ASE strengthens regional connectivity-
The Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) system linking Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore went live in August 2012. It is a 7,200 km long intra-Asia undersea optic fibre cable that has been built with the aim of strengthening the connectivity between Southeast Asia (SEA) and North Asia, as well as meeting the ever-growing demand for connectivity in these regions. The ASE was co-developed by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Singapore-based StarHub, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), and Japan’s NTT Communications, at a total investment of $304 million–$400 million. Japan-based information and technology service providers Fujitsu Limited and NEC Corporation installed the cable and supplied equipment for the system. A separate route to Hong Kong was added at end November 2012.
Need for ASE
Asian countries are facing a rising demand for broadband communication and international connectivity. With the advent of new and innovative broadband applications such as IP, video, data, and other multimedia services, the bandwidth requirements of intra-Asian submarine cables are projected to grow by about 40 per cent annually between 2011 and 2018. In fact, these cable routes would require an additional overall capacity of 99 terabits per second (Tbps) to meet this demand.
While operators are taking steps to tap into the unused potential of their existing cable networks, the development of new cable systems such as the ASE that has a high bandwidth capacity of 15 Tbps is still critical. Further, the ASE is equipped with optical add-drop multiplexer technologies to enable faster transfer of data at about 40 gigabits per second (Gbps).
Furthermore, the ASE is installed along a route that, to a large extent, circumvents the critical earthquake-prone areas. Several countries in the Asian region are highly susceptible to seismic activities such as underwater earthquakes and typhoons, which have led to the disruption of undersea cable systems. As a result, affected countries experience temporary isolation during natural calamities.
The ASE has been installed along a route that steers clear of such critical earthquake-prone areas. It goes up to a water depth of over 3,000 metres and is built 10 metres below the seabed for additional safety. Moreover, the cable routes linking the ASE terminal stations in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore have been designed to cover the shortest possible distances in order to increase the system’s reliability and minimise latency. Most of the route is straight, thus allowing data to flow from Singapore to Tokyo in about 65 milliseconds.
Bolstering network and capabilities across SEA countries
Philippines: The ASE system has ushered in several benefits for the country, by improving international communication links and expanding bandwidth capacity. N.L. Nazareno, president and chief executive officer of PLDT, which is the operator responsible for the landing of the cable system in the country, noted in a company statement: “This international submarine cable system has the largest capacity ever to land into the country. It is also the most secure.”
The system will play a key role in expanding the country’s overall bandwidth capacity that is expected to increase from the current 1.18 Tbps (supported through eight existing fibre optic submarine cables) to around 15 Tbps. Moreover, improved international communication connectivity will offer several benefits for enterprises such as banks, semiconductor firms, and call centres, along with small and medium enterprises that conduct their business online, whose operations require internet reliability. Nazareno also pointed out the value of the ASE for the country’s investment scene: “The system will enhance the country’s global competitiveness in attracting investments for the business process outsourcing industry and other ventures at a time when investor interest in the Philippines is on the upswing.”
As for PLDT, the ASE has improved and strengthened the resilience of the company’s international communication links, thus enabling the company to divert its traffic towards other countries during calamities. For instance, the temporary inaccessibility of some countries, as during the undersea earthquake near the Bashi Channel in December 2006, can now be avoided, as the ASE is able to divert traffic towards Japan and the US. Similarly, other international operators can also use this network to route their communication traffic via the Philippines during a calamity. Further, implementation of the system has allowed PLDT to offer bandwidth-heavy applications such as IP-based data, external video content, and other external multimedia services.
PLDT has invested PhP 2.25 billion (PhP 1 [Philippine peso] = $0.024) towards the development and installation of the cable system. The company has established a cable landing station at Daet in Camarines Norte – its first cable station on the east coast of the Philippines– to house the ASE’s fibre optic equipment and supervisory systems.
Malaysia: TM Berhard, the operator responsible for the system in the country, owns two of the six fibre optic pairs within the ASE system. The remaining four pairs are jointly owned by NTT, StarHub, and PLDT. TM has used its two pairs to develop the wholly owned CahayaMalaysia cable system (approximately 7,000 km long) that covers Malaysia, Japan, and Hong Kong. It has a total capacity of 500 Gbps, which is higher than the combined capacity (453 Gbps) of the company’s nine existing cable systems.
The cable system, developed with an investment of approximately RM 427 million (RM 1 [Malaysian ringgit] = $0.326), is designed to provide the shortest and most optimum routing, thus reducing latency by 25 per cent. It also serves as a backup connection (in the form of alternative diverse routing) for other cables, should a disruption occur due to seismic activities.
Moreover, the cable system is playing a very important role in TM’s portfolio. M.R. Abd Rahman, TM’s executive vice-president of global operations, noted in a company statement that the ASE is TM’s largest investment in a single international submarine cable system to date. It also attests to the company’s dedication to the provision of quality service: “This project demonstrates TM’s commitment towards investing in the development of IP communications in the Asian region, and to provide a faster and more resilient internet connection.”
Cahaya Malaysia currently connects Malaysia and Japan. The landing station is located in Mersing which undertakes the landing of other major cable systems such as the Asia America Gateway and the Southeast Asia–Middle East–Western Europe (SEA–ME–WE) 3. The system has enhanced TM’s global network services by increasing its bandwidth capacity and improving its regional reach in the country, hence offering seamless interconnections. Going forward, the company aims to launch the link between Malaysia and Hong Kong during the first quarter of 2013.
Singapore: ASE, with its huge bandwidth capacity, is expected to cater to the rising data usage in Singapore. According to Mock Pak Lam, chief technology officer, StarHub, the operator responsible for the system in the country: “The ASE is built to meet the increasing demand for bandwidth in the region, especially in Singapore, where there is a growing usage of mission-critical business applications. Currently, one of Singapore’s boutique investment banks is leveraging the ASE network to provide high up-time mission-critical services to its clients.” ASE complements StarHub’s existing submarine cable system, the Asia-America Gateway. Moreover, the cable’s route between Singapore and Japan covers the shortest distance, which in turn maximises reliability and minimises latency.
Forging connections in Hong Kong
NTT Communications Asia Limited, along with Hong Kong’s Office of the Telecommunications Authority, formally launched the ASE’s landing on November 30, 2012. With a length of approximately 33.5 km, the cable travels from Tseung Kwan O (where the landing station is located) eastward to the Tathong Channel. It is the eighth cable system in the country. It has been routed to avoid the critical earthquake zone in the south of Taiwan, thus providing additional redundancy against natural disasters and cable breaks.
Connecting Asia and beyond
Operators across the Asian region are continuously trying to develop systems that can counter the challenges posed by the increasing need for international connectivity, limited bandwidth availability, and less flexible networks. The bandwidth and capacity requirements for internet services have quadrupled in the SEA region over the last three to four years, and the trend is likely to continue. With the capability to incorporate 100 Gbps of optical technology in the future, the ASE will address this growing need for data services and international connectivity in the coming years. Just as importantly, it will provide a significant platform for diverting communication traffic during calamities.
The system’s connectivity will be extended to Mainland China and other SEA countries like Vietnam and Thailand in the subsequent phases of its operations. Going forward, it may also be connected to other major cable systems in Europe, the Middle East, other parts of Asia, and the US.
