Keppel says that Bifrost, jointly developed with Edge Cable Holdings and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, commenced testing on Jan 21 and will be ready for commercial service in 2H2025.

Keppel’s Singapore-US subsea cable called the Bifrost Cable System, has received regulatory approval from the US, according to a release dated Jan 25. 

The Bifrost Cable System is developed jointly by Keppel with Edge Cable Holdings (Meta) and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), and spans over 20,000km when completed in 2H2025. It is the world’s first subsea cable system that directly connects Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea. 

Keppel says that a subsea cable landing license must be obtained prior to landing a submarine cable to connect continental US with any foreign country. This approval paves the way for Bifrost’s deployment. 

Keppel says that Bifrost commenced system commissioning and acceptance testing on Jan 21, and is expected to be ready for commercial service in 2H2025. 

Bifrost’s cable landing station in Singapore will be sited at Keppel DC REIT’s SGP 5 data centre in Jurong.

Keppel started on the Bifrost Cable System in March 2021 with Meta and Telin, in which Keppel was assigned five out of a total of 12 fibre pairs with its share of cost being US$350 million. 

The five fibre pairs are jointly owned by Keppel and its private fund co-investors through a 40-60 joint venture.

 Of these, two fibre pairs have since been committed to customers through Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRU) for 25 years, while IRUs for the remaining three fibre pairs are currently being negotiated with potential customers.

“Completion of the project in 2H2025 strengthens Keppel’s connectivity strategy. This landmark project, a testament to our strong partnership with Meta and Telin, will entrench Keppel as a strategic ecosystem partner to global cloud players and technology leaders, as we pursue our growth plans in digital infrastructure,” says Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel. 

As at 9.58am, shares in Keppel are trading 4 cents higher or 0.587% up at $6.74.