VSNL to link Europe thru TGN Eurasia Cable System

Mumbai: VSNL has initiated construction of TGN Eurasia, a $250-million (Rs 1,000-crore) cable system for linking Mumbai directly with Paris, London and Madrid (via Egypt), in partnership with SEACOM and Telecom Egypt.

The new cable system will offer express connectivity between India and Europe, and will also have future options for additional connectivity in South East Asia, the Gulf and European regions, the company said in a communication here on Wednesday.

It will provide VSNL with 1.28 terabit of new capacity by the first half of 2009.

“The TGN Eurasia Cable System will serve the increasing demand for bandwidth in the region and offer more options for route diversity and redundancy. Moreover, it will enable us to provide global express capacity solutions from India going West, and with TGN-TIC, from India going East,” said Mr Vinod Kumar, President, Global Data Solutions, VSNL.

However, VSNL did not disclose its direct investment in the $250-million project. The company maintains a global transmission network of over 2,06,356 route km comprising both terrestrial and submarine cable assets.

Reacting to the development, the VSNL scrip touched an intra day high of Rs 722, before settling at Rs 714.25, 17.17 per cent higher than its previous close on the BSE.