Telstra International and Trans Pacific Networks announce partnership on the Echo cable system connecting the U.S. and Asia

Jan. 25, 2024
The cable, scheduled to be finished in 2025, will connect California, Jakarta, Singapore, and Guam.

Telstra International announced on Jan. 24 that it has partnered with Trans Pacific Networks (TPN) to provide services for the Echo cable system. The Google- and Meta-backed cable system will be the first subsea cable to connect the United States directly to Singapore.

The first Echo segment, connecting Guam and the U.S., is slated to launch in mid-2024; the remaining segments are scheduled for 2025. Once finished, the cable system will connect California, Jakarta, Singapore, and Guam. Telstra reports that the cable system will create a new path and offer low latency, high-speed, and resilient network infrastructure.

Through the partnership, Telstra will provide secure, long-term stability on the route, deliver cable landing station services in Singapore, and provide network operating center services. XL Axiata will deliver cable and service to Indonesia.

Roary Stasko, Telstra International’s CEO, said in a press release, “Our subsea network scale makes Telstra International uniquely placed to successfully navigate the complexity of these environments to ensure the stability of the world’s digital connectivity.”

The demand for bandwidth in the Trans-Pacific is rapidly growing, with Telegeography forecasting it will increase by 39% year-over-year until 2029. Stasko has called the area in which the cable will be built one of the more challenging regions to operate in.

Aaron Knapik, TPN’s CFO, said in the same press release, “Trans Pacific Networks is thrilled to partner with industry leader Telstra to expand telecommunication access between the U.S. and Asia. To be partially funded by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Echo subsea cable system will be a critical element of the Indo-Pacific’s digital infrastructure, ultimately strengthening networks and increasing capacity while reducing internet costs in the region.”

Stasko also added, “We’re accelerating growth in our international digital infrastructure with investments in subsea fiber capacity on unique, diverse routes—helping to move more traffic around the world and strengthening connections from Asia to the U.S. Echo’s cable system has the ability to allow other countries to take advantage of its redundancy. In addition, we’ve recently added 3Tbps of capacity through the SEA-US cable connecting the U.S. mainland to Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines, which complements our existing Trans-Pacific cables like AAG, UNITY, FASTER, NCP, and JUPITER.”

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Hayden Beeson

Hayden Beeson is a writer and editor with over seven years of experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, he was the associate editor of Architectural SSL and LEDs Magazine. 

Sponsored Recommendations

Jan. 30, 2025
With the ongoing drive to support AI and the need for high-speed data center interconnection, the call for higher-speed 800G optical technology is emerging. Initially focused ...
March 10, 2025
The continual movement around artificial intelligence (AI) cluster environments is driving new sales of optical transceiver sales and the adoption of linear pluggable optics (...
Dec. 9, 2024
As we wind down 2024, Lightwave’s latest on-topic eBook will examine the hot topics for 2025. AI is at the top of the minds of optical industry players supporting...
March 25, 2025
Explore how government initiatives and industry innovations are transforming rural broadband deployments, overcoming cost and logistical challenges to connect underserved areas...