Vietnam puts largest-capacity submarine fiber optic cable into operation

The Asia Direct Cable (ADC), the largest-capacity submarine fiber optic cable system in Vietnam, was put into operation in early April by Viettel Networks, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s military-run telecom group Viettel.

According to Vietttel, with a total investment of $290 million, the ADC has a maximum capacity of 50 Tbps, equivalent to 125% of Vietnam’s total international connection capacity prior to its launch.

Viettel owns the Vietnam branch of the cable, along with the cable landing station located in Quy Nhon town, the central province of Binh Dinh, and a part of the main international route.

The system is the result of collaboration among nine leading telecom corporations, namely Viettel (Vietnam), SoftBank (Japan), Tata Communications (India), Singtel (Singapore), China Telecommunications Corporation, China Telecom Global, China Unicom (China), National Telecom (Thailand), and PLDT (Philippines). Viettel is the sole Vietnamese investor in the project.

Spanning approximately 9,800 km, the ADC connects seven countries and territories: Vietnam, mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Japan.

What sets ADC apart from Vietnam’s existing cable systems is its direct connection to all three major internet hubs in Asia: Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Its maximum capacity of 50 Tbps surpasses all existing Vietnamese undersea cables (IA, AAE-1, APG, AAG, and SMW-3), making it the fastest and most advanced to date.

The launch of the system underscores Viettel’s commitment to building a modern digital infrastructure for Vietnam.

Initially, Viettel will utilize a portion of the ADC's capacity to boost international connectivity, meeting new data demands and enhancing user experience for internet services.

With this cable, Viettel significantly increases its international bandwidth backup capacity, diversifies cable routes, and ensures network stability in the event of disruptions to existing undersea cables.

Beyond improving network resilience, the system strengthens Vietnam’s digital infrastructure, supporting emerging technologies that require ultra-high speeds and bandwidth, such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, Big Data, and AR/VR applications.