SingTel considers regional cable network

SingTel considers regional cable network

Agence France-Presse, Singapore

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) is looking at
building a fibre optic submarine cable network to link the city-
state with Indonesia and Thailand, the island's dominant carrier
said Monday.

SingTel has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) and PT
Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telkom) to explore the construction
of the proposed network, it said in a statement.

"With this MOU, the proposed cable network will be able to
provide the necessary infrastructure to support the growing
bandwidth demands emerging rapidly from Indonesia, Singapore and
Thailand," SingTel executive vice president for global business
Lim Shyong said.

The statement gave no details on the cost of the project.

Lim said it "is important that we are able to tap upon the
strengths and experience of one another to collaboratively build"
the regional high capacity network.

"Despite the current economic downturn in Asia, we will be
able to leverage the situation to negotiate lower construction
cost, and transfer these cost savings to our customers when the
cable network is completed by 2003, in time when the economy
recovers," he said.

The proposed 1,200 kilometer-long (744 miles) network, if the
go ahead is given, is expected to be completed by the middle of
2003 and all three partners are to have equal share in the cable
system.

All three parties are also looking to include Malaysia into
the network and discussions are underway with prospective telecom
operators from the country, the statement said.