The upcoming direct India-US cable link planned by Hong Kong-based Pacnet and India’s Bharti Airtel will be completed by year-end, said a Pacnet executive.
Pacnet and Bharti are expected to spend a combined total of $120 million on capacity acquisition for the Chennai-Los Angeles link, Pacnet VP of product strategy John Garrett told Telecom Asia.
“We have each agreed to acquire a fiber pair of capacity from each other, and the remaining value will be attributed to interim capacity,” Garrett said.
The India-US direct link will be formed by linking portions of Pacnet’s EAC-C2C cable with Bharti’s i2i cable in Singapore, according to Garrett.
The enhanced connectivity is expected to serve carriers and businesses in India, Asia and the US, said Garrett.
“Customers will be able to purchase connections at all currently available speeds – including high speed 10Gbps wavelength services,”