Hexa Appoints Alaska Communications as Landing Party for MYUS Cable in Oregon

Hexa Capital Consultancy PLT (“Hexa”), owner of the Malaysia-U.S. (“MYUS”) cable based in Malaysia, appointed Alaska Communications as its U.S. Landing Party for the Malaysia-US (MYUS) cable.

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The MYUS cable is being planned with a ready for service date of mid-2028 and will connect Malaysia and the U.S. directly for the first time with high-capacity fiberoptic connectivity, increasing access to reliable and affordable digital services across Southeast Asia. The cable backbone will extend between the Malaysian Peninsula near Mersing to the U.S territory of Guam and then directly onward to Alaska Communications’ cable landing station in Florence, Oregon. Along the path, MYUS will also connect Batam, Jakarta and Balikpapan in Indonesia, and Davao in the Philippines.

“The MYUS cable is being designed specifically to provide trusted and reliable direct fiber connectivity between these locations for large hyperscaler, cloud, content, carrier and government customers,” according to Dr. Azhari Abang Hadari, Founder and CEO of Hexa.

“MYUS customers can be confident in the route design because it avoids the problems plagued by other existing undersea cables that transit contested waters in Southeast Asia, provides efficient routing for lowest possible latency, and uses well-known, well-proven existing cable landing sites that have excellent up-time performance as well as widely-available backhaul options for Hexa’s fiber pair owners,” added Dr. Azhari. “Alaska Communications was an obvious choice when we evaluated strategic partnerships in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.”

Alaska Communications’ cable landing facilities in Florence include the beach landing, front-haul fiber and cable landing station built in 2008 for the Alaska-Oregon Network (AKORN) which was commissioned in 2009.

“We look forward to a long-term relationship hosting MYUS at our premier landing station. Strategically positioned along the Oregon coast, our Florence landing station is a critical hub for subsea fiberoptic cables which are the backbone of today’s internet. This location provides unparalleled access to multiple fiber backhaul providers, ensuring seamless connectivity to major data center complexes in Seattle, Hillsboro, Silicon Valley and beyond. By hosting international cables, our landing station plays a vital role in driving global economic growth and enhancing access to education, healthcare, and overall quality of life. Our highly trained, experienced local team will act as strategic partners in operating MYUS, further demonstrating our leadership in global subsea cable management,” said Jeff Vogt, chief operating officer, Alaska Communications.

MYUS will be an open cable with 16 fiber pairs along its backbone. Hexa’s business model is to sell fiber pairs to long-term owners that will demand reliability and high performance of the cable to support their business growth. Hexa’s selection of Alaska Communications as a partner builds on its strategy of planning globally but partnering locally with strong, proven operators capable of and proven for meeting the requirements of the most demanding customers.

The Hexa team will participate in the upcoming Submarine Networks World conference in Singapore (SNW 2024, 25-26 Sept.).

About Hexa Capital Consultancy PLT (“Hexa”)

Hexa Capital Consultancy PLT is a special-purpose start-up company led by a well-seasoned development team of telecom and submarine cable industry veterans for the purposes of planning, financing, constructing and operating the first high-speed undersea fiberoptic cable directly connecting Malaysia and the continental United States, called the Malaysia-U.S. (“MYUS”) Cable.

The Hexa Management Team includes a growing roster of Malaysia-based executives that has been established and being built upon as development progresses. External consultants and core development team members currently providing support include Boston-based T Soja & Associates, Inc. (“TSA”) and Stuart Florida-based Ocean Specialists, Inc. (“OSI”), Commercial Lead, among other leading industry experts being funded by a grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (“USTDA”).

The Malaysia-U.S. (MYUS) Cable is a fiberoptic undersea cable network connecting Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines with the United States in Guam and the Pacific Northwest of the continental U.S. with options for additional future extensions. MYUS supports Malaysia's booming green energy-powered digital economy goals. MYUS is designed as a 16 fiber pairs Open Cable system, that will have a minimum 15 Tbps per Pair, 240 Tbps total capacity, and world class system architecture, design, manufacture Installation and operation.

Sale of MYUS’s wholesale fiber pairs will be targeted to hyperscalers, cloud providers, global telcos and governments as a trusted cable network connecting trusted data center operators and their customers. MYUS will also provide international on ramps for other ASEAN regional economies and connect with Major Regional Hubs (e.g. Guam). The MYUS Cable route avoids contested waters where permitting, construction and repairs are problematic.

Hexa expects to close on its financing for the MYUS Cable in mid-2025, at which time the System Supply Contract would come into force (“CIF”) and begin manufacturing and construction for a mid-2028 Ready For Service (“RFS”) date.

For further information, please visit www.hexamyus.com.

About Alaska Communications

Alaska Communications, an affiliate of ATN International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATNI), is the leading provider of advanced broadband and managed IT services for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly reliable, advanced statewide data network with the latest technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For more information, visit www.AlaskaCommunications.com.

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