Hong Kong’s first dual-path subsea cable system commences operations

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 19 September 2023 - SUNeVision Holdings Ltd. ("SUNeVision", SEHK: 1686), the number one data centre provider and connectivity hub in Hong Kong, and HKBN Group ("HKBN", SEHK: 1310), the leading integrated telecom and ICT solutions provider, today announced the commencement of operations of their joint-investment subsea cable system, TKO Connect. This project represents a significant milestone in next-generation subsea fibre cable systems as it enables ultra-reliable and seamless interconnection between the MEGA-i and MEGA Plus high-tier data centres in Hong Kong.

TKO Connect is a dedicated undersea fibre cable system directly linking SUNeVision's MEGA-i, the most critical subsea interconnection hub in Chai Wan, and MEGA Plus, the state-of-the-art hyperscale data centre in Tseung Kwan O. Spanning approximately 3km between the two precincts, this new cable system provides the most direct and shortest route between MEGA-i and MEGA Plus – 20+km shorter and 4 times faster than alternate land routes^[1] with latency as low as 0.014 milliseconds^[2]. TKO Connect is also the first and only dual-path subsea cable in Hong Kong, with two physical cables specifically built underwater to achieve full resilience and ensure network continuity for business' operational excellence. The cable terminates directly at the carrier-neutral facility MEGA-i with minimal fibre splicing and loss, which makes it ultra-reliable. Interconnecting MEGA-i with MEGA Plus, the cable will be further expanded to MEGA IDC, the hyperscale data centre in Tseung Kwan O which is currently under development, enabling customers to tap into MEGA-i's robust ecosystem with high-security and low-latency access.

The implementation of TKO Connect further enhances SUNeVision's MEGA-i and MEGA Plus facilities by introducing an additional layer of direct & ultra-low latency connectivity, effectively linking the two data centres as a unified entity, working seamlessly to maximise operational efficiency and effectiveness for customers.

With a long tradition of pioneering breakthroughs that have brought high-speed internet to the market, HKBN is a leader in building innovative fibre infrastructures. Having invested billions of dollars into its proprietary world-class fibre infrastructure over the past three decades, HKBN is the only carrier in Hong Kong which operates a unique tri-carrier network (comprising three fibre optic networks of HKBN, WTT and NWT with coverage to over 8,000 commercial buildings and facilities), delivering unmatched route diversity to serve the complete range of needs from carriers and enterprises.

Allen Fung, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of SUNeVision said, "We are pleased to announce the commencement of TKO Connect today. Our flagship data centre MEGA-i has for many years served as a critical interconnection hub for Asia and globally. The completion of TKO Connect, which links up MEGA-i with our TKO data centres (i.e. MEGA Plus and the new MEGA IDC) will substantially increase speed and improve latency of data exchange amongst these data centres. This enables our MEGA-i customers to expand seamlessly into our TKO data centres, unconstrained by the capacity at MEGA-i. This also allows our customers to build resilience by having multiple hubs within our MEGA Campus. We believe with the TKO Connect, together with new subsea cables that will 'land at' MEGA-i, will further strengthen SUNeVision's role as a critical hub in Asia."

NiQ Lai, HKBN Co-Owner and Group CEO shared, "As a company driven by Purpose to 'Make our Home a Better Place to Live', our investments have always been a backbone for society's progress. This pioneering collaboration continues our commitment to deliver world leading industry-first breakthroughs for customers, as we redefine the subsea space to address hyper-accelerated demand from the Asia Pacific region's digital economy."


^[1] Land route leveraging Fixed Telecommunications Network Services (FTNS) providers' network
^[2] Distance between cable landing points of TKO Connect

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About SUNeVision

SUNeVision (SEHK: 1686), the technology arm of Sun Hung Kai Properties (SEHK: 0016), is the largest data centre provider in Hong Kong. We provide industry-leading carrier and cloud-neutral data centre services with Asia's number one connectivity. We connect providers of telecommunications, cloud, ISP, CDN, OTT from local, mainland China and global with enterprises of different businesses on our Asia leading data centre ecosystem.

SUNeVision forms MEGA Campus by extending the connectivity edge from highly connected MEGA-i to other high-tier data centres, including MEGA Gateway, MEGA IDC, MEGA Plus and MEGA Two. Facilities on MEGA Campus are interconnected through a dedicated dark fibre network and around 15,000 cross-connects. Together with City PoPs of major submarine cables in our facilities, we enable our customers for direct connections to multi-cloud platforms and multi-cloud exchanges with the best connectivity in town. The addition of cable landing stations HKIS-1 and HKIS-2 to our data centre portfolio will provide a one-stop-solution to cable owners and users, strengthening our position as the leading connectivity hub in Asia. We are committed to supporting Hong Kong as a regional information hub and a strategic gateway to mainland China.

For more information, please visit SUNeVision's website, LinkedIn or WeChat.

About HKBN Group

Headquartered in Hong Kong with operations spanning across Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, HKBN Group ("the Group" or "HKBN") is a leading integrated telecommunications and technology services provider. The Group provides a full range of one-stop, high-quality information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and an unlimited services portfolio. HKBN's extensive tri-carrier fibre infrastructure covers over 2.54 million residential homes and more than 8,000 commercial buildings and facilities across Hong Kong. Committed to creating a lasting positive impact to wherever it operates, HKBN embraces a core purpose to "Make our Home a Better Place to Live" and has received a highest possible rating of AAA in MSCI's 2022 ESG Ratings assessment in environment, society and governance. The Group is managed by hundreds of Co-Owners (supervisory and management level Talents in the Group) who invested their savings to buy shares of HKBN Ltd. For more information about HKBN, please visit www.hkbn.net/en.