Undersea or submarine cable systems are an important part of making the internet as we know it work. And it looks like there is going to be a new one called the Candle Submarine Cable System. Local ISP TM has announced that it is part of the development project, alongside big names like Meta, Softbank and NEC. Other partners in the undertaking are IPS Inc and PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk.
The submarine cable system will connect Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan, spanning 8,000km. It is claimed to be the first in the Asia-Pacific region to use a 24-fibre pair cable for “superior traffic capacity”. According to the announcement, Candle is expected to be operational in 2028.
As the name suggests, the 24-fibre pair submarine cable consists of 48 optical fibres. Half are used for sending information, with the other half for receiving. The tech, first developed by NEC back in 2021, is a 50% increase over the more generally available 16-fibre pair cables, providing better cost-per-bit transmitted.
TM Group CEO Amar Huzaimi Md Deris says the initiative is in line with “our aspiration to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030 – connecting Malaysia to the world, and the world to Malaysia”. Being a part of the project also “demonstrates our commitment to building resilient digital infrastructure that meets the growing demand for digital services and cloud-based AI driven innovation across Asia”.
