SingTel to link Asia, Mid-East, Europe

SingTel to link Asia, Mid-East, Europe

SINGAPORE: Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) said
Wednesday it had joined 12 other carriers to plan and initiate
the construction of a new submarine cable linking Asia, the
Middle East and Western Europe.

The proposed network will provide much needed bandwidth as
existing cables along the same route are becoming increasingly
saturated, SingTel said in a statement.

"Though the current market situation might not seem conducive
to embark on this project, this is the opportune time... to plan
and build a network to ease the expected bandwidth bottleneck
between Asia and Europe," SingTel's global business vice
president, Lim Shyong, said.

Details on price and configuration would not be available
until negotiations with suppliers were completed, a spokesman
told AFP. -- AFP