Sri Lanka's FLAG cable links grow from 66 to 87 in one year

In one year since it was extended to Sri Lanka, FLAG (Fiber-optic Link Around the Globe), the only terabit private undersea fibre-optic cable linking the country to the world, has grown from 66 to 87 points of presence (PoPs), and its 88th PoP is to be linked shortly, the cable's local capacity rights owner Lanka Bell said this week.

The company said the rapid expansion of the FLAG network has opened new markets and opportunities for businesses in Sri Lanka by offering seamless broadband connectivity and virtually limitless capacity for voice and data solutions as well as value added internet-based products and services across all continents. Since the Sri Lanka segment of the FLAG cable system went live, the global network has grown rapidly, consolidating its status as the world's largest undersea fibre optic cable system, Lanka Bell Managing Director Prasad Samarasinghe said.

Among the new countries now directly connected to FLAG following the increase in the number of landing stations are Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Netherlands, Yemen, Sudan and Iran.

"One significant feature of FLAG is that it is the only undersea cable network that provides direct connectivity from Sri Lanka to the USA, enabling us to provide unmatchable competitive pricing to this destination," he said.

FLAG is also the only undersea cable linking Sri Lanka to Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Sudan and Yemen.

He said already several mobile phone companies operating in Sri Lanka are using the FLAG cable and that the company is in discussions with several other operators and hopes to serve them in the near future.

"We are pleased that all operators are working closely with us, and that they acknowledge the high quality data and voice connectivity that FLAG offers," Samarasinghe said.