- Strengthening network diversity and resilience across eight countries.
- Positioned to handle explosive growth in AI-generated traffic by 2033.
What happened: A Singtel‑led consortium partners with NEC to build AUG East submarine cable
Singtel, chairing a consortium comprised of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, ARTERIA Networks, Chunghwa Telecom, DREAMLINE, Globe Telecom, Telekom Malaysia, and Unified National Networks, has signed a contract with NEC Corporation to build the Asia United Gateway East (AUG East) submarine cable.
Spanning approximately 8,900 km, the cable will connect Singapore with Japan and land in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. Completion is scheduled for Q3 2029. The system will feature high‑count fibre pairs capable of supporting millions of simultaneous ultra‑high‑definition video streams.
Alan Tan, chair of the Asia United Gateway Cable Management Committee and director of Submarine Cable Planning at Singtel, emphasised that the surge in AI innovation is driving the need for resilient, high‑capacity digital infrastructure.
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Why it’s important
The AUG East cable arrives at a pivotal moment: a report from Light Reading cites Omdia projections that by 2033, roughly 62 per cent of global monthly network traffic will derive from AI and AI‑enhanced applications. This infrastructure is therefore strategically essential for meeting this demand.
By connecting two major digital hubs—Singapore and Tokyo, Japan—the cable will bolster network diversity and reliability along a major route. That, in turn, supports enhanced digital inclusion and economic development across Asia Pacific. Moreover, NEC’s proven track record in submarine cables reassures project robustness.
In a wider context, this initiative aligns with global cloud and content providers increasingly investing in their own submarine infrastructure—Microsoft and Facebook’s MAREA transatlantic cable and Google’s Indigo cable are prime examples. With the region’s digital economy expanding in AI, fintech, and cloud services, the AUG East cable will be pivotal in sustaining data-hungry growth.
