MViSTA cable project to choose supplier in October
The US-backed link connecting Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand is expected to enter service in late 2028, at an estimated cost of about US$400 million (RM1.6 billion).
NEC and Alcatel Submarine Networks are competing to supply the MViSTA undersea cable, with developers due to make their choice later in October, project executive Mark Procter told Reuters. The US-backed project will connect Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand.
Procter, deputy head of Stavian High Tech Infrastructure (SHT), put the estimated cost at about US$400 million (RM1.6 billion). He said the 16-fibre-pair system was expected to begin operating in late 2028. SHT, part of Vietnam's Stavian Group, is among the developers.
The shareholders also include Midas Capital, an investment firm based in Tokyo, and LitUp Network, a subsidiary of Malaysia's OMS Group. Procter said LitUp Network would lay the 2,500km (1,550-mile) cable. APTelecom, a consultancy working with the US government, helped assemble the shareholder group and is assisting with customer acquisition.
Procter said Chinese suppliers had been excluded from bidding. SHT subsequently said his remarks reflected his personal views and that it was assessing global vendors' capabilities without excluding providers because of nationality or geographical origin.
Stavian also plans a campus in southern Vietnam connected to the cable. According to a September statement by the US Trade and Development Agency, which is funding a feasibility study, the campus is intended for operators of hyperscale cloud and AI infrastructure.
Procter said the study was due to finish in March 2027. It will examine trusted technology deployment and whether US export restrictions on advanced semiconductors could affect the planned 1-gigawatt infrastructure. He added that investment would also depend on Vietnam's regulatory framework.
