HK undersea link

HONGKONG TELECOM is joining a consortium of Asia's largest phone companies to build a $1bn underwater cable network, the group said yesterday.

The proposed APCN-2 network, which will offer high-capacity links between Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, is expected to be signed in China in the middle of this month.

Extensions to other countries, such as Australia, are set to follow the initial network, which is due to be completed in 2002.