Press Release

Manx Telecom, the leading provider of telecommunications services on the Isle of Man, announces a significant investment in new subsea off-island connectivity through a partnership with Aqua Comms. This strategic collaboration aims to bolster the reach and resilience of the Isle of Man’s telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring enhanced connectivity for both residential and business customers.

The deal with Aqua Comms secures dedicated subsea fibre access for Manx Telecom for the next 25 years. Integrated seamlessly with the Manx Telecom core network, this partnership guarantees unrestricted speed and access, offering numerous benefits including resilience, diversity, capacity, and enhanced security for the Isle of Man’s telecommunications network and infrastructure.

Gary Lamb, CEO of Manx Telecom, emphasised the importance of investing in resilient connectivity to meet the evolving needs of the Isle of Man’s residents and businesses. “In today’s digital age, virtually everything we do online connects to content beyond the Isle of Man. It’s crucial that we ensure resilience, diversity, and ample capacity to meet the growing demands of our Island customers.”

“This investment safeguards the requisite capacity for our data centre customers and our fibre broadband customers well into the future – accommodating the proliferation of 4K and 8K TVs, the surge in gaming activities, and the increasing number of connected devices in households, while facilitating the adoption of emerging technologies,” he added.

“In supporting enterprises on the Isle of Man who are based locally and operate globally, robust and reliable connectivity is fundamental. By fortifying our telecommunications infrastructure, we are empowering local businesses to thrive in the global marketplace, underscoring the Isle of Man’s reputation as a competitive and attractive destination for investment and commerce.

Gary concluded, “We possess the capability to scale up the capacity as needed,” underscoring Manx Telecom’s steadfast commitment to furnishing dependable and scalable connectivity solutions for the Isle of Man.

Manx Telecom’s partnership with Aqua Comms brings cutting-edge connectivity to the Isle of Man. Aqua Comms’ network offers unique routing with the first transatlantic system landing directly in Ireland, ensuring seamless access to global data centre hubs. With maximum security measures and full diversity, alongside efficient Point of Presence solutions, Aqua Comms guarantees unparalleled availability and reliability.

This collaboration underscores Manx Telecom’s dedication to meeting the growing demands of Isle of Man customers, enabling seamless connections to global content and services.

Want to keep up with all the latest submarine cable news from around the world? Join the experts in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s largest submarine telecoms conference

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The company’s rivals say the decision to repeal the ‘NTT Law’ could give the telecoms giant an unfair competitive advantage in the domestic market

The Japanese government has approved a bill that would revise regulatory controls placed on the country’s largest telco, NTT, when the company was first semi-privatised 40 years ago.

NTT operated as a telecoms monopoly in Japan until 1984, at which time the government moved to liberalise the sector and introduce competition. As part of this process, a so-called ‘NTT Law’ was introduced that put limitations on NTT in an effort to create a more equal playing field for new market entrants.

Among these stipulations were the separation of NTT’s fixed-line, enterprise, and mobile businesses, as well as assurances that the company would remain under Japanese control, including retaining a government stake of at last a third and assurances that only Japanese nationals would hold executive positions.

It also obliges NTT to make the results of its R&D efforts public due to the company being publicly funded.

Now, 40 years on, and NTT has made a habit of lamenting what it views as uneven regulatory scrutiny, arguing that it is hindering the company’s ability to compete on the global stage.

By last year, these arguments had finally found support within the Japanese government with communications minister Matsumoto Takeaki arguing that the pace of technological change within the industry meant that “system reforms must be carried out quickly”.

Draft legislation was quickly drawn up that relaxes many of NTT’s existing pain points, including removing the need to disclose R&D results and allowing foreign nationals to hold executive positions (provided two-thirds of the executive committee remain Japanese).

Unsurprisingly, this proposition has been met with widespread condemnation from the domestic telecoms industry. NTT’s rivals released a joint statement arguing that the existing proposition will give NTT too much power and saying that more time should be taken to introduce balanced regulatory reform.

“Matters related to fair competition, universal service obligations, and restrictions on foreign investment have a significant impact on national interests and people’s lives, including from the perspective of the security of Japan’s telecommunications infrastructure, and it is necessary to listen carefully to the voices of local businesses and the public in considering such matters,” read the joint statement.

“We will continue to oppose the ‘repeal’ of the NTT Act and strongly request that more careful policy discussions be held.”

The government, however, is in no mood to hang around. Last summer, the Kishida administration indicated that it wished to divest of its 34.25% stake in NTT, a move that could raise almost $33 billion.

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According to HGC Global Communications, the damage has disrupted around a quarter of data traffic travelling through the volatile region

This week, official statements from Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications have confirmed that three submarine cable systems – the Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the Europe India Gateway, and the Seacom-TGN-Gulf systems – have been severed in the Red Sea.

The cables carry large volumes of data traffic from Asia to Europe, much of which is currently being rerouted over 11 neighbouring submarine systems.

According to HGC, the damage impacts roughly 25% of data traffic passing through the Red Sea.

Processes related to repairing the cables are reportedly already underway, though these are likely to take a number of weeks, particularly given the ongoing conflict in the local area.

Exactly what has caused the damage to the cables has yet to be revealed – indeed, it is hard to ascertain the causes of cable damage before the cables have been dredged up for repairs – though there are fears that it could deliberate sabotage by the Houthi rebels currently attacking Western shipping operations nearby.

At the end of last year, Houthi-linked media published a map showing the local submarine cable systems, along with ambiguous messaging that could hint at the infrastructure being a potential target for attack.

However, the Houthi rebels deny sabotaging the cables, instead blaming the increased Western naval presence for the disruption.

“The hostilities on Yemen by the British and U.S. naval military units caused a disruption in the submarine cables in the Red Sea, which jeopardized the security and safety of international communications and the normal flow of information,” said a statement from Yemen’s Transportation Ministry, which is currently under Houthi control.

Submarine cables being severed is, in fact, a fairly common occurrence, with cables typically being damaged by becoming entangled in trawling nets or on a ships anchor.

Deliberate attacks on submarine infrastructure are incredibly rare, requiring both knowledge of the cable’s precise location as well as the case to disrupt the cables sometimes hundreds of metres beneath the surface.

While the submarine cables near Yemen’s coastline are, in places, only around 100 metres deep, the chances of them being specifically targeted by the rebels seems slim, particularly given the local military presence throughout the area.

Want to keep up with all the latest submarine cable news from around the world? Join the experts in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s largest submarine telecoms conference

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