Network Design

TE SubCom signs South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement to maintain 51,000 km of telecom, power cables

June 4, 2018

TE SubCom signed the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement (SPMMA) with 14 cable operators in the South Pacific region to maintain over 51,000 km of cable that constitutes 19 disparate telecommunications and power cable systems. The SPMMA area includes the South Pacific region from Singapore in the west to Tahiti in the east, and from New Zealand at the southernmost point to Hawaii in the north.

TE SubCom Awarded South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement (Source: TE SubCom)

TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, said that it has signed the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement (SPMMA) with 14 cable operators in the South Pacific region to maintain over 51,000 km of cable that constitutes 19 disparate telecommunications and power cable systems. The SPMMA area includes the South Pacific region from Singapore in the west to Tahiti in the east, and from New Zealand at the southernmost point to Hawaii in the north, says TE SubCom.

The five-year service agreement was effective March 10, 2017. Under terms of the agreement, TE SubCom will use the cable ship Reliance, based in the South Pacific region, to maintain submarine cable systems covering more than 28 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. TE SubCom affirms that a professional marine crew will leverage its marine assets and technology line to deliver maintenance services to the region.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to provide world class maintenance services to our clients in the South Pacific region," said Chris Carobene, Marine Services vice president, TE SubCom. "The needs of global cable operators change rapidly, and maintenance providers must be both flexible and innovative throughout the life of an undersea cable system. As a result, SubCom continues to invest in our maintenance services, building the infrastructure necessary to respond to our customers' evolving needs. The SPMMA agreement highlights the demand for new, strategic approaches to maintenance and demonstrates that SubCom is well-positioned to address these challenges."

TE SubCom is also involved with deployment of the U.S. domestic segment of the Hawaiki Submarine Cable between Oregon and Hawaii, which the company says will be ready for service this month (see "Transpacific Hawaiki Submarine Cable progresses toward June 2018 ready for service date").

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