Malaysia loses out on Facebook’s latest cable network: sources

[superadmin]

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia lost an investment opportunity from Facebook Inc after being left out from the tech giant’s latest subsea cable system, people familiar with the matter told The Vibes.

Facebook in a statement yesterday announced its Apricot undersea cable system – a 12,000km-long cable that will connect Guam, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

The tech titan is expected to launch the cable system in 2024 “to meet rising data demands in the region and support existing cable systems, such as the recently announced Echo and Bifrost”.

Insiders claimed that missing out on this latest project is another blow to the country’s digital economy ambitions, after it was excluded from the Echo and Bifrost networks.

“What people need to understand is that, generally, it is bad for everyone when a subsea cable is down. This means less volume of data traffic, less money and increased loss of damages,” said a market participant.

They are pointing the finger at former transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong’s removal of the cabotage exemption policy, which was put in place by his predecessor, Anthony Loke.


- More -