GTA has entered into a joint venture with independent undersea cable owner RTI for the construction of Gateway Network Connections, which will serve as Guam’s first combined neutral cable landing station and data center.
GNC is expected to provide seamless interconnection for both existing and new cables coursing through Guam, providing onward connectivity between and among Asia, Australia, and the United States.
The new cables coming to Guam include the Japan-Guam-Australia North Cable System (JGA North) connecting Tokyo and Guam, the Japan-Guam-Australia South Cable System (JGA South) connecting Sydney and Guam with a branch to Australia’s Sunshine Coast, and the Hong Kong-Guam Cable System (HK-G) connecting Hong Kong and Guam.
JGA North, JGA South, and HK-G will interconnect with one another at GNC’s neutral facility, and GTA’s network will allow for seamless connectivity between GNC and other active cables landed on Guam.
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, in a statement, said Guam has always had strategic importance in the telecommunications field.
“This investment underscores our administration’s commitment to strengthening our telecommunications infrastructure and ultimately providing new economic opportunities for our island. We congratulate GTA and their partners in achieving this important milestone, and we look forward to their continued contributions to our island and people,” the governor said.
Roland Certeza, CEO of GTA, said the GNC project will unlock the value of more than $3 billion in undersea cables that land on Guam.
“GTA has the largest buried fiber footprint on Guam, which allows us to provide additional protection. In addition to the SEA-US Cable System in our Piti-I facility, GTA will also provide 24/7/365 technical support as part of our joint venture with RTI in GNC. GNC’s neutrality ensures a level playing field for both large and small companies who rely on Guam as a reliable, neutral hub to and from Asia,” Certeza said.
Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2020, GNC will be an 11,800-square-foot Type 3 designed data center with approximately 250 racks of capacity and 2 megawatts of power.
The facility, which is engineered to withstand Category 5 Hurricane conditions and tsunami flooding, will be located adjacent to GTA’s existing CLS, where the Southeast Asia-United States Cable System (SEA-US) lands.
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