Gulf Development Plc, Thailand’s largest energy company by market value and a major telecom operator, has partnered with Singtel Group, the Singaporean communications technology conglomerate, to develop a new submarine cable to support growing demand for cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), data centres and digital services across the region.
The subsea cable is meant to link the two countries, reinforcing their positions as leading digital economies in Southeast Asia.
“We want to build critical infrastructure that enables digital growth and creates long-term value for the economies and communities we serve,” said Sarath Ratanavadi, chief executive of Gulf.
As the first initiative under this partnership, the duo plan to participate in the Vietnam-Thailand-Singapore (VTS) Cable System, creating a new subsea cable link that strengthens Thailand’s connectivity to Singapore.
Singtel and leading Thai telecom firm AIS, which is jointly controlled by Gulf and Singtel, expect to draw on their market expertise, connectivity capabilities and customer reach to support the development and commercialisation of the system.
The VTS Cable System is expected to be operational by 2030, with capital requirements spread out over multiple years.
Gulf and Singtel said they may consider investing in terrestrial cable systems and other subsea cable systems in the future.
Thailand is attracting investments in data centres, cloud services and digital platforms. As demand for digital and AI infrastructure accelerates, enhanced international connectivity can support the country’s ambition to become a leading digital and AI economy, said Gulf.
The partnership also reinforces Singapore’s position as Southeast Asia’s premier digital connectivity gateway.
By strengthening submarine cable links between two of Southeast Asia’s leading digital economies, it will meet the evolving needs of enterprises, cloud providers, hyperscalers and digital platforms seeking resilient, diverse and high-performance connectivity, noted Singtel.
“We look forward to deepening submarine cable links between our two countries and supporting the next phase of digital growth and innovation in the region,” said Yuen Kuan Moon, group chief executive of Singtel.