Bay of Bengal cable system has gone live, provides alternate route to Europe

A new submarine cable system has gone live, named the Bay of Bengal (BBG) cable system which will link Malaysia and Singapore to the Middle East and India.

The new cable system spans a good 8,100km and started operations on 30th March, the span of the network reaching out to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, with branching connections connecting to Mumbai, Chennai and Sri Langka. The BBG will provide an alternative route to Europe for TM’s IP traffic, allowing for more reliable traffic and help mitigate potential congestion while extending broadband connectivity to wider audiences.

The BBG is also unique in the sense that it rides on TM’s protected terrestrial network from Penang all the way to Singapore to avoid the more cable cut prone and busier areas up and around the Malacca Straits.

The cable systems will also provide connectivity between our region and Africa and Europe though the Indian and Middle East links; and possibly more in the future as the BBG adopts the state-of-the-art 100Gbps tech in order to provide for future upgrades.

TM has about 20 submarine cable systems in their ownership or lease; which connects to a 200,000 fiber-route mile network spanning the globe. But do you think the network will help with connections in the region? let us know in the comments.