Keppel’s Singapore-US subsea cable system receives US regulatory approval

Singapore's "Bifrost" undersea cable system, being jointly developed by Keppel, Edge Cable Holdings USA (Meta) and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), has been granted a subsea cable landing license by the United States Federal Communications Commission (USFCC).

Spanning over 20,000km, Bifrost will be the world’s first subsea cable system that directly connects Singapore to the west coast of North America via Indonesia through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.

A subsea cable landing license must be obtained prior to landing a submarine cable to connect continental United States with any foreign country.

The license marks the final approval in an extensive transnational regulatory approval process, paving the way for Bifrost’s deployment.

Bifrost, which commenced system commissioning and acceptance testing on January 21, 2025, is expected to be ready for commercial service in the second half of 2025.

Keppel embarked on the Bifrost Cable System in March 2021 with joint build partners Meta and Telin, in which Keppel was assigned five out of a total of 12 fibre pairs with its share of cost being US$350 million.

The five fibre pairs are jointly owned by Keppel and its private fund co-investors through a 40-60 joint venture.