25 August, 2014

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised China Telecom Global in relation to its role in a consortium that includes China Mobile International, Global Transit, Google, KDDI and SingTel, which has agreed to build and operate a new Trans-Pacific submarine telecommunications cable worth approximately USD 300m. The cable, known as FASTER, is designed to address the high demand for broadband, mobile, applications, content and enterprise data exchange on the Trans-Pacific route, the new cable will connect Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Oregon and Seattle to Chikura and Shima in Japan.

Construction of FASTER will begin immediately and the system is targeted to be ready for service during the second quarter of 2016.

Herbert Smith Freehills partner Damien Bailey advised on the deal. He said: “It was great to be involved with another China Telecom project aimed at aiding its international expansion. Deals like this are a sign that there is ongoing strong demand for significant international connectivity.”

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