$250-M SEA-US cable link to benefit BPO, Pinoy consumers, says Globe

Filipino consumers and business process outsourcing companies are expected to reap the benefits from a $250-million Southeast Asia-United States (SEA-US) cable link being built by a global consortium of telecommunications companies, according to Globe Telecom Inc.

 

Globe executive vice president and COO Gil Genio pointed out that the project will enable Globe to play a major role in providing superior connectivity for consumers and businesses in the Philippines to connect to the US.

 

"Our link-up with the SEA-US cable system will serve the exponential growth of mobile Internet use in our country, enabling the Filipino digital lifestyle and wonderful experience for our customers and businesses,” he said.

 

“This development will also benefit the outsourcing and offshoring industry, including major contact centers, business process outsourcing providers, global financial institutions and a host of other multinationals that require very large bandwidth as the Philippines has become the preferred destination for these companies,” Genio added.

 

Global telcos started constructing the $250-million submarine cable system that will connect Southeast Asia and the United States starting in the fourth quarter of 2016.

 

Apart from Globe, the consortium consists of PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), RAM Telecom International, Hawaiian Telcom, Teleguam Holdings GTI Corp. (a member of the Globe Telecom group of companies) and Telkom USA.

 

NEC Corp. and NEC Corp. of America are the system suppliers for the project.

 

The SEA-US system will link the five areas and territories of Manado in Indonesia, Davao in Southern Philippines, Piti in the territory of Guam, Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, and Los Angeles in California.
 

 

 

Demand for bandwidth

 

Approximately 15,000 kilometers in length and designed and engineered to bypass earthquake prone areas in East Asia, the cable system will provide an initial 20 terabit per second  capacity, with state-of-the-art 100 Gigabit per second technology.

 

This capacity will help to meet the exponentially growing demand for bandwidth between Southeast Asia and North America in unparalleled performance, especially for Indonesia and the Philippines.

 

With further connectivity using existing and planned submarine cable systems in the region, other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, and Australia can enjoy the benefit of the SEA-US cable link.

 

Telin president director Syarif Syarial Ahmad said the project is one of the biggest milestones for Indonesia's rapid growth in communications. 

 

"Our objective is now closer with SEA-US, given that it is the first cable system with direct connection from Indonesia to USA, where most of the Internet’s content is sourced,” he said. 

 

The frequent use of high bandwidth Internet in Indonesia is ranging from business, where video conference is highly utilized in many offices, as well as entertainment, where video and TV streaming have become part of casual activities of Indonesians.

 

San Francisco, California-based RAM Telecom CEO Russ Matulich said the cable system will help the company meet the "diverse needs of telecommunications carriers, large multinational enterprises, content providers and government entities looking to connect over 1.5 billion business and consumers in the Southeast Asia region."

 

"SEA-US's essential Asia-US route diversity, lower latency and onward connectivity options via Hawaii and Guam will enable RTI to offer unmatched services to transpacific connectivity customers," he said.
 

 

A vital role

 

The project also provides economic opportunity and growth for Hawaii’s residents and businesses, Hawaiian Telcom president and CEO Eric K. Yeaman said.

 

“Hawaii is no different from the rest of the world in its need and desire for more bandwidth, and the SEA-US system will ensure our trans-Pacific capacity needs are met both now and well into the future,” he said.

 

Teleguam Holdings president and CEO Robert Haulbook said Guam plays a vital role in this project, and "we look forward to SEA-US meeting capacity needs of all users in our areas.”

 

As the cable system provider, NEC Submarine Network Division general manager Naoki Yoshida said the project promises to expand connectivity and capacity as well as contribute to the economies of Southeast Asia and the US.

 

"The construction of this advanced system enables NEC to capitalize on more than 40 years of experience, laying over 200,000 kilometers of submarine cable infrastructure and contributing to worldwide communications," he said.

 

"Through this undertaking, NEC will continue to dedicate its strength to the development of telecommunication infrastructure in these regions and other countries across the globe,” he added. – Danessa O. Rivera/VS, GMA News