CONVERGE ICT Solutions, Inc. has entered into “definitive agreements” with Keppel Midgard Holdings Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation, for a transpacific cable system project.
“The agreements provide for the grant of an Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) to Converge for one fiber pair on the main trunk of Bifrost Cable System,” Converge and Keppel said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The two parties also agreed to develop a branch on the Bifrost Cable System “that will land in Davao, Philippines, with Converge also being granted an IRU on the entire Davao branch.”
“Converge will also be appointed as the landing party for the Davao branch segment.”
Converge announced in April that it would invest more than $100 million in a new transpacific cable system.
The Bifrost Cable System is a transpacific cable system connecting Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, and the west coast of the United States, according to the official website of Submarine Cable Networks, a provider of consulting services on the planning, construction, operation, and marketing of submarine optical.
The cable system is a project of Facebook, PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, and Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation.
Spanning 15,000 kilometers, the new transpacific cable system is expected to be completed in 2024.
Converge and Keppel expect that the additional branch “will significantly increase internet speeds and network diversity for businesses and consumers in the Philippines.” — Arjay L. Balinbin