TM Global, the domestic and international wholesale business arm of Telekom Malaysia, has announced that it is now a member of the Asia Link Cable System (ALC) consortium. TM says that this move will solidify its commitment towards advancing Malaysia’s digital landscape and makes Malaysia a key destination that connects Malaysia to Hong Kong and the several countries between them.
TM Global’s participation into the ALC consortium was made official during a recent event in Penang, where a Construction and Maintenance Agreement between TM Global and other ALC consortium members were signed off. These include:
- Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel)
- China Telecom Global Limited (CTG)
- China Telecommunications Corporation (CTC)
- Global Telecom (Globe)
- DITO Telecommunity Corporation (DITO)
- Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN)
- Global Transit Singapore Pte Ltd (GTS)
“Our inclusion in the ALC consortium marks another milestone in TM Global’s ongoing efforts to position Malaysia as a digital hub in the region. Malaysia emerged as the region’s top destination for technological investment, particularly data centre businesses.
Leveraging our strategic location, the ALC is expected to attract more international submarine cables to land in Malaysia and entice global technology players to leverage our data centres,” – Khairul Liza Ibrahim, TM Global Executive vice President
She added that the move will also strengthen TM Global’s efforts to provide reliable, diversified and uninterrupted global connectivity solutions to their customers, as well as allowing the company to better support the deployment of hyperscalers’ data centers and deliver future requirements of the local 5G network.
With TM Global now joining the ALC consortium, it will see Malaysia be part of an undersea cable network spanning a total distance of approximately 7,200km, along with an initial design capacity of 24Tbps. The Cable Landing Station for ALC will be located at the TM Exchange in Kuala Sedili, Johor that’s strategically located at near TM’s Iskandar Puteri data center in Johor. This Cable Landing Station will be the sixth international cable station in Malaysia, and is set to be operational by 2025.
TM Global says that their partnership with ALC will significantly boost the data-transfer capacity of their existing submarine cable systems, allowing them to cater to the increasing bandwidth demands across the region. The ALC open cable system design is also adaptable and compatible with various other technologies and upgrades, giving TM and its consortium partners a way to address future bandwidth demands for higher data capcity.
