wiredinUSA April 2014

Datuk Seri Dr Halim Shafie

Undersea consortium

Back in business

Telekom Malaysia Bhd, together with 14 other international telecommunications operators, has formed a consortium for the installation of undersea fiber optic cables linking Singapore to France. Its chairman, Datuk Seri Dr Halim Shafie, reports that the 20,000km cable system is expected to carry commercial traffic by early 2016. "The new cable system, SEA-ME-WE 5, will connect south east Asia, the Middle East and western Europe involving 17 countries. It will provide comprehensive connectivity with the ability to start or terminate traffic from point-of-presence in Singapore, Marseilles and Palermo," he said. The collaboration partners include Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd, China Mobile International Ltd, China Global Telecommunications Ltd, China Network Communications Group Co Ltd, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co, Orange (formerly France Telecom), Myanmar Post and Telecom. The joint venture is part of Telekom Malaysia's initiative to support the government's national broadband plan and the economic transformation program (ETP).

Fifteenmonths after fire destroyed its original factory, Oman Fiber Optic Company (OFOC) has commenced production of fiber optic cables at its new factory at Al Rusayl. Mohammed Bin Harith Al Barashdi, CEO of OFOC, said that the new plant will cater to both domestic and export markets, producing all types of cables for internal and external usages including all-dielectric self-supporting (ADSS) fire resistant cables, non-metallic and metal armored cables. He continued that OFOC designs various types of optic cables and all types of communications networks and networking projects. OFOChad posted a net profit of 4.26million rials for the year 2013, compared with a net loss of 1.56 million rials in the previous year. Turnover for the year increased eight percent over the previous year’s turnover, despite the halt to cable production caused by the fire.

wiredInUSA - April 2014

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