KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 — The SouthEast Asia Hainan-Hong Kong Express Cable System (SEA-H2X), the 160Tbps undersea fiber-optic cable network designed to enhance connectivity and data transmission in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.
Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching said the system is provided by Irix Sdn Bhd (formerly PP Telecommunications Sdn Bhd), which also delivered the Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System (BaSICS), the 48Tbps international undersea internet cable system in 2022.
“This undersea cable route falls under the core network category, linking Sarawak to the outside world, including Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.
“At present, the existing network capacity is sufficient to meet future demand,” she said during a question and answer session in the Dewan Negara today.
She was responding to a question from Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew, who asked about the number of undersea internet cables directly connecting Sarawak to other countries and the plans to increase them, given their significance in supporting data centres and industries related to artificial intelligence (AI) in the state.
Teo stated that Irix also delivered the high-performance Tier-IV-rated data centre in Santubong in 2022.
She highlighted that through this centre, Sarawak has the potential to become a significant data hub for AI processing centres in Borneo, offering services with zero-tolerance downtime.
“Sarawak is currently connected to two existing domestic undersea cable systems: the Sistem Kabel Rakyat Malaysia by Telekom Malaysia Berhad, which links Mersing to Kuching, Bintulu, and Miri with an average current capacity of 9.5Tbps.
“And the East-West cable system, implemented by Sacofa Sdn Bhd, connecting Mersing to Kuching with a current capacity of 600Gbps,” she said. — Bernama
