December 13, 2005 Tokyo, Japan -- Fujitsu Limited announced that it has completed construction of an optical submarine cable network for the SEA-ME-WE 4 consortium, within a timeframe of 18 months. Fujitsu was awarded the contract with co-contractor Alcatel Submarine Networks (Paris, France) in March 2004.
The optical submarine cable network, which links 14 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Italy, and France, spans 20,000 kilometers. With a transmission capacity of 1.28 terabits, the immense optical telecommunications network is expected to act as a catalyst for development of IT industries, while accommodating rapidly growing demand for Internet and broadband services.
According to a press release, under the SEA-ME-WE 4 contract, Fujitsu was responsible for constructing approximately 8,000 kilometers of the optical submarine cable network from Singapore to Mumbai, India (segment 1), and supplying the entire system for this segment. Fujitsu also supplied submarine repeaters for the entire Mediterranean Sea segment (segment 4). An earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the devastating tsunami that followed occurred in December 2004, just prior to the scheduled start of the cable laying operation in the Bay of Bengal. In the wake of the disaster, Fujitsu immediately resurveyed the condition of the sea bed along the route and confirmed the integrity of the route, enabling the completion of the cable system without significant delay.
An inauguration ceremony marking the launch of telecommunications services using the optical submarine cable is being held today in Dubai, UAE, attended by the representatives from 16 international telecommunications carriers and other participants.