DOCOMO Pacific says it will soon launch triple-digit internet speed when the laying of the Atisa submarine cable system is complete. This will enable the telecommunications company to offer various products and services to Saipan, Tinian and Rota that were initially offered to Guam customers.
Docomo Pacific CEO Jonathan Krigel on Wednesday conducted a tour for Gov. Ralph Torres, first lady Diann Torres, Lt. Gov. Victor Hocog and members of the media aboard the CS Responder, the ship that is installing the Atisa submarine cable system.
“Today, we provided a tour to our friends,” Kriegel said. “This is the ship that is doing the marine lay of the Atisa. We get to see some of the fiber splicer. We actually see them splicing or joining very small pieces of glass tubing together that will be used in one of the branching units that will go in the water and will connect the main cable to Tinian and then to Rota.”
“On Thursday [May 11] the cable will land on Saipan and then they will start laying the cable toward Tinian and Rota, then back to Guam,” Kriegel said, adding that the laying of cable will be completed around the end of May.
Kriegel said they still need about a month to test all the different services — the new LTE network, TiVo, the new internet and cable TV and HomeTel network.
“The first thing you will see is we’re going to launch a 4G LTE network here in Saipan, Tinian and Rota and we’ve been working on that for quite a while. We will able to offer excellent coverage,” he said, adding that it may be launched in August.
Kriegel said the Atisa will connect the Northern Marianas with Docomo’s main network in Guam. “That network in Guam is then connected to other fiber optic submarine cables that go to the U.S. mainland, to Hong Kong, Japan and the rest of the world.”
He said Docomo Pacific has been offering Guam high-speed internet.
“In Guam, we just launched triple digits — that is 100Mbps internet speed and we plan to launch that as well here in the Northern Marianas,” he added.
“It will also allow us to offer services in the Northern Marianas at the same prices we charge on Guam so there won’t be any higher prices in the NMI,” he said.
Docomo Pacific has invested a total of $26 million in the Atisa project for which the contractor is Japan-based NEC.