Vocus to add 8 TBps capacity ahead of ASC

Vocus Communications is upgrading its domestic infrastructure to support the early customer demand for Australia Singapore Cable (ASC), a new 4600 km submarine cable system linking Australia to Singapore.

The planned upgrade is designed to deliver an additional 8 TBps of capacity across the country, predominantly between Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

“We’re expecting immediate network activity when the ASC is ready for service,” Vocus Head of International Luke Mackinnon said.

“So this upgrade is critical to ensuring we keep ahead of demand and continue to provide the most advanced and intelligent network for our customers,” said Mackinnon.

The project started construction in 2017, with an estimated completion date of July 2018. The four-pair fibre network is designed to deliver a minimum of 40 Tbps of capacity and offer an approximate 30% reduction in latency from Sydney to Singapore compared to existing routes.

“The ASC project includes two new POPs in Singapore, replacing the existing POP. It will also add diversity and multiple hand off options, in Equinix SG1/SG3 and STT/Globalswitch. An entirely new POP for Christmas Island is a first for Vocus and will deliver the island’s first ever terrestrial connection providing massive capacity uplift for the community.”