SingAREN

singaren.net.sg
Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network (SingAREN) is a non-profit organisation. We are Singapore’s national research and education network (REN) and part of the Internet2 community. We started as a national project funded by the government to take on the challenge of ensuring that Singapore’s Research and Education community is connected to the international community.

SingAREN maintains close working relationship with the Next Generation Internet community such as Internet2, APAN (Asia Pacific Advanced Network), and RENs in various countries.

SingAREN is now an officially registered society that serves the user community with the objectives:

• Advocate and champion advanced network applications and technology in Singapore
• Be the platform of collective representation of the community of research and education networks (REN) in Singapore
• Facilitate cost-competitive adoption of advanced Internet technologies for Singapore RENs

Source Goh|SingAREN@APAN; singaren.net.sg

MCS

I have heard that NAP Info is going to install a new submarine cable connecting Jakarta to Singapore. But it was a surprise for me that it will be ready on Q2/2008. So fast ?

Actually they began the process since early 2007, where they selected Tyco Telecommunications to construct the system. Tyco completed the marine route survey in 08/2007 and then started the marine work. The MCS (Matrix Cable System) will be jointly operated by Matrix Networks Pte Ltd (SG) and PT. NAP Info Lintas Nusa (ID). Matrix Networks holds a Facility-Based Operator (FBO) license issued by the InfoComm Development Authority (IDA), operates a cable landing station in North Changi and owns a 20 km fiber optic backhaul to four major data exchanges. NAP Info is a network access provider established in 2000 which currently owns more than 100 km terrestrial optical cable within Jakarta, connecting more than 120 buildings.

Some details for the MCS:

• Length : 1055 km Changi-JKT
• Cable : 4 FP (64/10)
• Capacity : initially 60 Gbps lit (JKT-SG), 2.5 Tbps potential
• CAPEX : -
• Branching : 1 active to Batam, 2 planned (to Perth-AUS and to other Asian countries)
• Landing Points : JTC's North Changi Industrial State (CS), North ChangiMain Cable Corridor (Beach-Manhole), Pantai Mutiara Jakarta

Matrix Networks and NAP Info offer MCS customers direct connectivity in meet-me rooms in Global Switch, Equinix, Chai Chi and Geotele data centers. Several time ago, they have begun offering a limited number of IRU contracts to major tier 1 telecommunication customers.

*Update 01/09 - Wikipedia.org*

Matrix Cable System is jointly owned and operated by PT NAPInfo Lintas Nusa (www.nap.net.id) and Matrix Networks PTE LTD (www.matrixnetworks.sg).

Matrix Cable System is initially built with 4 fibre pairs between Singapore and Jakarta, and 4 fibre pairs between Singapore and Batam with a total distance of 1055 Km.

Total bandwidth capacity of MCS Cable System is 5.12 Tbit/s, made up of 8 pairs of optical fibres, each pair providing 640 Gbit/s by Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing of 10 Gbit/s wavelengths. The 1,000 km-long undersea fully buried cable system is built in a self-healing ring configuration. The cable system, will be operational starting mid 2008.

MCS also own and operate onward connectivity from its landing stations and terrestrial network to various major POP in both Singapore and Jakarta. In Singapore, MCS sells capacity via its POP in Global Switch and Equinix. In Jakarta, MCS connects to Cyber Building and NAPInfo's own Data Center in Kuningan Plaza.

Matrix Cable system start commercial services on 08-08-08.

MIC-1

The MIC-1 (Moratelindo International Cable - One) is a new undersea optical cable owned by the youngest national backbone operator Moratelindo (Moratel). It links Batam to Changi (Singapore) and was scheduled to start the service by Q1/2008. Moratel's partner at SG side is ViewQuest (does anybody know about this company?). An SG-partner other than SingTel is rare :-) ! Moratel is a quite progressive backbone operator. Its market share of revenue would possibly be larger than ICON+ for this year.

Some facts and details about MIC-1:

• Length : 70 km (wet segment should be less than 50 km ?!)
• CAPEX : USD 12 mn
• Capacity : initially 10 Gbps (STM-64), DWDM ugradeable
• Contractor / Supplier : GMSL, Nexan
• Date of Service : Q1/2008

Singapore : The Regional Teletraffic Junction

For economical, political, geographical and possibly many other reasons Singapore has established itself as a major telecommunication hub in Asia. Almost all international submarine cables to/from Asia pass through, terminate in or branch to Singapore. This includes e.g. SMW3, SMW4, FLAG, TIC, EAC, C2Ccn, APCN. Singapore has three cable landing points. Cable landing stations in Tuas serve for cables coming from the west (Europe, Middle East, South Asia). Cables going to the East Asia, ASEAN, Australia and the US are originated from either Changi (eastern Singapore) or Katong (south).


This surely has positively influenced the telecommunication sector in Singapore. According to Wikipedia & IDA, with a populaton of 4.2+ mn Singapore has:

• 1.8+ mn fixed lines (2006)
• 4.6+ mn mobile subscribers which are served by 3 operators (2006)
• 2.3+ mn Internet users (2006); served by 8 ISPs
• 760+ thousands broadband users (2006)
• 480+ thousands Internet hosts (2003)