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Cable to bring high-speed internet to FSM
4.02.2009

The Federated States of Micronesia Telecommunications Company (FSMTC) and the Marshall Islands Telecommunications Authority (MINTA) have entered into contracts with Tyco Telecommunications for the deployment of extensions to the HANTRU1 Cable System currently under construction between Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Guam in the western equatorial Pacific.

The extensions will provide high bandwidth connectivity between both island nations and the rest of the world via state-of-the-art undersea fiber optic links.

"Connecting to the global fiber optic network promises to be nothing short of transformational for an isolated country such as the Marshall Islands," explains Tony Muller, President of MINTA.

"The HANTRU1 extension we are deploying with Tyco Telecommunications is essential to our nation's development and will enable us to provide services to our customers that we only previously imagined."

The extensions to both Pohnpei and Majuro will be comprised of 1 fiber pair segments from optical add/drop multiplexing branching units serving a dedicated fiber pair on the HANTRU1 trunk. When integrated into HANTRU1, each island extension will have direct connectivity back to Guam. The dedicated Micronesian fiber pair will have an ultimate capacity to transmit 16 10-Gigabit wavelengths. Because Guam is a regional node, FSM and MINTA will have a variety of onward connectivity options.

HANTRU1 is owned by Hannon Armstrong Capital, LLC and operated by Truestone, LLC. The Micronesian extensions are being financed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service, Telecommunications Loan Program.

"We are thrilled to begin construction of this long awaited project," said Takuro Akinaga, Chief Executive Officer of FSMTC. "With this connectivity, we will be able to provide the people of the Federated States of Micronesia with the same telecommunications access and services available in the great capitals of the world. We are grateful to the many stakeholders who have worked so hard over many years to make this project a reality."

"Tyco Telecommunications is pleased to provide the final pieces to this complex puzzle that is HANTRU1 and the Micronesian extensions," said Rob Munier, managing director for global solutions at Tyco Telecommunications. "We will be deploying the most advanced undersea technology as part of a network that will serve governments and commercial customers in this remote but growing part of the world for many years to come."

Tyco Telecommunications expects to deliver the extensions in Spring 2010.

FSM Telecommunications Corporation is a public corporation established under Title 21 of the Code of the Federated States of Micronesia, governed under the laws of the FSM. It was established to operate as the sole provider of all telecommunications services, except radio and television broadcasting, within the Federated States of Micronesia and between points in the Federated States of Micronesia and points outside thereof.

FSMTC operates in accordance with the highest standards in all relationships with customers, suppliers, environment and the community. FSMTC's vision is to provide the best possible modern, cost-effective telecommunications services by consistently satisfying the realistic expectations of our customers and stakeholders. FSMTC offers local fixed telephony, domestic inter-island and international calls, cellular, internet and television.

MINTA is a private corporation with significant ownership by the Republic of the Marshall Islands National Government. MINTA is the authorized provider of telecommunications services to the Republic of the Marshall Islands including local fixed line, mobile, domestic inter island, international, data and Internet.

Tyco Telecommunications, a business unit of Tyco Electronics and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology and marine services, is a leading global supplier for today's undersea communications requirements.

Drawing on its heritage of technical innovation and industry recognized performance, the company delivers the most reliable, high-quality solutions to organizations with undersea communications needs vital to their core mission. In more than five decades of operation, Tyco Telecommunications has designed, manufactured, and installed more than 80 undersea fiber optic systems around the world.

Tyco Telecommunications' global presence, backed by industry leading research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities, installation and maintenance ships, depots, and management team work together to implement integrated solutions and network upgrades, with unsurpassed reliability, that support the needs of telecommunications, internet providers, offshore and science customers worldwide.

By Pacific Magazine

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