Timor-Leste launched the commercial operations of its first international subsea cable in late July.

The launch of Cabos de Timor-Leste, the company responsible for the Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable System (TLSSC), means that the country no longer needs to rely on satellite-based communications systems.

The TLSSC connects the country’s capital Dili to the North-West Cable System, which has cable landing stations in Darwin and Wurrumiyangi, Australia.

The TLSSC landed in Timor-Leste back in June 2024. The cable, which was laid by France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks, spans 607km (377 miles) with a capacity of 27bps and seven repeaters.

The Dili landing station was constructed by Australia’s DXN.

Timor-Leste is a Southeast Asian country on the eastern half of the island of Timor, located between Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the northern coast of Australia.