KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18- The SouthEast Asia Hainan-Hong Kong Express Cable System (SEA-H2X) is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.

Deputy Minister of Communications, Teo Nie Ching said the 160 Tbps undersea fiber-optic cable network will link to Sarawak.

"This undersea cable route falls under the core network category, linking Sarawak to the outside world, including Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia," she said in the Dewan Negara today.

"At present, the existing network capacity is sufficient to meet future demand," she added.

She was responding to a question from Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew regarding the number of undersea internet cables directly connecting Sarawak to other countries.

Previously, the same system was implemented in 2022 through the Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System (BaSICS), which is the 48 Tbps international undersea internet cable system.

Both systems are provided by Irix Sdn Bhd.

Sarawak is also connected to two existing domestic undersea cable systems including the Sistem Kabel Rakyat Malaysia by Telekom Malaysia Berhad, which links Mersing to Kuching, Bintulu, and Miri with an average current capacity of 9.5 Tbps.

Meanwhile the East-West cable system, implemented by Sacofa Sdn Bhd, connects Mersing to Kuching with a current capacity of 600 Gbps.