NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that it has launched a new cable route linking Japan to the Trans-Pacific Express Cable Network (TPE), an optical fiber cable system that interconnects Mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and now Japan.

The TPE, the first phase of which began operating on September 30, 2008, has been built by a consortium comprising NTT Com, AT&T, China Telecommunications, China United Telecommunications, Chunghwa Telecom, KT Corporation and Verizon Business. The construction and operational startup of the Japan-Asia section leg constitutes the second phase of the TPE project.

The TPE now comprises approximately 18,000 kilometers of cable and offers maximum transmission capacity of up to 5.12 terabits per second. The new link provides NTT Com with redundant cable routes and landing stations for further provision of assured network services within the Asia-Pacific region.

In particular, it will enhance the redundancy and capacity of backbones for NTT Com's Arcstar' Global IP-VPN service, as well as global IP network services provided over the company's global Tier-1 IP backbone.