Vietnam is making preparations to restore the S7 submarine internet cable, which connects the country to the global network, and aims to complete the repair work by the end of this month. Scheduled repairs for the S7 segment of the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) cable are set to take place between June 23 and June 29.
The S7 cable is of vital importance as it serves as the entry point for Vietnam’s domestic Internet system. The APG cable, spanning approximately 10,400 kilometers beneath the Pacific Ocean, was put into operation in June 2016, linking Vietnam with mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.
Earlier this year, the S4, S6, and S9 segments of the APG cable suffered damage and underwent repairs from March to May. During this process, issues were discovered with the S7 segment.
A representative from an internet service provider confirmed that the repair work on the S7 segment would proceed as planned. Once the S7 branch cable is restored in June, all five submarine cable systems connecting Vietnam to the global Internet will be fully operational once again.
In February 2023, Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) Secretary General Vu The Binh said that Vietnam needs at least two or three more submarine fiber cable routes in the next five years to serve mounting demand.
The Telecommunications Authority, operating under the Ministry of Information and Communications, stated that Vietnam is expected to have approximately 10 submarine optical cable systems in place by 2025.
In order to implement this policy and add capacity to fulfill the demand for global internet connectivity, new submarine cable routes such SJC2, ADC, and ALC will be put into operation.