The 3,900 km Hong Kong Guam Cable System (HK-G) is due to begin operation in January 2020, with 100Gbps transmission. No price was given for the project.
The cable is being planned by RTI Connectivity, a private cable developer set up by US entrepreneurs in Singapore. The contract will partially use capital from the Fund Corporation for the Overseas Development of Japan’s ICT and Postal Services (Japan ICT Fund)
“NEC is delighted to be selected as the supplier of the HK-G submarine cable planned by RTI Connectivity,” said Toru Kawauchi, general manager of NEC’s submarine network division. “With Guam becoming a new hub in the Pacific, we look forward to helping the RTI group of companies provide for the expanding Asia-Pacific demand for more connectivity.”
A map published by NEC indicated three possible extensions, to Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. The HK-G cable is due to connect in Guam with the SEA-US system that directly connects south-east Asia to the US, which NEC began constructing in March 2015.
The SEA-US project is backed by a related company, RTI Cable, whose founder, president and CEO is Russ Matulich, who has provided advisory services to subsea projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
From January 2002 to December 2010, he was managing director for the Asia-Pacific region of TE SubCom – formerly Tyco Telecommunications.
According to Singapore records, RTI Connectivity was set up in September 2015.
