Atisa Subsea Cable Ready for Service

Docomo Pacific has completed the construction and end-to-end testing of the 183-mile Atisa submarine fiber optic cable system and the system is ready for service. 

The cable connects Guam to the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The Atisa submarine cable, which began with the signing of a supply contract in February 2016, was recently brought ashore and connected to the terrestrial fiber networks on Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

The system will come online with an initial operating capacity of 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of bandwidth. The total capacity of the Atisa system is 7.2 Terabits per second (Tbps).

Docomo Pacific selected Japan’s NEC Corporation to design and build the cable.

Furthermore, the company selected Ciena for its submarine GeoMesh solution, to deliver 100 Gbps wavelengths, and to facilitate new on-demand experiences for users.

Ocean Specialists advised Docomo Pacific on Project Atisa and provided project management support.

“We are excited to announce that our Atisa submarine cable system is ready for service. Atisa makes it possible to offer the people of the CNMI the same world-class products and services already available to our customers in Guam. We look forward to working with enterprise partners of all sizes in the CNMI and helping them to serve their customers faster and more effectively. We want to sincerely thank our associates, advisers, and suppliers who have worked tirelessly over the last year and half to make Atisa a reality. We would also like to thank the CNMI government agencies, community partners, and especially the people of Rota, Saipan and Tinian for welcoming this project and helping to bring it to completion,” said Jonathan Kriegel, Docomo Pacific president and CEO.

Docomo Pacific invested over $16 million for the cable itself, and an additional $9 million to modernize and expand its fixed and mobile networks in the CNMI.