Sub-marine Telecommunication in HK since 1869

Set-up of the China Submarine Company

Jan 1, 1869

Completion of first cable via Hong Kong: Singapore- Cochin China- Hong Kong

Jun 11, 1871

Fig. 1: Main (deep sea) cable with seven-strand
copper conductor and twelve armouring wires

The Formation of the Eastern Extension, Australasia & China Telegraph Company

Jan 1, 1873

Fig. 2: Eastern Extension Company’s Hong Kong office circa 1902

Hong Kong- Philippines Cable come into service

Jan 1, 1880

Hong Kong- Wusung, Shanghai, China put into service

Jan 1, 1883

Fig. 3: Eastern Extension Telegraph Co. Office, Shanghai

Three cables come into service

Jan 1, 1884

Singapore- Hong Kong (Renewed large part of 1871 cable)
Hong Kong- Tonkin (Northern Vietnam)
Hong Kong- Macau

Hong kong- Singapore cable come into service

Jan 1, 1894

Second cable of to connect Hong Kong and Singapore, while adopt a different route

An agreement to development asian telecommunication has been signed

Jul 26, 1904

This 1904 agreement between the Eastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Company, Limited, and the Deutsch Niederländische Telegraphen Gesellschaft, Aktiengesellschaft would have been typical.

Aden Colombo- Ceylon- Penang- Singapore- Hong Kong

Jan 1, 1914

The Eastern Extension recombined and renamed to Cable & Wireless Ltd. (hereafter C&W)

May 24, 1934

Cable damaged by the Japanese Occupation

Period: Jan 1, 1941 to Dec 31, 1942

Cable to the Far East were lost when Japan invade Malaya and the Dutch East Indies

Nationalisation of C&W

Jan 1, 1947

CANTAT 1 was laid: Oban- Scotland- Clarenville, Newfoundland

Sep 25, 1956

Oban- Scotland- Clarenville, Newofoundland
Fig. 4: A section of TAT 1 cable with the layers successively stripped back

CANTAT 2 was laid: Corner Brook- Newfoundland- Grosses Reach, Quebec

Jan 1, 1961

Corner Brook- Newfoundland- Grosses Reach, Quebec

COMPAC Completed: Vancouver- Hawaii- Suva (Fiji)- Auckland- Sydney

Oct 10, 1963

Start laid in 1961 and completed in 10 OCT 1963, connect Vancouver and Sydney

Jessleton, Sabah- Singapore cable come into service

Jan 1, 1964

SEACOM 1 opened for service: Singapore- Sabah- Hong Kong

Mar 31, 1965

Singapore- Sabah- Hong Kong cable

SEACOM 2 officially opened: Hong Kong- Guam- Madang, Papua Guinea- Carins, Australia

Mar 30, 1967

Hong Kong- Guam- Madang, Papua Guinea- Carins, Australia; SEACOM linked with COMPAC at Guam Fig. 5: CS Mercury taking on cable in 1965 at the SCL premises at Enderby's Wharf, Greenwich, London, for the Deep Water Bay, Hong Kong - Tumon Bay, Guam section of SEACOM 2. Mercury laid 1,296nm of cable with 51 repeaters.

(OLUHO) come into service: Okinawa- Luzon- Hong Kong

Oct 25, 1977

Fig. 6: Stamp to celebrate the set up of OLUHO

Starting of the first submarine digital optical cable system: Japan- Korea- Hong Kong

Jan 1, 1990

Thailand- Vietnam- Hong Kong cable put into service

Sep 1, 1995

Fig. 7: Commemorative stamps of this section of cable

ASIA PACIFIC CABLE was completed: Taiwan- Hong Kong- Singapore- Indonesia- Malaysia- Thailand- Philippines

Jan 1, 1996

Taiwan- Hong Kong- Singapore- Indonesia- Malaysia- Thailand- Philippines