Telstra confirms undersea capacity purchase

Telstra has confirmed that it has agreed to purchase one of four fibre pairs on an undersea cable that will connect Perth and Singapore.

A Telstra spokesperson confirmed to iTnews that the company has agreed to purchase a lit pair on the ASSC-1 undersea telecommunications cable, and will provide a landing station for the cable at a Perth exchange.

The news ends weeks of speculation over negotiations between Telstra and ASSC-1 builder Huawei Marine Networks.

Upon completion in 2013, ASSC-1 will be one of seven undersea telecommunications linking Australia to the rest of the world, running in parallel to the existing SEA-ME-WE3 cable.

Telstra cites the increased data demands created by the West Australian mining boom and control over future upgrade paths as reasons for the purchase.

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