State-owned Cabos de Timor-Leste (CTL) has commercially launched the Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable System (TLSSC), which provides the country’s first international subsea connection.
The TLSCC runs 607 km from Dili to the North West Cable System (NWCS) owned by Vocus that runs along the northwest coast of Australia. It has a design capacity of 27 Tbps, half of which has been allocated to Timor-Leste.
The TLSCC has been in the works for several years, with work on the landing station in Dili kicking off in 2024. According to government news agency Tatoli, the cable has been operational since last year, when the government began using it to provide internet connectivity to ministries and public institutions across the country.
National telecoms operators started connecting to the system earlier this year, the report added. CTL’s commercial launch – which took place last week – opens the cable up to all potential customers.
Transport and Communications Minister Miguel Manetelu, who also serves as chair of CTL’s General Board, said that the network has undergone extensive testing by government agencies and the county’s three telcos: Timor Telecom, Telkomcel and Telemor. Manetelu added that Vocus has confirmed the TLSCC satisfies all technical requirements for commercial operation on its end, the Tatoli report said.
The TLSCC was constructed by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), while the landing station in Dili was installed by DXN, under contracts reportedly worth US$38.6 million and US$1.4 million, respectively.
The Timor Leste government covered the cost of the cable, with help from the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP), which contributed a grant of A$7.2 million (US$4.8 million) and a loan of A$25.7 million to the project.
The cable adds badly needed international capacity for Timor Leste, which up to now has relied on satellite connectivity and microwave radios for international internet connectivity. Manetelu said that peak internet usage in Timor-Leste is around 40 Gbps.
Meanwhile, Timor Leste is due to get a second subsea cable connection next year via the Asia Connect Cable (ACC-1) System from Inigo Networks that will run from Los Angeles to Singapore, Indonesia, Timor Leste and the Philippines, with stops in Guam and Darwin.
Also, the Hawaiki Nui 1 subsea cable system being developed and constructed by BW Digital and Telin includes an optional branch for Timor Leste.
In October last year, CTL signed an MoU with Telin to explore ways to collaborate on digital infrastructure and connectivity between Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
