Viettel and Singtel agree to build Vietnam-Singapore subsea cable

Viettel Group and Singtel are teaming up to develop the Vietnam-Singapore (VTS) cable system, delivering what they have called the shortest route that would directly connect Vietnam to the largest digital hub in Southeast Asia. The cable system will also add hundreds of Tbit/s to the operators' international connectivity capacity when it goes online in the second quarter of 2027, according to the companies.

In a joint statement released Friday, the telco operators said they intend to build the VTS cable system with a configuration of eight fiber pairs (8FP), using the latest advanced wavelength division multiplexing technology.

The main trunk landing station located in Vietnam will be managed by Viettel, while the one in Singapore will be managed by Singtel.  There are also planned branch landing stations in Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

"With investment in and ownership of new submarine cables, Viettel expects to play a significant role as a crucial link in the digital infrastructure and international and regional data transmission infrastructure, deploying international Internet connection applications requiring high-speed connection such as: 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Automation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality," the statement says.

Laying the groundwork for Vietnam's digital transformation

The VTS is the Vietnamese operator's seventh investment in submarine cable systems.

Besides providing a large amount of high-speed capacity, the VTS cable system will open a new connection to the south and enhance the redundancy and security of Viettel's international connection infrastructure.

The company earlier announced its investment in the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) – the largest bandwidth cable system in Vietnam – with connections to Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, which are the three largest IP hubs in the region. Viettel owns the landing station of this cable in Quy Nhon.

Viettel is also the largest investor in the Asia Link Cable, which connects the two main Asian IP hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. It owns the landing station of this cable in Da Nang.

Submarine cable systems are a major component of the Vietnamese government's goal to transform the country into a regional data center hub. Based on the strategy laid out by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the country is aiming to have a minimum of 15 submarine cable systems with a total capacity of at least 334 Tbit/s by 2030.