FLAG Expands Trans-Pacific Fibre for Data Centre Traffic

FLAG has confirmed the acquisition of a fibre pair on the ECHO subsea cable from Google, strengthening network capacity on a high-demand trans-Pacific route. 

The system introduces a new express path between South Asia and the US that is designed to support the growing bandwidth and latency requirements of hyperscale and enterprise data centres.

The cable is targeted to be ready for service in mid-2026 and links Singapore to the US through landing stations at Eureka in California and Piti in Guam. 

With an estimated latency of 165 milliseconds between Singapore and the US, ECHO is positioned as a low-latency route across one of the world’s most data-intensive corridors. 

FLAG states that the system is built to deliver high-speed and resilient connectivity, attributes that are increasingly critical as data centre workloads scale across regions.

New route supports data centre interconnection

The acquisition provides FLAG with a fully owned fibre pair on ECHO, allowing greater control over capacity, performance and service delivery. For data centre operators, this control supports predictable network performance for cloud services, content delivery and data replication between Asia and North America.

The route connects major digital hubs, with Singapore acting as a primary aggregation point for South Asia traffic and Eureka providing direct access to the US west coast. Guam serves as an intermediate landing location that adds diversity and resilience to the path. FLAG highlights that the route is designed to meet demand for seamless and reliable data transmission as data centre traffic continues to grow across the Pacific.

Paul Abfalter, Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer of FLAG, comments: "We’re accelerating growth in our digital infrastructure with investments in subsea and terrestrial fibre capacity on unique, diverse routes. This investment expands our global network, creating a fully owned fibre ring around the globe connecting major economies.”

The fibre pair acquisition aligns with FLAG’s strategy of investing in infrastructure that supports high-capacity connectivity for data centres that require consistent low latency between regions. By owning the fibre, FLAG can offer dedicated capacity options to customers that need assured performance for mission-critical workloads.

Singapore to US connectivity and regional integration

ECHO will become one of only two subsea cables directly connecting Singapore to the US once in service. FLAG plans to interconnect the new route with its India Asia Express investment, which links India to Singapore. This integration is intended to create a continuous path from India to the US, supporting data centre traffic flows across multiple markets.

Carl Grivner, CEO of FLAG, says: "At FLAG, our vision has always been to deliver resilient, global connectivity solutions that empower customers. Our continued investment in new FibreLinks around the Globe reflects this commitment. 

“Once in service, ECHO will be one of only two cables directly connecting Singapore to the US. By interconnecting it with our India Asia Express investment (India to Singapore), we are set to become the leading provider of India-to-US connectivity."

For data centre operators, direct routes reduce the number of network hops and potential congestion points. FLAG positions the combined ECHO and India Asia Express systems as a way to support consistent performance for applications such as artificial intelligence processing, cloud interconnection and large-scale data transfer between continents.

Investment activity and broader infrastructure portfolio

The fibre pair acquisition concludes a year of notable activity for FLAG. In April, the company introduced a rebrand and in June it secured a US$340m refinancing package to support future growth initiatives. 

FLAG has confirmed that it remains focused on its long-term network strategy and plans to announce further investments across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The company operates one of the largest privately owned subsea cable networks, spanning more than 180 countries through seven subsea and six terrestrial systems. 

The company serves hyperscalers and enterprises with flexible capacity solutions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the USA. Alongside its fibre assets, FLAG also provides modular data centres at edge locations and cable landing stations. 

These facilities support high-performance computing and storage close to where data enters and exits the subsea network.

The ECHO fibre pair adds to this portfolio by extending low-latency reach across the mid-trans-Pacific, offering data centre customers additional options for resilient and high-capacity international connectivity.