WCA September 2011

Industry news

Pacific Fibre agrees cable deal

Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited increased its revenue to $121.8m in its first quarter results – a rise of over 16 per cent. Gross profit also increased to $13m, a jump of 13.5 per cent from the first quarter of 2010. The company recently completed its annual audit by the leading global firm, Ernst & Young, and filed its annual report on form 20-F ahead deadline.  The company also recently improved its corporate governance by appointing a highly qualified independent director, who serves on the company’s Audit Committee, in addition to improving its standing with investors through its upgrade to the NASDAQ Capital Market exchange. $13m profits leap

“Demand for international capacity in Australia and New Zealand is sharply increasing and is on track to continue growing for years to come,” said Pacific Fibre chief executive Mark Rushworth. “The Pacific Fibre cable will not only provide unsurpassed high speed international connectivity to satisfy the growth in broadband demand, but it will also help Australia and New Zealand realise the potential of both countries’ multi-billion dollar broadband initiatives.” According to Mr Rushworth, the Pacific Fibre system will be the high- est-capacity-per-fibre-pair system ever built. The cables will each have two fibre pairs, with an ultimate capacity of 12.8 terabits and, if all goes to schedule, the cable is due to be operational by the first quarter of 2014.

Pacific Fibre has signed a deal with a US-based cable company to build New Zealand’s second international internet link. TE SubCom, who developed the world’s first transatlantic fibre optic cable in 1988, will design, construct and lay Pacific Fibre’s 12,750km internet pipe between Auckland, Sydney and Los Angeles. SubCom is a subsidiary of TE Connectivity, an electronics company worth US$12.1 billion. Pacific Fibre’s trans-Tasman cable, linking Australia and New Zealand, will be 2,150km (1,355 miles) long and the trans-Pacific cable, linking New Zealand to California, will be 10,600km (6,585 miles) long. The company argues the cable system is needed to bring competition to the international capacity market, allowing New Zealand to take full advantage of the Government’s ultra-fast broadband scheme.

Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Ltd – Taiwan Email : info@apwcc.com Website : www.apwcc.com

Pacific Fibre – New Zealand Email : info@pacificfibre.net Website : www.pacificfibre.net