The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has recently announced funding for a feasibility study for a new 18,507-kilometer submarine cable system, Thailand-U.S. Submarine Cable System (THUS), connecting Thailand and the US through neighbouring countries, that bypasses the contentious South China Sea.
THUS is envisioned to connect Thailand to the US through up to five other Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam – while avoiding the South China Sea and other routes that carry security risks, according to the agency’s press release.
Last month, w.media reported that Echo subsea cable has landed in Singapore, creating a second transpacific route between the United States and Southeast Asia that bypasses the South China Sea following the Bifrost Cable System.
The release added that the study will help National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT), Thailand’s state-owned telecommunications company, to assess THUS which is designed to replace Thailand’s aging subsea cable connection to the US with a system built on US technology standards.
Florida-based APTelecom LLC will conduct the study, which will assess the commercial, technical, financial, and regulatory viability of THUS including route design, economic analysis, commercialization planning, and regulatory review, and will strengthen the project’s ability to mobilize financing for implementation.
“This activity will help ensure that the critical infrastructure connecting Thailand to the United States is built using trusted technology, protecting sensitive data from exploitation while advancing Thailand’s ambitions to become a regional digital hub. By supporting the deployment of secure subsea cable systems, we are helping safeguard networks while opening new opportunities for U.S. companies to compete in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s Deputy Director.
“USTDA’s support comes at a pivotal moment. By funding the upfront feasibility work, this grant accelerates THUS toward bankability and opens the door to collaboration with leading American technology providers, whose innovation and engineering expertise we look forward to bringing into the project,” said Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, President of National Telecom Public Company Limited.