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Developers of the US-backed MViSTA submarine cable system are expected to select Japan’s NEC Corporation or France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks as the supplier later this month, Reuters reported on October 22.
The 2,500-kilometre cable will connect Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. Designed with 16 fibre pairs, the system is expected to become operational in late 2028. The project is estimated to cost around $400 million, according to Mark Procter, deputy head of Stavian High Tech Infrastructure, one of the developers.
The project is backed by investors including Vietnam’s Stavian Group, Japan-based Midas Capital and Malaysia’s LitUp Network, a subsidiary of OMS Group. LitUp Network will be responsible for laying the cable, Procter told Reuters.
The developers have excluded Chinese suppliers from the bidding process. They have also designed the cable route to avoid the disputed South China Sea, reflecting concerns about the security of critical digital infrastructure.
US-based APTelecom helped bring together the project’s shareholders, supported the feasibility study and is assisting with securing customers. Meanwhile, the US Trade and Development Agency is funding a feasibility study for a planned data-centre campus in southern Vietnam that will be connected to the cable system.
The proposed campus is expected to host large-scale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The study, scheduled to conclude in March 2027, will assess the use of trusted technology and examine whether US restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports could affect the project.
The initiative comes as Vietnam seeks to strengthen its international digital connectivity. The country has experienced repeated submarine cable outages and aims to increase its international cable connections from six to at least 15 by 2030, according to the report.
The supplier selection process is still underway, and neither NEC nor Alcatel Submarine Networks has been confirmed as the winner. The project is expected to strengthen regional data connectivity and support the growing demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure across Southeast Asia.
The 2,500-kilometre cable will connect Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. Designed with 16 fibre pairs, the system is expected to become operational in late 2028. The project is estimated to cost around $400 million, according to Mark Procter, deputy head of Stavian High Tech Infrastructure, one of the developers.
The project is backed by investors including Vietnam’s Stavian Group, Japan-based Midas Capital and Malaysia’s LitUp Network, a subsidiary of OMS Group. LitUp Network will be responsible for laying the cable, Procter told Reuters.
The developers have excluded Chinese suppliers from the bidding process. They have also designed the cable route to avoid the disputed South China Sea, reflecting concerns about the security of critical digital infrastructure.
US-based APTelecom helped bring together the project’s shareholders, supported the feasibility study and is assisting with securing customers. Meanwhile, the US Trade and Development Agency is funding a feasibility study for a planned data-centre campus in southern Vietnam that will be connected to the cable system.
The proposed campus is expected to host large-scale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The study, scheduled to conclude in March 2027, will assess the use of trusted technology and examine whether US restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports could affect the project.
The initiative comes as Vietnam seeks to strengthen its international digital connectivity. The country has experienced repeated submarine cable outages and aims to increase its international cable connections from six to at least 15 by 2030, according to the report.
The supplier selection process is still underway, and neither NEC nor Alcatel Submarine Networks has been confirmed as the winner. The project is expected to strengthen regional data connectivity and support the growing demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure across Southeast Asia.
