SUBCO to Build a Trio of APAC Cables

For many years now SUBCO has been busy building out infrastructure connecting Australia to itself and to the rest of the world. So today’s announcement that they plan to build not one, not two, but three new ‘hypercables’ is a surprise only in quantity. The new systems aim to meet the next wave of bandwidth demand from AI-driven growth.

APX North will connect Sydney to Japan via Guam with 24 fiber pairs on a 9,500km path. APX East-2 will connect Guam to the USA, and specifically Los Angeles, with another 24 fiber pairs on a 10,000km path. And APX West will connect Perth to Singapore, also with 24 fiber pairs on a 4,600km path with branches to Jakarta and Batam. The result will be some huge traffic highways from both Australia to key hubs in both Asia and North America.

This will be the first time SUBCO has built up to Guam and Japan, and the transpacific link from Guam to the US will complement the company’s APX-East cable that takes the more southern route.  The western leg will provide diversity from Indigo West, which was brought online 7 years ago now (that will be 10 years when the new system would be ready).

If all goes well, all three of these cable systems will be ready in 2029. They’ll have to get those cable ships lined up first though, something they are looking to do by early next year. It’s an agressive plan, but SUBCO thinks the market is underestimating the demand coming from AI for massive intercontinental bandwidth.

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