NEC takes on Palau Cable 2 optical submarine cable
NEC Corporation has announced the signing of a contract with the National Submarine Cable Utility Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) of the Palau Republic (Palau) for the Palau Cable 2 (PC2) optical submarine cable construction project. PC2, with a total length of approximately 110km, will connect Palau with a large-capacity submarine optical cable that connects Southeast Asia and the US mainland. This cable is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2022.
PC2 adopts the latest optical wavelength multiplexing transmission system of 100 gigabits per second (100Gbps), and as an addition to the first optical submarine cable laid by NEC in Palau in 2017, ensures the redundancy of Palau's network, realises highly reliable communications, and responds to the increasing demand for communications, thereby contributing to further economic development in Palau.
This project is being implemented under a buyer's credit (export finance) loan agreement by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) with BSCC. The loan portion from SMBC is insured by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). Additional financing is being provided by the United States Government and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).