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Huawei Marine has kicked off Phase II of its Sorsogon-Samar Submarine Fiber Optical Interconnection Project (SSSFOIP) for the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The SSSFOIP system is located in the San Bernardino Strait, linking Sorsogon, the southernmost province on Luzon to the island of Samar.

The power transmission network between Sorsogon and Samar was built in 1997 and is a key branch of the Philippines’ power grid. The current microwave technology requires upgrading due to its limited bandwidth and vulnerability to weather conditions.

The SSSFOIP submarine cable project was tendered in two phases in 2016, both of which were awarded to Huawei Marine. The first phase survey was completed in 2016. Phase II features a submarine cable with a 12.8Tb/s design capacity that will be completed in Q3 2018. The system will adopt a HA (Heavy Armor) submarine cable designed.

Ferdinand A. Dicon, senior manager, Network Telecoms Division of National Grid Corporation in the Philippines said, “The transmission line between Sorsogon-Samar is an important branch of the network for the country. During the first phase of exploration, Huawei Marine demonstrated their project delivery capabilities and experience as a world-class turnkey submarine cable supplier. We believe that in the second phase of construction, Huawei Marine will successfully deploy their leading-edge product technology with their customer focus support services.”

Mike Constable, chief executive of Huawei Marine said, “The SSSFOIP project is the first power grid project for Huawei Marine, which is of special significance for us. Based on the results of the first phase of exploration, we will deploy the latest technology to build a fit-for-purpose communication network which will transform the NGCP’s network capabilities.”