FASTER cable

FASTER cable
Name	FASTER
Type	Submarine communications cable
First service	2016
Design capacity	60 Tbit/s
Owner	consortium (see Ownership)
Length km	11,629
Built by	NEC Corporation
Area served	North Pacific Ocean

FASTER cable

The FASTER cable is a transpacific submarine communications cable system connecting East Asia and North America, commissioned to increase bandwidth between Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States West Coast. Conceived amid rising demand from hyperscale Google, content delivery networks and cloud providers, the system complements earlier links such as Pacific Light Cable Network and Trans-Pacific Express, enhancing resilience for routes used by Apple Inc., Facebook, and multinational telecommunications carriers. The project involved a consortium of telecom operators, internet companies, and manufacturing firms, and was laid using specialized cable-laying vessels operated by industrial contractors like NEC Corporation.

Overview

FASTER is a high-capacity optical fiber submarine cable designed to support backbone traffic for major technology companies and regional carriers. Its deployment aimed to accommodate growth in services by Google LLC, NTT Communications, China Mobile International, KDDI, SoftBank Group, and other consortium members. The system leverages dense wavelength-division multiplexing technologies developed by vendors associated with Corning Incorporated and component suppliers tied to the global fiber-optic industry. FASTER increased redundancy alongside transoceanic systems such as Southern Cross Cable Network and Japan-US Cable Network.

History and Development

Planning for FASTER began in the early 2010s as hyperscale data traffic grew from streaming services by Netflix and cloud computing expansions by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Formal announcements were made through a combination of consortium agreements and vendor contracts involving NEC Corporation and system integrators that had previously worked on projects like SEA-ME-WE 3. Construction followed regulatory clearances from coastal authorities in jurisdictions including California, Miyazaki Prefecture, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The cable was laid during multinational maritime operations that required coordination with port authorities, maritime agencies such as United States Coast Guard, and environmental review boards familiar with assessments like those used for Environmental Impact Statement processes in the United States.

Technical Specifications

FASTER comprises multiple fiber pairs carrying coherent optical channels using dense wavelength-division multiplexing amplifying signals with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers supplied by manufacturers linked to Fujitsu and NEC Corporation. The design capacity was announced at approximately 60 terabits per second, achieved via advanced modulation formats similar to those used in research by Bell Labs and production gear from suppliers once affiliated with Alcatel-Lucent. Repeaters and branching units were engineered to meet reliability standards comparable to deployments by AT&T and Verizon Communications. The system incorporates landing station equipment using transmission standards influenced by specifications from bodies like the International Telecommunication Union.

Route and Landing Points

The transpacific route spans roughly 11,629 kilometers, linking landing stations in the United States and East Asia. Key landing points include sites near Bandon, Oregon and Morro Bay, California on the American side, and locations in Miyazaki Prefecture and Shima, Mie in Japan, with additional landings in Tamsui District in New Taipei, Taipei area, and Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong. The path was selected to balance shortest-path routing and avoidance of high-risk submarine geology encountered in regions monitored by institutions like the United States Geological Survey and Japan Meteorological Agency.

Ownership, Consortium and Funding

FASTER was financed and operated by a consortium of technology companies, telecom carriers, and infrastructure investors including Google LLC, NTT Communications, China Mobile International, KDDI Corporation, China Telecom Global, and SoftBank Group. The consortium model mirrored funding approaches used in projects like FLAG Europe-Asia and SeaMeWe 4, combining capital expenditure from corporate members and commercial financing from banks experienced with undersea infrastructure loans, such as those that previously funded Global Crossing and similar ventures. Contracts for construction and system supply were awarded to companies with records in submarine systems, including NEC Corporation.

Operational Performance and Incidents

Since entering service around 2016, FASTER has delivered increased throughput for content delivery and cloud services used by customers of Google LLC, Facebook, Inc., and major Asian carriers. Operational monitoring employed network management practices akin to those used by Level 3 Communications and outage mitigation strategies coordinated with national telecom regulators like the Federal Communications Commission. Like other submarine cables, FASTER faced incidents from external aggression by ship anchors, seismic seabed events recorded by United States Geological Survey, and occasional maintenance operations requiring cable ship interventions resembling those performed by vessels such as CS Dependable and companies like Global Marine Systems. Reports of localized outages prompted rerouting over competing systems including Asia-America Gateway.

Impact and Economic Significance

FASTER contributed to lowering latency and increasing bandwidth for transpacific internet services, facilitating expansion of streaming by Netflix, Inc., online gaming platforms maintained by companies including Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo, and enterprise cloud adoption by Salesforce and hyperscalers. Improved connectivity supported digital trade flows between the West Coast tech hubs near Silicon Valley and East Asian economic centers like Tokyo and Taipei. The project influenced capacity planning by regional carriers such as SoftBank and KDDI and factored into national broadband strategies discussed in forums attended by representatives from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan) and counterparts in United States Department of Commerce.

Category:Submarine communications cables in the Pacific Ocean