- These cables would be the first ones to directly connect North America to some of the prominent parts of Indonesia
- The cable connection is anticipated to increase connectivity for eastern and central provinces of the country
Facebook, the leading social media giant, has reportedly planned laying two new and advanced undersea cables to connect areas of Indonesia, Singapore, and North America under the terms of a project in alliance with Google and regional telecommunication enterprises to catalyze the internet connection between the regions.
Labelled Bifrost and Echo, these cables are likely to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea and increasing the overall subsea capacity in the trans-pacific by over 70%. Although the size of the investment still stands undeclared, the project is said to be a very material investment for Facebook in the Southeast Asian region.
According to Kevin Salvador, Facebook VP of Network Investments, Echo is currently being built in partnership with Google and XL Axiata, an Indonesian telecommunications’ firm and is deemed to conclude by 2023.
Meanwhile, Bifrost, which is being constructed in collaboration with Telin and Keppel, a Singaporean giant, is due to be completed by 2024 end. It has been claimed that the two cables follow the previous investments by Facebook to build internet connectivity in the Indonesian states.
Apart from the Southeast Asian cables, the social media behemoth is also constantly working on its broader subsea plans in Asia and worldwide, including the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN). In essence, the PLCN subsea connection is a 12,800 km project which is being funded by Alphabet and Facebook.
Apparently, the project has already met the U.S government resistance over plans for a Hong Kong channel.
Speaking of the ongoing subsea connection efforts, Salvadori cited that the firm is working closely with the partners and regulators to meet all the concerns raised by people.