New ASEAN alliance tackles connectivity, datacentre challenges

• ASEAN Connect.One to provide one-stop connectivity and datacentre services
• Alliance includes telcos and datacentre providers across South-east Asia
• Initiative aims to enhance service quality and reduce lead times for installation and maintenance

To address the growing demand for digital services, infrastructure and applications, several South-east Asian telecom operators and datacentre providers in the region have united to form a new connectivity alliance, the ASEAN Connect.One. 

Across South-east Asia, a digital revolution is rapidly transforming the region’s economies. As of 2022, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) had 460 million internet users, with 100 million having joined since the start of the decade and that total number will have risen further over the past 18 months. This transformation is reshaping everything from e-commerce marketplaces to streamlined e-government services and is a catalyst for the bloc’s integration, according to the ASEAN Centre for Energy.

Reacting to these trends, a group of regional service providers – Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin, a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia), Hong Kong-based APT Satellite, Ho Chi Minh City-based FPT International Telecom, Bangkok-based Interlink Telecom, Phnom Penh-based Neocom ISP, Hong Kong-based data networking service provider NTC Asia, and Singapore-based wholesale service provider SEAX Global (Super Sea Cable Networks) – have decided to pool their resources. According to the announcement about the formation of ASEAN Connect One, this alliance aims to “offer a streamlined approach to connectivity and datacentre services, featuring one-stop shopping, single-end billing, unified operational processes, and enhanced service quality. These improvements are designed to reduce installation and maintenance lead times, providing seamless access to collaborative services for carriers and OTT players across ASEAN countries.”

With this new alliance, industry leaders seek to transform the connectivity and datacentre landscape in the ASEAN region. Each of the alliance members is a registered telecom or datacentre operator in their respective countries, providing a range of connectivity services, including national and international data connectivity, satellite and various datacentre services.

Combined, the alliance members boast a network spanning 10,000 kilometers linking Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and aim to provide clients with a “standardised suite of services, ensuring reliability, scalability, and efficiency in connectivity and datacentre management solutions” – see map below.

The early focus of the alliance appears to be digital service specialists, such as over-the-top (OTT) messaging, social media and streaming service providers.  

Leveraging the alliance’s networks, “OTT platforms can deliver content more efficiently, ensuring seamless streaming experiences for users across borders. This strategic collaboration not only amplifies the reach and quality of OTT services but also paves the way for innovative content delivery solutions,” according to the alliance, which promises “high SLA [service level agreement] with borderless connectivity, supported by a suite of fully redundant terrestrial, submarine cable, and satellite networks, ensuring a short lead time for seamless integration.”

- Joana Bagano, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV