14 DAY TRIAL // At last, one of best underwater data transfer cables is ready for service. This is only the first stage of the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system which will connect China with the United States, Southern Korea and Taiwan.
The Asia-Pacific area will see its communication standards increase, as the new 18.000 km (over 11.000 miles)-long optic fiber submarine cable will significantly boost the international telecommunication procedures and features of the region. In its early stages of development, in December 2006, it had been marketed as a system being able to carry 5.12 terabit of data, but as time passed, the project advanced and the technology allowed for reaching more bold goals, the capacity has increased since so that when the second stage is completed and the cable is deployed, the TPE cable system will support up to 6 terabit.
The astonishing task of building such an advanced device in the Pacific Ocean was only possible through the funding efforts of six telecommunications companies, all members of the Trans-Pacific Express Submarine Cable Consortium – China NetCom, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Korea Telecom and Verizon Business, with Tyco Telecommunications as the project's major supplier. In early 2008, AT&T and NTT Communications Corporation joined the effort. The addition of the latter means that Japan will also be transited by a link from the device. Thus, the TPE cable system will have six landing zones: two of them will be located in mainland China, while the other countries will host one each: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
The original aim of the consortium was to see the cable system being activated at the latest during the 3rd quarter of 2008, and it was respected to the day. The system will provide increased data capacity and faster transfer in order to comply with the increasing demands in this respect issued by the IP, voice and data communication of the Asia-Pacific area.