Telstra and thirteen other international telecommunication companies signed the international Construction & Maintenance Agreement and associated main contract with two submarine cable system supplier consortiums on 11 December 1997.

The initial planning for the 4 x 20 Gbps capacity (some 1 million simultaneous telephone circuit equivalents) China-US cable system across the northern Pacific is now reaching finalisation with sea-bed marine cable route survey activities for the northern/western and southern/eastern legs of the project completed, and final survey analysis data being reviewed to determine cable types and quantities for manufacture.

Discussion is also now taking place between the China-US system investors to consider a possible upgrade of the initial 20 Gbps per fibre pair capacity, following the recent announcement of the new technology 160 Gbps (some 2 million simultaneous telephone circuit equivalents) per fibre pair Japan-US Trans-Pacific Cable system which has a likely in-service date only some 6 months later than China-US current end-1999 plans.

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