- NEC collaborates with regional operators to bring SEA‑Japan cable online, interlinking Southeast Asia with Japan.
- The new cable strengthens capacity, lowers latency, and provides essential redundancy for business-critical networks.
What happened: Subsea infrastructure milestone links Japan to Southeast Asia
NEC Corporation, in collaboration with a consortium of major telecom players, has officially brought the SEA–Japan Cable (SJC2) into operation. The 10,500km high-capacity submarine cable system now connects key landing points in Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore, enabling up to 144Tbps of total design capacity.
The project, which includes participation from leading operators such as Singtel and NTT Communications, is a significant expansion of regional backbone infrastructure. It also links directly to the Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) system, further enhancing network redundancy and cross-border data flow across Asia-Pacific.
The SJC2 cable features advanced optical fibre technology and redundant branching units, which ensure high reliability for both enterprise and consumer data traffic. NEC’s engineering marks a key step forward in regional digital resilience at a time when submarine cables have faced rising threats from geopolitical tension and natural disasters.
Also Read: Airtel lands 2Africa Pearls subsea cable in Mumbai
Also Read: Streaming overtakes broadcast and cable viewing for the first time
Why it’s important
The launch of the SEA–Japan cable could prove a strategic turning point for data-driven economies across Southeast Asia. As demand for international bandwidth surges, particularly with cloud, AI and fintech services booming in the region, traditional routes are under strain. This new route bypasses congested corridors and reduces reliance on South China Sea bottlenecks.
Equally critical is the security dimension. Recent cable cuts in Taiwan and the Red Sea highlighted how vulnerable Asia-Pacific’s digital backbone can be. With multiple landing stations and looped resilience paths, SEA–Japan aims to mitigate those risks. However, analysts remain cautious: increased capacity doesn’t automatically equal equitable access. Smaller markets like Cambodia may still face pricing barriers despite being connected.
Ultimately, NEC’s effort contributes to a broader shift toward decentralised Asian network infrastructure. But questions linger over long-term governance, cross-border regulation and whether regional telcos will coordinate or compete. As SEA–Japan becomes operational, it marks another chapter in the increasingly high-stakes game of digital geopolitics across the Asia-Pacific.
