A consortium including RTI Connectivity (RTI-C), AARNet and Google, together with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), part of Nokia, and NEC have announced that the construction of the Japan-Guam-Australia Cable System (JGA) has officially commenced. The 9,500-km undersea fibre-optic cable system is expected to deliver a design capacity of more than 36 Tbps and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019.
JGA is expected to enhance and contribute to the expansion of communications networks from Japan and Australia, to Asia and the US, and expand onward connectivity options in Guam. RTI-C's investment in JGA will be built utilizing capital from the Fund Corporation for the Overseas Development of Japan's ICT and Postal Services (Japan ICT Fund), along with syndicated loans from Japanese financial institutions, including NEC Capital Solutions.
JGA is being co-built by ASN and NEC. JGA South (JGA-S), the segment between Sydney, Australia and Piti, Guam, is a consortium cable including AARNet, Google and RTI-C. JGA North (JGA-N), the segment between the Minami-Boso, Japan and Piti, Guam, is a private cable with RTI-C as the sole purchaser. Both JGA-N and JGA-S will interconnect in Guam at GTA's newly built landing station.
