U.S.-Backed Southeast Asia Cable Project Excludes Chinese Suppliers
Developers of the US-backed MViSTA undersea cable linking Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand will this month choose between Japan's NEC and France's Alcatel Submarine Networks for the 16-fiber-pair system, expected to enter service in late 2028. The project's backers excluded Chinese suppliers from bidding and designed the route to avoid the area claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, with the US consultancy APTelecom backing the project. Stavian Group plans a data-center campus in southern Vietnam linked to the cable for hyperscale cloud and AI operators, and the US Trade and Development Agency is funding a feasibility study.
Why it matters: The exclusion of Chinese suppliers and routing away from South China Sea claims make the cable a case of U.S.-China technology competition in Southeast Asia.