U.S. backs new Pacific cable as China rivalry reshapes networks
The U.S. has been working to expand its role in building subsea cables, which carry nearly all international internet traffic.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency on Monday announced funding for a feasibility study on a new trans-Pacific submarine cable linking the U.S. with Thailand and as many as five other Southeast Asian nations, as Washington seeks to expand secure digital infrastructure in the region.The proposed cable that could extend up to 11,500 miles (18,507 kilometers) long would connect Thailand with the U.S. via Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, “while avoiding the South China Sea and other routes that carry security risks,” the agency said in a statement. The project would be built to U.S. engineering standards and is intended to replace Thailand’s aging subsea connection to the United States.The Thailand-U.S. Submarine Cable System, or THUS, will “strengthen the resilience and diversity of our international networks, support the growth of Thailand’s data center, cloud, and AI sectors, and expand affordable connectivity,” said Col. Sanpachai Huvanandana, President of the Thai state-owned National Telecom Public Company.
Source: Japan Times
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