Japanese communication giant NTT has announced its intentions to build an enormous subsea network spanning from Singapore to Chennai and Mumbai, as well as to neighbouring Myanmar.
The so-called MIST cable will join NTT’s three existing subsea cable systems – Asia Submarine cable Express (ASE), Asia Pacific Gateway (APG), and Pacific Crossing -1(PC-1) – as well as the cJUPITER system currently under construction.
The 11,000km project will cost an estimated $400 million and has been given a ready for service date of June 2022. Further expansion of this network is also being planned.
The cable system will support 240Tbps with 400 Gbps dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology. In addition, the system will feature wavelength selective switching reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexing (WSS ROADM), enabling flexible remote switching of transmission routes to provide business continuity and uptime in the event of natural disasters.
MIST’s construction will increase NTT’s already considerable presence in the south of Asia. MIST landing stations will be connected by large-capacity fibre owned, built and operated by NTT. The company also stated its intention to centrally maintain and manage all landing stations.
“Globally, India and South East Asia are some of the world’s fastest-growing economies,” explained NTT’s chief executive officer Jason Goodall. “As digital investment and demand for data capacity continues to increase, providing access to reliable connectivity will remain critical to accelerate economic and social growth. The implementation of MIST will ultimately allow us to work with our clients around the world to build a truly connected future.”
The fact that an Indian carrier is not directly involved in a new submarine cable being landed on the subcontinent could be a by-product of the ongoing turmoil in the region's struggling telecoms industry.
Source: https://www.totaltele.com/504496/NTTs-MIST-subsea-cable-to-connect-Singapore-with-Myanmar-and-India