.
"In light of the recent events that followed the Boxing Day earthquakes off the coast of southern Taiwan, there is clearly a need for more diversity between Asia and the US," said Bill Barney, Asia Netcom's Chief Executive Officer. "EAC Pacific is designed to enhance the connectivity options of the fast growing South Asian region and create a dedicated expressway for that region to connect to the US as well as Japan and North Asia."
The new EAC Pacific system will feature 4 fiber pairs, each capable of supporting a minimum design capacity of 2.56 Tbps (Terabits per second) using 64-wavelength DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) technology capable of transporting 10 Gbps per wavelength.
About Asia Netcom
Winner of Frost & Sullivan's 'Data Communications Service Provider of the Year' award for 2005 and 2006, Asia Netcom operates an extensive telecommunications network infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, including a privately-owned subsea cable system, EAC, as well as extensive terrestrial backhauls and telehouses in all key Asian markets. Leveraging these strategic assets, Asia Netcom provides a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services to enterprise, ISP and carrier customers in the Asia Pacific region.
In August 2006, ownership of Asia Netcom -- a former subsidiary of the China Netcom Group -- was transferred to a global investor group led by Ashmore Investment Management, Spinnaker Capital and Clearwater Capital Partners. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with local offices in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe. For more information, please visit: http://www.asianetcom.com .
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:
At PTC'07 -- HNL
Lorain Wong
Asia Netcom
Tel: +1-808-949-4321 ext. 2333
+852-9500-2333 (mobile)
Email: lorain.wong@asianetcom.com
Hong Kong:
Tony Chan
Asia Netcom
Tel: +852-2121-2975
Email: tony.chan@asianetcom.com
Singapore:
Clement Teo
Asia Netcom
Tel: +65-6233-6331
Email: clement.teo@asianetcom.com
