The ADC Consortium recently celebrated the inauguration of the Asia Direct Cable (ADC), an ambitious project that saw NEC both manufacture and install the cable that is approximately 10,000 km long.

Per press releases and multiple industry reports, the ADC connects several key locations across East and Southeast Asia, including China (Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province), Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ADC has multiple pairs of high-capacity optical fibers and is designed to carry more than 160 Tbps of traffic, enabling high-capacity transmission of data across the East and Southeast Asian regions.

“This new cable marks a significant milestone, providing a vital foundation to support the ever-growing communications needs of Asia and the world,” said Koji Ishii, MC Co-Chairperson of the ADC Consortium. “The milestone represents the culmination of our efforts to overcome numerous challenges, made possible through steadfast collaboration and partnerships with esteemed stakeholders from various countries, including NEC. We are confident that this cable system will significantly contribute to the development of the AI industry in the Asia region.”

“NEC has earned the trust of its clients, and the consortium is extremely satisfied with the successful completion of this cable,” said Billy Li, MC Co-Chairperson of the ADC Consortium. “It offers the greatest cable capacity and essential diversity required for Asia’s major information hubs, enabling telecom carriers and service providers to optimize their network and service planning for sustainable growth.”

“NEC is honored to have taken part in this prestigious project, which will support increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications driven by technological advancements in 5G, the cloud, the Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence,” NEC Corporation Senior Vice President Tomonori Uematsu said in a press release. “We thank the consortium for their partnership and for helping us to push the boundaries of numerous challenges to bring this project to fruition.”

NEC has been a leading supplier of submarine cable systems for more than 60 years, and has built more than 400,000 km of cable, spanning the earth nearly 10 times. NEC’s subsidiary OCC Corporation manufactures optical submarine cables capable of withstanding water pressures at ocean depths beyond 8,000 meters.

The ADC Consortium includes leading communications and technology companies NT (Thailand), China Telecom, China Unicom, PLDT Inc., Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications and Viettel.

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has won an order for submarine cable from the Ooredoo Group to build what was described as “one of the largest international submarine cables” in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

A press release said that the project, called the Fibre in Gulf, will connect the GCC countries and Iraq. The length of the cable was not specified, but several estimates put it at about 2,000 km. The project, scheduled for completion in 2027, will provide GCC countries with a low latency, shorter and secure route to a new corridor, connecting Europe with up to 24 fiber pairs and a capacity of up to 720 Tbps. The project will “significantly enhance regional connectivity and solidify Ooredoo’s leadership in digital infrastructure.”

ASN CEO Alain Biston said his company was honored to be chosen for the project. He said that it is a “game-changing initiative that will mark a turning point in regional connectivity across the GCC.”

Ooredoo noted that it has been cementing its position as a leading digital infrastructure provider in the region through its work in AI, data centers, submarine cable systems, fintech and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said that the project aligns with his company’s ambitious strategy to position itself as a key player in addressing the rapidly growing data demand between Asia and Europe.

Last year Ooredoo Oman signed an agreement to land the 2 Africa Cable System in Barka and Salalah in Oman. Of note, the initiative also comes at a time when several regional telecom companies are launching projects to connect Africa, Europe and Asia, partly due to rising security concerns following attacks in recent years.

Leggett & Platt announced the retirement of John Meyer, vice president of commercial rod and wire. A WAI Life Member, he served the company for 24 years, having previously worked for 22 years for Keystone Steel & Wire. His function will be assumed by Nick Avise, who has 20 years of wire industry experience. He joined the company as a sales representative in 2005 and was promoted to marketing/sales development manager in 2014, then to national sales manager in 2017 and then director of sales in 2021. He holds an MBA from Georgia Colleges & State University and a M.S. degree in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University. Based in Carthage, Missouri, USA, Leggett & Platt’s product lines include steel wire.

 American Wire Group (AWG) reported two promotions. Nada Filipovic was named vice president of marketing and communications. She joined AWG in 2020 as a marketing manager and previously worked for more than 15 years for Nexans. She has an MBA in international business from Niagara University and a B.A. degree in economics from McMaster University. Marketing Communications Specialist Kristina Borojevic, who joined the company in 2022, was promoted to director of PR and communications. She holds a B.A. degree in international relations and affairs from McMaster University. Based in Miami, Florida, the American Wire Group makes wire and cable products for utilities and renewable energy.

Keith D’Amato has joined Dranetz in distribution sales. He most recently worked for Sjogren Industries, where he served for nearly eight years in sales and marketing. Prior to that he worked for 17 years for Ripley Tools. He holds a degree in business and marketing from Fairfield University and an MBA in management from Albertus Magnus College. Based in Edison, New Jersey, a division of GMC- Instruments Group, Dranetz is a global manufacturer of intelligent monitoring solutions for electrical demand and energy and power quality requirements.

Peter Weimann has been named director of engineering at Amphenol Fiber Optic Products. He most recently was CTO for HFCL Limited, where he worked for three years. He previously worked for 23 years for OFS as director, optical cable R&D, North America; technical manager and senior R&D engineer. He holds a PhD degree in materials engineering from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. degree in materials engineering and organizational management from the University of Pennsylvania. Based in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, Amphenol Fiber Optic Products, a division of Amphenol Corporation, provides solutions for fiber optic interconnect applications.

Emtelle has named Beni Blell president of its USA Division, tasked with strengthening the company’s presence in the American market. He has more over 30 years of experience in the optical communications industry, having held senior leadership roles in other globally recognized organizations. He will oversee operations and sales of Emtelle’s U.S. manufacturing and testing facility in Fletcher, North Carolina, which is a cornerstone of Emtelle’s “Made in America” initiative. Based in Fletcher, North Carolina, Emtelle USA is part of the U.K.’s Emtelle, which is a global manufacturer of pre-connectorized, blown-fiber cabling and ducted network solutions.

 
Obituary

Industry veteran Richard “Dick” Hall, the retired president and CEO of Champlain Cable Corporation, died Dec. 30, 2024, at age 76. Hall served for 20 years with the company, rising from vice president of sales and marketing to CEO. During that period, he led the company through a turnaround that saw four acquisitions completed, the expansion of one location from 200,000 to 500,000 sq ft, and a 10-fold increase in revenue. After his retirement, he continued to serve as an advisor through 2023. Hall’s prior experience in the wire and cable industry included senior vice president at Electro-Wire, vice president sales & marketing at the Brand-Rex Division of BICC, general sales manager at Harbour Industries, sales manager at A.E. Petsche and his first position, industrial sales, at ITT Surprenant. Throughout his career, Hall was known for his hard work, strong relationships and innovative solutions to turning companies around, but also for having an incredible sense of humor, a love of the industry and its people, and for mentoring many who also now hold high level positions in the wire and cable industry. A WAI Life Member, Hall was a 2004 recipient of the Wire Cable Manufacturers Alliance’s Distinguished Career Award. He was a former WCMA president and was one of the organization’s founding Board members when it was incorporated in 2004. Hall held an MBA degree from Northeastern University-Boston, a BSBA degree from John Carroll University-Cleveland and had completed senior level executive management programs at Harvard, Boston University, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan and University of Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Mary; daughter, Emilie; sons Andrew and Nicholas; and six grandchildren: Lily, Hannah, Tyler, Parker, Makayla, and Stockton.