Asian consortium on track with sub-sea cable project

MANILA, Philippines — A consortium of internet providers in Asia has vowed to complete a submarine cable system that seeks to add data capacity in six countries in the region, including the Philippines.

Internet provider Converge ICT Solutions yesterday said that the Southeast Asia Hainan-Hong Kong Express Cable System (SEA-H2X) would be activated on time in 2024.

SEA-H2X will extend for 5,000 kilometers in East and Southeast Asia, particularly China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Converge said SEA-H2X will be made up of eight fiber pairs in its infrastructure located in Hong Kong and Singapore. It will host a design capacity of 160 terabits per second intended to serve the growing bandwidth requirement in Asia.

Converge, for its part, will manage two fiber pairs that it eyes to integrate in its system by 2024. The firm, owned by businessman Dennis Anthony Uy, hopes to use the sub-sea cable link to meet the digital requirements of its customers.

Converge chief operations officer Jesus Romero said SEA-H2X would contribute in positioning the Philippines as a digital gateway in Asia, especially as international cable systems play a crucial role in attracting tech giants to invest in a particular country.

“In Converge, we have a dream and that is to make the Philippines a digital transit hub in Asia,” Romero said.

“The SEA-H2X project is one step toward that dream where we hope to create a more vibrant industry that can position businesses for success, provide employment, and continually improve the lives of Filipinos over time,” he said.

Apart from Converge, the SEA-H2X consortium is composed of China Mobile International Ltd., China Unicom Global and PPTEL SEA H2X Sdn. Bhd. The group has hired infrastructure builder HMN Technologies Co. to design, manufacture and deploy the system.

Last year Converge also signed an agreement with Singapore-based Keppel Midgard Holdings Pte. to participate in the Bifrost cable system that is also slated to be finished in 2024. Converge will invest P5 billion to hook up to Bifrost that will connect Singapore to North America.

In terms of reach, Converge has passed through 14.32 million homes as of September, scaling up its growing capacity in the regions, particularly in Visayas and Mindanao.

Converge now covers 53 percent of the population with the goal of reaching 55 percent in 2023.