USTDA funds feasibility study for Thailand-US undersea cable system

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has announced funding for a feasibility study regarding the Thailand-US Undersea Cable System (THUS). The proposed 18,507 km cable system is designed to connect Thailand to the United States by routing through up to five other Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

The project aims to bypass the South China Sea and other routes identified as potential security risks. The study will support Thailand’s state-owned National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) in evaluating the commercial, technical, financial, and legal feasibility of the project. Florida-based APTelecom LLC will conduct the research.

According to USTDA Deputy Director Thomas R. Hardy, the initiative is intended to ensure that critical infrastructure connecting Thailand and the U.S. utilizes reliable technology to protect sensitive data from exploitation. The THUS project is designed to replace aging undersea cable systems with infrastructure built to American technological standards.