Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) - US$430M fiber optic cable system

Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) - US$430M fiber optic cable system

PLDT recently signed with leading telecommunication companies in Japan and Singapore a construction and maintenance agreement (C&MA) to build a US$430 million next generation high bandwidth optical fiber underwater cable system called Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE).

The 7,200-kilometer ASE system will link Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. The system will also connect to Malaysia and potentially to Mainland China, as well as other Southeast Asian countries. The system is envisioned to provide seamless interconnection with other major cable systems connecting Europe, the Middle East, other parts of Asia, and the United States.

PLDT’s new cable landing station on the east coast of the Philippines will also provide enhanced network redundancy for superior telecommunications services for corporate, SME (small and medium enterprise), and retail broadband customers of PLDT and wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc.

The other parties who signed the ASE C&MA on January 27, 2011, in Tokyo were NTT Communications of Japan and StarHub of Singapore. Telekom Malaysia (TM) signed a separate agreement with NTT Communications today in Kuala Lumpur.

StarHub Joins top Asian carriers to Build Asia Submarine-Cable Express (ASE)

SStarHub Joins top Asian carriers to Build Asia Submarine-Cable Express (ASE)

StarHub today announced that it has joined top Asian carriers to build and operate the Asia Submarine-Cable Express, a 7,200 kilometre undersea cable system linking Singapore directly to Japan, the Philippines and Hong Kong. The system will also have connectivity to Malaysia and potentially future connectivity to Mainland China, as well as other Southeast Asian countries.

Set to operate by June 2012, the ASE will boast a total bandwidth carrying capacity in excess of 15 terabits per second and will incorporate latest 40G optical technologies. The ASE is also future-proof and has the capability to incorporate 100Gbps optical technology in the future. In addition, the new submarine cable system is specifically designed to avoid earthquake and typhoon-prone regions, such as the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan while at the same time covers the shortest possible distance between Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, in order to ensure maximum reliability and minimum latency.

TELKOM Enters the Remittance Sector

TELKOM Enters the Remittance Sector

TELKOM is ready to enter the remittance sector with the launch of “Delima” or Delivery Money Access.

Delima is an application of remittance via Plasa Telkom, or other places that serve applications of Delima (Mitra Cash Point). TELKOM’s readiness to enter the sector was confirmed by the signing of a cooperation agreement (PKS) between TELKOM and a representative of mitra cash point aggregator simultaneously in Jakarta and Surabaya (31/1).

President Director of TELKOM, Rinaldi Firmansyah said, "TELKOM was ready to enter financial business in line with business portfolio transformation to T.I.M.E (Telecommunication, Information, Media, Edutainment) where one of the business strategies in the field of information is TELKOM’s entering financial business, among other thing, is to serve Remittance activity."