Fujitsu Completes Construction of SEA-ME-WE 4 Submarine Cable Network

20,000 kilometer optical submarine cable network spans from Singapore to France

Tokyo, December 13, 2005 — Fujitsu Limited today announced that the construction of the optical submarine cable network for the SEA-ME-WE 4 consortium(1) has been completed within 18 months. Fujitsu was awarded the contract with co-contractor Alcatel Submarine Networks of France in March 2004. The optical submarine cable network, which links the 14 countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Italy, and France, spans 20,000 kilometers, creating an optical telecommunications network of grand proportions.

With a transmission capacity of 1.28 Terabits(2), this optical submarine cable network extending from Singapore to France will provide a catalyst to the development of IT industries in the neighboring countries and amply accommodate the rapidly growing demand for Internet and broadband services.

An inauguration ceremony marking the launch of telecommunications services using the optical submarine cable is being held today in Dubai, UAE, attended by the representatives from 16 international telecommunications carriers(3) and other participants.

Fujitsu’s Role

Under the SEA-ME-WE 4 contract, Fujitsu was responsible for constructing approximately 8,000 kilometers of the optical submarine cable network from Singapore to Mumbai, India (Segment 1), and supplying the entire system for this segment. Fujitsu also supplied submarine repeaters for the entire Mediterranean Sea segment (Segment 4).

Track Record of Reliability

Fujitsu has a solid track record in optical submarine telecommunications projects, including large-scale, transoceanic projects, and has always completed these projects on schedule. To date the company has executed projects involving nearly 90,000 kilometers of optical submarine cable, equivalent to over twice the earth’s circumference. The company has also installed submarine repeaters at ocean depths of 8,000 meters without experiencing one instance of equipment failure to date. Reliability has been the hallmark of Fujitsu’s network infrastructure contributions in this era of high-capacity optical transmission systems.

Incident during Construction

An earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the devastating tsunami that followed occurred in December 2004, just prior to the scheduled start of the cable laying operation in the Bay of Bengal. Fujitsu immediately resurveyed the condition of the seabed along the route and confirmed the integrity of the route, enabling the completion of the cable system without significant delay.


Glossary and Notes

1. SEA-ME-WE 4 consortium: The official name of the system for the fourth submarine cable linking Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe.

2. 1.28 Terabits: 10 Gigabits/second optical wavelength division multiplex (WDM) system designed for a maximum of 64 waves per 1 fiber pair (10 x 64 =640 Gigabits), with 2 fiber pairs (640 x 2 = 1,280 Gigabits; 1.28 Terabits).

3. 16 international telecommunications carriers:
(in alphabetical order)
Algerie Telecom, Algeria
Bharti Infotel Limited, India
Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board, Bangladesh
CAT Telecom Public Company Limited, Thailand
Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (ETISALAT), UAE
France Telecom - Long Distance Networks, France
MCI, UK
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, Pakistan
Singapore Telecommunication Company Limited (Singtel), Singapore
Sri Lanka Telecom Limited (SLT), Sri Lanka
Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saudi Arabia
Telecom Egypt (TE), Egypt
Telecom Italia Sparkle S.p.A.
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia
Tunisie Telecom, Tunisia
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), India

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace-setting device technologies, highly reliable computing and communications products, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver comprehensive solutions that open up infinite possibilities for its customers’ success. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$44.5 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com

Contact Information

Etsuro Yamada

General Manager, New York Representative Office

Fujitsu

Contact via E-mail