Intra - Asia enhances connectivity between Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia with SEA-H2X submarine cable

High-performance cable system aimed at bringing speed and capacity to support digital transformation in Asia

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 12 May 2022 - China Mobile International Limited (CMI)[1], China Unicom Global (CUG) [2] , Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, Inc. (Converge) and PPTEL SEA H2X Sdn. Bhd (PPTEL SEA-H2X)[3], reaffirmed their partnership to construct and operate the South East Asia Hainan - Hong Kong Express Cable System (SEA-H2X), a new submarine cable system that will connect Hong Kong SAR China, Hainan China, Philippines, Thailand, East Malaysia and Singapore, with options to extend to Vietnam, Cambodia, West Malaysia and Indonesia. The parties to the SEA-H2X Project have appointed HMN Technologies Co., Limited (HMN Tech) to build the cable in a fully funded project which will greatly enhance intra-Asian connectivity. With the Construction and Maintenance Agreement (C&MA) and Supply Contract with HMN Tech being effective on March 4, 2022, the parties also announced today that the Supply Contract has come into force.

At approximately 5,000 kilometers in length, the SEA-H2X cable will consist of at least 8-fiber pairs between Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, with a design capacity of 160 terabits per second to meet the growing bandwidth requirement in the region. The System is targeted to be ready-for-service in 2024 which help businesses and consumers benefit from increasing digital ties.

Employing state-of-the-art optical submarine transmission equipment, this high-performance submarine cable's completion will provide the needed additional bandwidth within the region and network diversity. The construction of SEA-H2X will respond to the high broadband (Internet) demand between Hong Kong SAR and Southeast Asia countries by providing needed capacity and faster transmission, and in preparation for the coming 5G era.

The SEA-H2X cable will be implemented by HMN Tech from the design, manufacturing and deployment of the system. Employing an open system model, SEA-H2X has the flexibility to choose best-in-breed Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) from third-party vendors at a later date. HMN Tech's advanced Branching Unit (BU) and Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) will benefit SEA-H2X in providing the ultimate flexibility of electrical power and optical fiber switches across multiple locations.

"CMI continues to focus on the digital economy development by expanding our digital infrastructure including cable systems, PoPs and data centers. We have been investing in various submarine cables due to the soaring demand for data usage in the Asia-Pacific region. We are honored to be a partner in SEA-H2X, which connects major cities such as Hong Kong, China and Singapore, along with Hainan, China, linking to locations in the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand in Southeast Asia. The SEA-H2X cable will provide high-speed, low-latency, and low-cost data connections for customers in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) region, to further accelerate economic development of its members. We sincerely hope construction plans for the SEA-H2X submarine cable can be successfully implemented and acted on as soon as possible,," said Dr. Li Feng, Chairman and CEO of CMI.

"Submarine cable is irreplaceable in building robust, secure and accessible global network connections in the Digital Era. As an important large-bandwidth submarine system in the region, SEA-H2X will further upgrade connectivity to Hong Kong SAR, Hainan SEZ and Southeast Asia countries, boosting unimpeded trade, communication, financial integration along the route. We are proud to participate in this trans-Asia cable project. China Unicom Global Limited will prove ourselves in providing customers with cloud-network integration, smart, agile, and safe digital products and solutions. We sincerely hope the whole project achieve a well-rounded success." said Dr. Meng Shusen, Chairman and President of CUG.

"We are pleased to be a partner in this trans-Asia cable that will respond to the booming data traffic between Hong Kong SAR and Southeast Asia. This submarine cable system will boost the connectivity between our two PoPs located in Hong Kong and in Singapore. Further, this will serve as a crucial infrastructure to add diversity and redundancy to our international network. We are truly diversifying our international capacity portfolio as transpacific demand will be served by the Bifrost, and now trans-Asia demand will be served by SEA-H2X," said Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy.

"PPTEL SEA-H2X is excited to participate in the SEA-H2X consortium, joining our partners in the region with our investment consisting of a trunk fibre pair and a branch into Sarawak, East Malaysia. PPTEL SEA-H2X is transforming the telecoms landscape in Malaysia from our home base in Kuching, where we are launching the first Tier IV Data Centre in the region in Q1 2022, co-located with our new CLS at Santubong. Our strategic location allows us to offer new low latency routings between China and Jakarta, via SEA-H2X and BaSICS (Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System), which is also expected to complete in Q1 2022. With extensive fibre reach throughout Malaysia and Indonesia through our partner XL, we are providing the backbone for the Sarawak government's Digital Transformation 2030 ambitions both domestically and internationally," said PPTEL CEO Jonathan Smith.

"It is our honor to provide the advanced turnkey submarine cable solution for SEA-H2X consortium members," said Mao Shengjiang, CEO of HMN Tech. "We are committed to developing innovative and reliable technologies, and to utilizing them in the critical telecom infrastructures, like SEA-H2X. HMN Tech's start-of-art technology and expert deployment abilities will contribute to the consortium to build a high-speed, large-capacity and low-latency system fast and successfully and to enhance intra-Asian connectivity."

CMI Company Profile

China Mobile International Limited (CMI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, mainly responsible for the operation of China Mobile's international business. In order to provide better services to meet the growing demand in the international telecommunications market, China Mobile established a subsidiary, CMI, in December 2010. CMI currently has over 70 terrestrial and submarine cable resources worldwide, with a total international transmission bandwidth of over 109T, and a total of 225 overseas PoPs. With Hong Kong, China as its launchpad, CMI has significantly accelerated global IDC development, creating a strong network for data centre cloudification. Leveraging the strong support by China Mobile, CMI is a trusted partner that provides comprehensive international information services and solutions to international enterprises, carriers and mobile users. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, CMI has expanded its footprint in 36 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com.

CUG Company Profile

China Unicom Global is headquartered in Hong Kong, with 30 worldwide subsidiaries and over 130 global Points-of-Presence (PoPs), CUG endeavors on global business development, operation, and servicing outside Mainland China. China Unicom Global offers reliable end-to end global integrated telecommunication services and solutions, including global connectivity services, global Internet access, ICT services, cloud computing, Internet of things (IoT), video conferencing, unified communications, content, and security services, and provides personal customers with premium voice and mobility services. For more information, please visit: https://www.chinaunicomglobal.com

Converge Company Profile

Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, Inc. (PSE:CNVRG) is the fastest-growing fixed broadband service provider in the Philippines. It is the first to run an end-to-end pure fiber internet network in the country, providing Filipinos simple, fast, and reliable connectivity. Aside from broadband services, Converge also offers integrated data center and network solutions services.

With over 103,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable network, Converge has one of the most extensive fiber networks in the Philippines.

This fiber-powered network allows Converge to provide premium world-class digital experiences for residential, enterprise, and wholesale customers. Converge is ISO 9001 and CE2.0 Certified.

Go to https://www.convergeict.com for more information.

PPTEL SEA-H2X Company Profile

PPTEL SEA H2X Sdn. Bhd. (PPTEL SEA-H2X) is a subsidiary of PP Telecommunication Sdn. Bhd. (PPTEL) - a Sarawak-based, international telecommunication infrastructure provider. In line with the aspirations of the Sarawak Government's Digital Transformation Program, PPTEL is constructing the Sarawak International Internet Gateway (SIIG), comprising of 5 core components, namely, :-

1. Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System (BaSICS)
First International Submarine Cable System connecting Sarawak to the regional telecommunication hub of Singapore, wholly owned and managed by PPTEL.

2. Tier IV Carrier Neutral Data Centre, accredited by Uptime Institute
Malaysia's first Tier IV "Zero Downtime" Data Centre serving mission critical businesses in the region.

3. International Cross Border Terrestrial Fiber Network
A terrestrial fiber network connecting the Cable Landing Station & Data Centre in Santubong, to major towns across Sarawak, Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam.

4. Regional Internet Exchange
Sarawak is positioned to be the main Telecommunications Gateway for Borneo to connect directly to the regional telecommunication hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore. This regional internet exchange complements PPTEL's Data Centre, to provide direct connectivity to the multiple internet exchanges in the region, from Kuching, Sarawak.

5. South East Asia Hainan Hong Kong Express (SEA-H2X) Submarine Cable System
PPTEL SEA-H2X's investment into a second international cable system bringing much needed capacity directly into Sarawak, to complement our existing services offered from PPTEL's Data Centre and Cable Landing Station at Santubong.

For enquiries, please email us – enquiries@pptelecom.com.my

HMN Tech Company profile

HMN Technologies Co., Limited is an advanced provider of innovative, reliable and flexible turnkey submarine network solutions on a global scale. To date, the company has deployed the submarine cable system with the length of over 80,000 km. HMN Tech provides end-to-end project development solutions, incorporating system design, permitting, marine survey, manufacture, integration and marine installation services with an on-going focus and commitment to customer support for network operators. Thanks to our robust product portfolio, in-depth expertise and strong R&D capabilities, we enable telecom carriers, oil and gas operators, and other industry players to achieve their business goals.

#ChinaMobileInternational #CMI

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