MViSTA undersea cable developers to pick supplier in October
The US-backed project is expected to cost about US$400 million and begin operating in late 2028, linking four Southeast Asian countries.
A supplier decision for MViSTA, a US-backed submarine cable connecting Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, is due later in October. The choice is between Japan’s NEC and France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks, said Mark Procter, deputy head of Stavian High Tech Infrastructure.
Procter put the estimated cost at about US$400 million, with operations expected to start in late 2028. The cable will have 16 fibre pairs. He said the developers had ruled out Chinese bidders and chosen a route outside the extensive South China Sea area claimed by Beijing.
Stavian, part of Vietnam’s Stavian Group, is developing the project alongside shareholders Midas Capital, an investment firm based in Tokyo, and LitUp Network. The latter, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s OMS Group, is responsible for installing the 2,500-kilometre cable, Procter said.
SubCom, a US cable manufacturer, turned down an invitation to compete because of existing commitments, according to Procter. Alcatel would not discuss an active tender, and NEC did not answer a request for comment.
Stavian also intends to connect MViSTA to a planned southern Vietnam data-centre campus. According to a September statement by the US Trade and Development Agency, the campus is intended to accommodate operators of hyperscale cloud and AI infrastructure. The agency is financing a feasibility study, scheduled for completion in March 2027.
Procter said that assessment would examine trusted technology and the potential effects of US advanced-semiconductor export restrictions on the proposed 1-gigawatt infrastructure. He added that Vietnam’s regulatory framework would also influence investment decisions.
