Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation (Keppel T&T), Facebook and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin) have signed an agreement to jointly own and develop the Bifrost cable system. The subsea cable system will directly connect Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.
Facebook said it would also be investing in a second trans-Pacific link called Echo. Together the two new systems are expected to boost capacity across the Pacific by 70 percent. The new routes via Indonesia and Singapore, in partnership with local operators M1, XL Axiata and Telin, follow the company encountering resistance from the US government on earlier plans for a cable system connecting California to Hong Kong.
Google announced it would also be investing in Echo. This cable will run from Eureka, California to Singapore, with a stop-over in Guam, with plans to also land in Indonesia. Additional landings are possible in the future. Expected ready in 2023, this will be the first cable to connect the US to Singapore with direct fiber pairs over an express route.
The Bifrost cable system is scheduled for completion in 2024, Keppel said. Spanning over 15,000 km, the system will connect Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America.
Keppel Midgard’s share of the total project costs as a joint build partner will reach USD 350 million (approximately SGD 467 million). Keppel T&T, Facebook and Telin have appointed Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) for the supply and installation works of the cable system.
