Facebook Invests in APG Cable

According to news from Time dotCom on Tuesday, Time dotCom, the parent company of Global Transit had entered into an agreement for the construction and maintenance of the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) Cable System. Facebook, the social network giant, enlists as one of the APG cable consortium member.

The APG cable consortium includes 12 members, i.e., China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Facebook, KT Corp, LG Uplus, NTT Communications, StarHub, Time dotCom (Global Transit), Viettel, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).

On December 20, 2011, the APG cable consortium tentatively signed the APG C&MA and Supply Agreement in Beijing. As several members were still pending for the cable landing approval from government authorities, the APG C&MA and Supply agreement was not effective. 

Following China Authority's approval of the APG cable landing in China on last Friday, the APG consortium members have promptly duly signed and finally effected the APG C&MA and Supply Agreement. 

As I wrote in the Top Stories of 2011 in Submarine Cable Networks, there is an unveiling player to invest in submarine cable networks. Now, Facebook has unveiled its investment and participation in the submarine cable industry. The APG cable consortium has enrolled Facebook to make the APG C&MA into effective.

With my personal view, Facebook's seat in the APG cable consortium may result in sensitive concern for China Authority to approve the project. Facebook.com is still filtered by the great fire wall and Chinese netizens are not able to visit Facebook without technical tricks to play with the fire wall.  

Now, all the unveiled is quite applausive, the effective of the APG C&MA and the enrollment of Facebook in the APG cable project and the submarine cable community.