(Image: NEC)
NEC has been chosen to build out another subsea cable, this time between Chennai and the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar, after winning a contract from Indian government enterprise Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
Under the purchase order, NEC Technologies India will be responsible for designing, engineering, supplying, installing, testing, and implementing the telecommunications submarine cable system. Parent company NEC Corporation will manufacture the optical cable and assist with installation.
The 2,300km cable will land in Chennai, Rangat, Long Island, Havelock, Port Blair, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, and Great Nicobar, with capacity to carry 100Gbps optical waves.
"The cable system will provide the A&N Islands with sufficient bandwidth for supporting voice and data connectivity that enable the implementation of e-governance initiatives, such as the establishment of enterprises and ecommerce facilities," NEC said.
"The system will also assist educational institutes in the sharing of knowledge, and will play a significant role in driving the 'Digital India' vision, a campaign launched by the government of India to ensure that government services are made available to citizens electronically."
Earlier this week, NEC also announced being chosen to construct the new 16,000km Bay to Bay Express Cable System[1] (BtoBE), which is being funded by a consortium including Facebook, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and China Mobile International to connect Singapore and Hong Kong with the United States.
NEC said the subsea cable system, consisting of multiple pairs of optical fibre, will be constructed using "the most advanced optical submarine transmission equipment" to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay and San Francisco Bay areas.
"The BtoBE, landing at three locations spanning across the Pacific Ocean, is designed so that once completed, it can carry at least 18Tbs of capacity per fibre