Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) announced the construction of a 19,000-kilometre-long submarine cable. The cable will connect several regions between Singapore and France, including India, Greece and Italy.
Singtel hopes to complete the submarine cable by the end of 2025. From then on, the cable is capable of providing broadband Internet in multiple regions between Singapore and France. According to Singtel, the cable will deliver speeds of up to 100 terabytes per second. That’s the equivalent of roughly 40,000 hi-res videos per second.
In addition to a direct connection between Singapore and France, the submarine cable stops at multiple intermediate stations in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The cable was named after the route: SEA-ME-WE 6, short for Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe.
Sixth SEA-ME-WE
Five previous cables have connected the same route. SEA-ME-WE 3, the third variant, ends in Ostend (Belgium). KPN, Deutsche Telecom and dozens of other organizations hold shares in SEA-ME-WE 3. They use the cable to deliver Internet in their regions.
According to Singtel, SEA-ME-WE 6 has twice the capacity of any previous version, including SEA-ME-WE 3. The cable is funded by several telecom providers. Most of the investors are active in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Currently, Orange France is the only European shareholder.
Egypt shut down
Although submarine cables are protected by a mass of seawater, not every cable escapes the risks of a land line. In 2013, three divers tried to cut through SEA-ME-WE 4. Five years earlier, SEA-ME-WE 3 was damaged by ship anchors. This incident shut down three-quarters of all Internet traffic in Egypt.
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