Chunghwa Telecom is set to deploy two new submarine cables—Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) and Apricot—within the first half of the year.
The company is increasing its investment in undersea cable infrastructure, allocating up to TWD 2 billion (USD 60.9 million) in 2025. The SJC2 system, spanning 10,500 kilometers, links 11 cable landing stations across Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Japan.
Meanwhile, the Apricot system, stretching 12,000 kilometers, will connect Taiwan to Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. Chunghwa Telecom is part of the consortium overseeing the development of both cable projects.
Past Industry News: Singtel, Viettel to Develop Direct Submarine Cable System
Projects on the Horizon
In addition to these deployments, the company is in discussing the possibility of other submarine cable projects with potential partners. Chunghwa Telecom Chairman, Alex Chien, indicated that the company is inclined to invest in undersea cables that connect Taiwan to Southeast Asia or Pacific nations. He also revealed that the company is considering launching more medium Earth orbit (MEO) and high Earth orbit (HEO) satellite internet services this year to bolster data security for the government and enterprises in case of undersea cable disruptions.
Chunghwa Telecom is also addressing local connectivity issues. It has allocated funds to repair two damaged domestic submarine cables linking Taiwan and Lienchiang County (Matsu). These cables failed in late January due to natural wear and tear.
Chunghwa Telecom’s increased investment in submarine cable systems comes amid heightened concerns over Taiwan’s digital infrastructure security due to ongoing geopolitical tensions with China.
A quarter (25.2%) of the company’s 2025 capital expenditures (CapEx) will be directed toward non-mobile sectors, including submarine cable expansion, to support its growing artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data center initiatives.
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