Australia’s telco giant Telstra guarantees internet service on key Asian routes

Australian telco Telstra (Pictured) plans to combine three undersea cable systems in order to ensure services in their Asian market are maintained in case of damage via natural disaster or shipping. (Photo: Telstra/ Facebook)

SYDNEY –Australian telco Telstra plans to combine three undersea cable systems in order to ensure services in their Asian market are maintained in case of damage via natural disaster or shipping.

The recent typhoons in Taiwan and the Philippines damaged the sensitive fiber-optic cables under the sea, which carry over 96 percent of the world’s internet and phone traffic.

Paul Abfalter, head of emerging markets at Telstra, told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on Monday, the move would allow for the company to ensure customers on some of Asia’s busiest routes such as Hong Kong to Singapore, have optimized service.

“We operate three different cable systems intra-Asia and we have the largest network, and the technology is getting to the point where we’ll automatically be able to route customers in the event of cable damage,” Abfalter said.

Asia is one of the fastest growing markets in terms of data, with undersea cabling being crucial to ensure the continents internet and phone service needs are met.