Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation’s (Keppel T&T) wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Midgard Holdings Pte. Ltd. (KMH), and Converge ICT Solutions Inc. have virtually signed definitive agreements for the latter's P5 billion investment in the Bifrost Cable System linking Singapore to North America's west coast.
Converge today (May 27) made the announcement.
Signed by Keppel T&T CEO Mr Thomas Pang and Converge CEO Mr Dennis Anthony Uy the other day (May 25), the agreements grant Converge Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) for one fiber pair on the main trunk of Bifrost Cable System.
In addition, KMH and Converge will jointly develop a Bifrost Cable System branch that will land in Davao.
Converge will also be granted an IRU on the entire Davao branch and appointed as the landing party for the Davao segment.
“We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with Converge through our collaboration on this transnational infrastructure project," remarked Pang.
The Bifrost Cable System will enable greater ASEAN inter-connectivity, as well as greater connectivity between Southeast Asia and the west coast of North America, bringing significant benefits to the region’s governments, businesses and consumers, he pointed out.
Furthermore, “The additional Davao branch for the Bifrost Cable System will significantly increase internet speeds and network diversity for businesses and consumers in the Philippines for a better digital experience," Uy added.
"Our investment into this cable system also gives us two direct international links, one going to Singapore and the other one going to North America with a design capacity of up to 15Tbps in each direction,” he elaborated.
To be completed in 2024, the over 15,000-kilometers Bifrost Cable System is the world’s first subsea cable system directly connecting Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.
It will connect Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam andNorth America's west coast.
Overall, the Bifrost Cable System will boost the connectivity of the region’s governments and businesses, including cloud operators, telecommunications operators, network providers, over-the-top (OTT) providers, data centres, governments, enterprises, and consumers, offering them competitive pricing and capacity resilience.