Palau Spur submarine cable to bring 500Gbps to Republic of Palau

NEC and the Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) have completed a new submarine cable that links the Republic of Palau with the SEA-US cable.

The SEA-US cable already links the Philippines and Indonesia to the United States through connection points in Guam and Hawaii.

The Palau Spur interconnects with the SEA-US cable from a branching unit located between the Philippines and Guam. It will also connect the Republic of Palau to Guam, with onward connectivity to Asia, North America and the rest of the world.

The Palau Spur's initial design capacity will bring 500 Gigabits per second (Gbps) through NEC's state-of-the-art 100 Gbps technology.

"This marks the completion of critical national infrastructure, that has already made its presence felt in improved services, and will continue to support the sustainable development of Palau long into the future as technologies evolve," commented the President of the Republic of Palau, His Excellency E. Tommy Remengesau, Jr.

He attended a Ready for Service celebration that was held at the National Museum in Koror, Palau.

"This marks the completion of critical national infrastructure, that has already made its presence felt in improved services, and will continue to support the sustainable development of Palau long into the future as technologies evolve," the President said.

The Belau Submarine Corporation is a 100% state-owned entity of the Republic of Palau. It owns the Palau Spur and an IRU agreement with Globe Telecom in the Philippines.

"BSCC is proud to have partnered with NEC to deliver a world class international submarine network on time and under budget," comments BSCC Board Chairman George Rechucher.

NEC has also been instrumental in the submarine cable business. It has laid more than 250,000 kilometres of submarine cable.

"NEC is honored to have been selected as a partner for this significant project for the Republic of Palau and it is with deep pride that we hand over the keys to launch the new submarine cable link to the BSCC and the people of Palau," says general manager of NEC's Submarine Network Division, Toru Kawauchi.

"Yesterday, this island nation was still dependent on satellite communications, but from today, this new cable will bring information at the speed of light, improving the quality of life for those living in and traveling to Palau," Kawauchi concludes.

NEC is also a total system integrator that produces optical submarine cable, repeaters and equipment for connecting optical transmissions to land. It also carries out ocean surveys and route design, as well as laying optical submarine cable and personnel training.