---
title: ASN signs up to build Bifrost cable system - Developing Telecoms
description: The arrival of Bifrost – a new submarine telecommunications system that will connect Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America – is getting closer thanks to a new joint build agreement.
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date: 2021-05-12T13:15:05Z
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The arrival of Bifrost – a new submarine telecommunications system that will connect Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America – is getting closer thanks to a new joint build agreement.

Joint build partners Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Limited, Facebook and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International have announced the signing of a contract with turnkey global undersea transmission systems company Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) for the manufacturing and laying of the Bifrost cable system.

The new submarine telecommunications cable will directly connect Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia, the Philippines and Guam, through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.

It will span more than 15,000km and meet the growing bandwidth demand between Asia and the American continent, as well as provide direct and high-performance connectivity between Singapore and the west coast of North America.

The Bifrost cable system, when completed, will be the highest-capacity system across the Pacific Ocean. The system will also feature very high traffic availability, thanks to multiple single-end feeding electrical reconfigurations.

In addition, with the use of ASN OALC-4 deep water armoured cable in areas of intensive fishing activity, the system is expected to benefit from safe and reliable protection during its installation operations as well as during its 25-year design life.

This news follows very soon after another recent Bifrost announcement. As we mentioned last week, Fugro, a geodata specialist, has completed the first phase of its marine site characterisation project for Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to support the system.

Cable laying is scheduled over 2023; Bifrost will be ready for operation in early 2024.

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