Background
The Southeast Asian region is experiencing an unprecedented surge in its digital economy, driven by the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the expansive growth of cloud-based services. This transformative landscape is significantly increasing inter-data center traffic and international data transmission volumes, placing immense pressure on existing digital infrastructure. Consequently, subsea cable systems, which form the backbone of global connectivity, are facing escalating demands for higher capacity, lower latency, and superior energy efficiency. It is within this context that Symphony Communication selected Nokia to undertake a crucial upgrade of the Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) subsea cable system, addressing the growing imperative for robust AI infrastructure and advanced digital services across the region.
Key Findings
The core of the MCT subsea cable system upgrade involves replacing the legacy optical infrastructure with Nokia’s cutting-edge sixth-generation Photonic Service Engines (PSE-6) coherent optics. This advanced technology combines industry-leading spectral efficiency with unparalleled long-haul transmission performance, enabling the upgraded network to achieve an impressive capacity of up to 30 Tbps per fiber pair. This represents approximately a threefold capacity increase over the previous system, providing substantial bandwidth uplift for critical data flows.
Beyond the raw capacity gains, the deployment of PSE-6 technology delivers a significant benefit by reducing overall network power consumption by 60%. This contributes to a more sustainable data transmission ecosystem, aligning with global efforts to minimize the environmental footprint of digital infrastructure. Technologically, the PSE-6 employs sophisticated signal modulation schemes and advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms. These innovations are critical for maintaining signal integrity and quality in the challenging and harsh subsea environments, thereby facilitating ultra-high-speed data transmission over vast distances.
This enhanced capability allows for efficient and robust support of a wide array of digital applications that demand both high bandwidth and low latency. These include, but are not limited to, real-time AI inference, large-scale data analytics, and resource-intensive cloud-based services. The upgrade of the MCT subsea cable system thus forms a fundamental backbone, vital for driving digital transformation and fostering economic growth across the entire Southeast Asian region.
Nokia’s PSE-6 coherent optics offer a cost-effective and inherently future-proof solution to the challenges posed by the escalating demands of the digital era. This investment in the MCT system strengthens digital connectivity within the region, preparing it for the demands of the burgeoning AI era. The increase in network capacity to 30 Tbps and a substantial 60% reduction in power consumption will yield immense benefits for AI-related industries and cloud service providers throughout Southeast Asia. This strategic upgrade lays a strong foundation for the region to maintain its competitiveness in the global digital economy and to fully leverage emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Nokia is committed to continuing its support for telecommunications operators worldwide in building sustainable, high-performance networks through such transformative infrastructure enhancements.
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime

Comments