Vietnam-Singapore Submarine cable is a data transmission project by Viettel and Singtel.
This project is a partnership between two of the largest telecommunication companies in both countries. The submarine cable system will be operational by 2027.
Overview of the Vietnam-Singapore Submarine Cable System
An underwater submarine cable between Vietnam and Singapore is currently in the works. The Vietnam-Singapore (VTS) submarine cable system is a partnership between Vietnam’s Viettel and Singapore’s Singtel. Both companies recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a submarine cable system that connects the two countries.
The VTS will be the shortest cable connecting the two countries. The cable’s main trunk in Vietnam will be managed by Viettel. Meanwhile, the cables in Singapore will be handled by Singtel.
Once installed and operational, the VTS will significantly improve the capacity of Viettel’s international connections to hundreds of terabits per second (Tbps).
The VTS submarine cable system will also include branch landing stations in other Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Viettel will install the underwater submarine cables in three directions: going towards the southern seas and going towards the north and south of the east sea.
According to both companies, the Vietnam-Singapore submarine cable system aims to upgrade high-speed capacity, open a connection to the south, and improve the security of international connections.
This project will be the first cable with the latest bandwidth technology through a partnership of two large telecommunication operators from Singapore and Vietnam.
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Submarine cables: the world’s unseen connection to the internet
Submarine cables, or undersea cables, are cables laid on the seabed between stations. These cables carry and transmit data between continents and across large stretches of land and ocean.
These cables are the unseen pathway of the world to global internet connectivity. Around 95% of the data that moves worldwide passes through these underwater submarine cables.
As of June 2024, there are more than 600 underwater submarine cables embedded in the ocean floor.
Vietnam’s growing digital sector
The Vice President of Singtel, Ooi Seng Keat, stated that Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing digital economies in Southeast Asia. Enterprises and consumers are using advanced technologies including Artificial intelligence and other heavy data consumption applications. Keat also added that the VTS submarine cable system will support higher bandwidth demands, and enhance connectivity for institutions, enterprises, and consumers.
Viettel and Singtel’s memorandum of agreement is a significant milestone in the data transfer infrastructure of both countries. The VTS cable system aligns with Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) strategy to develop international optical cable systems by 2030.
As part of the strategy to increase optical cable systems, the country aims to increase submarine cables to 15 systems, and a capacity of 334 Tbps, as soon as 2030.
Vietnam’s growing digital economy, the Vietnam-Singapore submarine cable is a crucial step into the country’s goal of becoming a regional data center. Research and Markets forecast Vietnam’s data center economy to hit $1.03 billion by 2028, from $561 million in 2022.
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