G. S. Evans
EGS (Asia) Ltd, Singapore

J. P. Byous.
General Offshore Corporation Inc., USA

The Planning, Installation & Maintenance of Unrepeatered Submarine Telecommunications Systems in Asia Pacific

Abstract
The 1990s have seen a proliferation of unrepeatered submarine telecommunications systems in the Asia Pacific Region and the entry of new, non traditional carriers investing in submarine systems. This investment in unrepeatered systems has been largely driven by the lower entry level costs made possible by rapid advances in submarine fibre optic technology which has resulted in the availability of long unrepeatered spans, lightweight high capacity broadband cables, and the consequential availability of more flexible lower cost installation and maintenance solutions. The availability of lightweight unrepeatered cables systems for new submarine telecommunications cable applications has presented a new set of challenges in system planning, cable installation and maintenance. This paper considers the unique aspects of unrepeatered systems in terms of the following key issues:

	System planning and design.
	Landing site selection.
	The route survey.
	Installation solutions.
	The effect of these issues on the system's life expectancy and life cycle maintenance budgets.