Asia-Pacific telecom giants launch submarine cable to boost connectivity

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) A consortium of major Asia-Pacific telecom companies, including Taiwan-based Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), jointly activated the Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) on Friday, a high-capacity international submarine cable system aimed at strengthening digital infrastructure and connectivity across the region.

The SJC2 spans approximately 10,500 kilometers and links key locations in Southeast and Northeast Asia, including Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and China, CHT said in a press release.

Taiwan hosts two landing stations -- one in Tamsui, New Taipei, and another in Fangshan, Pingtung County, the company said, adding that this dual-landing design improves network redundancy and resilience, especially in the face of natural disasters or service disruptions.

Built with advanced optical wavelength division multiplexing technology, the system delivers transmission speeds of up to 126 terabits per second, significantly boosting internet performance and stability across the region, CHT said.

According to the company, SJC2 is designed to meet rising demand for high-bandwidth technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things.

The project underscores the strategic role of the Asia-Pacific region in global digital infrastructure by offering broader geographic coverage, ultra-high bandwidth capacity, and ultra-low latency, it said.

"Chunghwa Telecom will continue to take concrete actions to enhance Taiwan's digital resilience and empower AI-driven industrial transformation," said Chairman Chien Chih-cheng (簡志誠).

SJC2 is a joint project involving major telecom and tech firms, including Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), Singtel (Singapore), China Mobile International (China), KDDI (Japan), SK Broadband (South Korea), Meta (U.S.), and other partners from Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.

The project follows CHT's March investment in the new E2A submarine cable system, a trans-Pacific fiber-optic network stretching approximately 12,500 kilometers and scheduled to launch in the second half of 2028.