The commencement of work on the E2A transpacific subsea cable marks a significant development in telecommunications infrastructure. This new submarine cable system will link Japan and the USA and is projected to become operational by the second half of 2028. The primary consortium driving the project includes industry giants like Chunghwa Telecom, SoftBank Corp., SK Broadband, and Verizon Business.
The E2A system is designed with 12 fiber pairs, boasting a capacity exceeding 182Tbps. Stretching over 12,500 kilometers, the cable will connect Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan to the US west coast. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), a subsea cable specialist, will be handling the deployment tasks.
The project responds to the surging demand for data due to rapid advancements in AI applications, data centers, and cloud services across North America and Asia-Pacific regions. Highlighting the strategic importance of the cable, Teruyuki Oya from SoftBank stated, “We’re very pleased to have initiated the project for a new submarine cable connecting East Asia and the United States. As we enter an era where AI is being fully implemented, the importance of international submarine cables connecting not only Japan and the United States but also major parts of Asia as arteries of information is increasing.”
This extensive project aims to create alternative data transport routes. It plans to integrate with other ongoing subsea projects like the Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) and Apricot systems. Such connectivity endeavors are crucial as global data consumption continues to rise.
