The Indigo cable system is set to link Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
A consortium of Asian operators, Google and telecommunications infrastructure firm Superloop have commissioned a subsea cable system linking Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
Google, Indosat Ooredoo, Singapore’s Singtel, SubPartners, Australian telco Telstra and education sector network provider AARNet entered into an agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks to build the Indigo cable system, previously known as APX West & Central. The cable is set to span around 9,000 kilometers between Singapore and Perth on the west coast of Australia, and onwards to Sydney. Landing in existing facilities in Singapore, Australia and Indonesia, the system will also allow connections between Singapore and Jakarta.
The subsea cable system will use a two-fiber pair “open cable” design with spectrum-sharing technology said to allows members to share ownership of spectrum within the cable. The system will also feature coherent optical technology, which uses light to transmit data along fiber optic cables.
The construction of the cable system is expected to be fully completed by mid-2019.
“The construction of Indigo is timely to meet the rising demand for high-speed broadband between Asia and Australia,” said Ooi Seng Keat, VP for carrier services and group enterprise at Singtel, in a statement. “This cable system complements our global connectivity that links Asia, the U.S., Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Indigo will be a new data superhighway that facilitates Singtel and Optus to catalyze the development of digital economies across the regions. This next-generation cable system will provide our customers with greater network diversity and resilience, and reinforce our position as the leading provider of international data services in the region.”
