Known as Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable), the cable is expected to connect Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, in addition to extra connectivity to Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.
NTT Data is working with both Japanese businesses to build and operate the cable. Originating in Japan, the goal is for the cable to form a new communication ecosystem and support Asia’s growing digital infrastructure.
Japan is already a critical data hub, given its position in-between Asia and the US. By securing communication routes from three Japanese landing stations in Chiba, Mie and Fukuoka to Malaysia and Singapore, NTT Data said the new system will offer resilience against natural disasters in the region.
It also hopes to contribute to regional revitalisation and strengthen Japan’s international competitiveness.
“The launch of I-AM NW marks a significant step in strengthening Asia’s digital infrastructure,” said Yoshio Sato, CEO at I-AM NW. “This project reflects our commitment to delivering reliable, flexible connectivity solutions that empower businesses and drive digital transformation across the Asia-Pacific region.”
Submarine cables are becoming much more significant in the global race for AI, as countries seek to bolster their digital economies. This important infrastructure currently accounts for approximately 99% of all international transfers, NTT Data said.
By using Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) functionality for this new cable, the wavelength bandwidth of each route can be remotely adjusted. This will help to enable flexible responses to evolving business needs and traffic demands.
The cable will also adopt the Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) technology, accommodating up to 16 fibre pairs (32 cores) per cable. Combined, NTT Data suggested this will enable a total capacity of approximately 320 terabits per second and ensure high-quality, highly reliable communication.
I-AM NW will manage the entire process from planning to sales of communication circuits for this submarine cable, providing communication services to global tech giants and telecom operators and contributing to the development of communication infrastructure across Asia.
The news comes at the same time as Fukuoka is being planned as an international telecommunications hub in western Japan, in coordination with newly developed data centre clusters.
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