With The Expansion Of Global Demand For Submarine Optical Cables, NEC Will Further Invest in Strengthening Relevant Businesses

On October 19, Kyodo News Agency reported that the demand for undersea optical cables to support international data communication was growing, which was due to the surge in Internet use led by video website "YouTube" and picture sharing app "Instagram", as well as the popularity of the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system. NEC, which is one of the top three companies in the global submarine cable market, announced on the 17th that it would further invest and strengthen this business.

According to NEC, the submarine optical cable wrapped with optical fiber carries 99% of Japan's international communications, which is characterized by high-capacity communications. One second can transmit data equivalent to about 13300 DVDs. The total length of optical cables laid around the world is about 1.2 million kilometers, which can circle the earth about 30 times, and the deepest laying is 8000 meters under the sea.

On the 17th, NEC, which comprehensively carried out the cable manufacturing and laying business, announced that it had chartered a cable laying ship for about 4 years to cope with the growth of demand. The ship can load cables with a length of about 7000 kilometers and a weight of about 5000 tons. In the past, the company purchased ships according to each business, but now it can flexibly deal with the laying project through long-term chartering. The ship will load the cables required for the project in Southeast Asia from the factory in Kitakyushu City, and it will depart in late October and take about 20 days to arrive. It is also expected to be used for the laying project across the Pacific Ocean.