Singapore aims to stay ahead in subsea cable race
It wants to double its capacity for cable landings.
Singapore has one of the most subsea cables in the region. And it wants to double its capacity for cable landings over the next decade.
Subsea cables
We don't often talk about subsea cables, which are laid on the seabed between land-based stations around the world.
These cables carry more than 95% of transnational data traffic and serve as the literal backbone of the Internet.
As part of efforts to enhance its connectivity, Singapore had previously announced its aim to double the number of cable landings over the next decade.
This will doubtlessly improve the connectivity of the Lion City for those on 10Gbps broadband, and better connect the 1,400MW of data centres here.
Quality matters too
Of course, sheer quantity alone isn't everything. Ultimately, the quality, in terms of where the subsea cables go to and the raw bandwidth, matters.
Singapore is a regional hub for such traffic. In a conversation earlier this month, an industry veteran told me Singapore has 10 times the international bandwidth of Malaysia.
Does this really matter and in what ways? Perhaps other experts or those more privy to international connectivity can chime in.
Point of vulnerability?
However, subsea cables can also be a point of vulnerability.
In a commentary on CNA last week by Ian Li of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, he noted how these vital communications cables could be severed in hybrid warfare.
- Sabotage can have a devastating impact.
- Impossible to prevent.
- Hard to prove.
It's a fascinating piece which cited multiple suspicious incidents over the years, from the Baltic Sea to the Taiwan Strait. Read about it here.
