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USTDA Funds Feasibility Study for Thailand-US Subsea Cable System

By: IDCNOVARegion: Southeast Asia
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) this week announced it will fund a feasibility study for a new trans-Pacific submarine cable system connecting Thailand to the United States, a project designed to replace the kingdom's aging subsea link and bolster digital infrastructure resilience across Southeast Asia.

The study will support Thailand's state-owned telecommunications operator, National Telecom (NT), in assessing the viability of the Thailand-US Submarine Cable System (THUS). The proposed 11,500-mile (18,507-kilometer) cable would route through up to five other Southeast Asian nations — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam — while deliberately avoiding the South China Sea and what USTDA described as "other routes that carry security risks."

NT has selected Florida-based APTelecom LLC to conduct the feasibility study. Full details regarding potential landing points and specific cable routes have not yet been disclosed.

USTDA Deputy Director Thomas R. Hardy framed the initiative as a strategic effort to ensure critical infrastructure is built with trusted technology. "This activity will help ensure that the critical infrastructure connecting Thailand to the United States is built using trusted technology, protecting sensitive data from exploitation while advancing Thailand's ambitions to become a regional digital hub," Hardy said. "By supporting the deployment of secure subsea cable systems, we are helping safeguard networks while opening new opportunities for U.S. companies to compete in one of the world's fastest-growing digital markets."

Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, president of National Telecom Public Company Limited, described THUS as a strategic investment in Thailand's digital future. "A modern, trusted, open-access submarine cable system connecting Thailand directly with the United States will strengthen the resilience and diversity of our international networks, support the growth of Thailand's data center, cloud, and AI sectors, and expand affordable connectivity for a regional market of more than 600 million people," he said. "USTDA's support comes at a pivotal moment. By funding the upfront feasibility work, this grant accelerates THUS toward bankability and opens the door to collaboration with leading American technology providers, whose innovation and engineering expertise we look forward to bringing into the project."

Thailand currently relies on the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) system, a consortium-led cable that includes AT&T, NT, Globe, and other partners, which dates back to 2009. It remains the only submarine system linking Thailand to the United States. The THUS project, if realized, would introduce a second, more secure path for data traffic between the two countries — a development with significant implications for Thailand's growing data center, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence sectors, which depend on robust international bandwidth and diverse network routes.

The project also reflects a broader regional trend in which Southeast Asian nations are seeking to expand and diversify their subsea cable connectivity amid rising demand for data-intensive services and growing concerns over network security and geopolitical risk.