China Tele, Flag in connectivity pact

China Telecom has selected Reliance-owned Flag Telecom to provide international bandwidth capacity between China and US West Coast, under a multi-million dollar contract.

Under the agreement, Flag Telecom would provide 30 GBIT capacity over multiple STM-16s between China and the US, Reliance Infocomm Ltd said in a release in Mumbai on Thursday.

This is the largest capacity purchase ever placed by China Telecom and the contract would help in providing a platform to deliver advanced services in the region, it said.

The STM-16s would provide full-circuit, high-quality connectivity to carry large volumes of voice, data and Internet traffic between China and the US West Coast, it added.

The contract is expected to satisfy mid to long-term bandwidth forecast demand in the region, which is being driven primarily due to the continuing growth of Internet protocol traffic and Internet applications.

Flag would provide an integrated solution based on its FLAG North Asia Loop system and Tyco Telecommunications' TGN Trans-Pacific cable, it said.

China Telecom deputy general manager Chang Siu Ping said, "This agreement enables us to meet the burgeoning demands of our customers and ensures we meet the anticipated growth in new broadband services".

Flag Telecom CEO Patrick Gallagher said, "China Telecom has now put in place a fast, reliable and scaleable platform to deliver advanced services and meet high-speed connectivity demands."