HONG KONG, July 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- China Mobile International Limited (CMI) officially activated the Southeast Asia–Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) on 16 July 2025. Spanning 10,500 kilometers, this revolutionary submarine cable system is set to redefine connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region.

SJC2's main trunk links Singapore, Hong Kong China, and Japan, with additional branches covering other key Asia-Pacific countries and regions. Employing the latest optical wavelength division multiplexing technology, the cable is capable of transmitting more than 126 terabits per second (Tbps)^[i]. SJC2 enhances submarine cable infrastructure in the region with additional capacity, route diversity, and resilience by strengthening the redundancy of the network to meet the increasing demand for connectivity within Southeast Asia and East Asia. This will contribute to a more stable communications environment to power AI and other bandwidth-intensive applications.

Together with the existing submarine cables, CMI has now established eight routes within the Asia-Pacific region, significantly enhancing network availability and meeting growing bandwidth requirements. Additionally, by utilizing its self-developed Local Ring Systems in Hong Kong China, Japan and Singapore, which are connected to data centers across the region, CMI can customize PoP-to-PoP (Points of Presence) solutions with highly scalable and flexible bandwidth.  

Southeast Asia has become one of the world's most exciting digital markets. According to Market Research Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asia digital transformation market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% from 2024 to 2032. Much of this change is being powered by rising internet access. More broadly, the Asia-Pacific region submarine cable system market is expected to reach US$18.36 billion by 2034, according to Precedence Research. Consequently, the need for expanded connectivity infrastructure has become increasingly apparent. 

SJC2 is a core pillar of CMI's efforts to enhance global connectivity, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, by supporting the explosive growth of 5G, cloud computing, AI, and e-commerce. SJC2 can help to meet this surging demand by providing enterprises, cloud providers and digital platforms with low-latency, high-capacity data transfer that is essential for AI workloads and data-intensive applications, while also improving digital inclusion and bridging connectivity gaps in underserved regions. 

The SJC2 cable, led by CMI and its partners, is the latest submarine cable project completed in the Asia-Pacific region. Through its planned connection with the PEACE cable, which became operational in September 2024, SJC2 can extend its network coverage to Europe. In recent years, CMI has invested in several other cable systems around the world, including 2Africa, a transcontinental system linking South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe; IAX and IEX, a submarine link connecting Singapore, India, Italy and France; and SEA-H2X, a Southeast Asia network connecting mainland China, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. With a network spanning 78 countries, over 100 cable systems, 168+ Tbps bandwidth, 330+ global PoPs, and self-owned data centers in major cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, London, and Frankfurt, as well as 1,278 partner data centers, CMI supports partners worldwide. 

About China Mobile International Limited

China Mobile International Limited (CMI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile. In order to provide high quality services to meet the growing demand in the international market, China Mobile established CMI in December 2010, headquartered in Hong Kong, China. CMI has expanded its footprint in 39 countries and regions. Leveraging the strong support by China Mobile, CMI is a trusted partner that provides comprehensive international information services and solutions to enterprises, carriers and mobile users. please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com