Timor-Leste plugs into global connectivity with TLSSC submarine cables

The TLSSC is designed to link Díli to the Australian North-West Cable System (NWCS), which connects Darwin and Port Hedland. Laid in 2016, the NWCS is a 2,100-kilometer cable operated by Vocus, with additional landing points such as Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, off northern Australia.
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The Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable System (TLSSC) has made its initial landing in Dili, Timor-Leste.

The Ministry of Transport and Communication announced that the country’s first undersea cable is now being installed. The TLSSC, a government-owned project, stretches 607 kilometres, boasts a capacity of 27 terabits per second, and includes seven repeaters. The project is set to be completed by the end of the year.

Construction of the first landing station in Dili is being handled by DXN, under a $1.4 million contract, while Alcatel Submarine Networks built the cable itself.

The TLSSC is designed to link Díli to the Australian North-West Cable System (NWCS), which connects Darwin and Port Hedland. Laid in 2016, the NWCS is a 2,100-kilometer cable operated by Vocus, with additional landing points such as Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, off northern Australia.

‘This cable is more than infrastructure—it’s a lifeline connecting our nation to the global network and unlocking vast opportunities for growth, innovation, and development,’ said Miguel Marque Goncalves, Timor-Leste’s Minister of Transport and Communication.

Currently, Timor-Leste relies on microwave radio and satellite for connectivity. In the near future, the country expects to establish a second undersea cable link through the Asia Connect Cable (ACC-1), which will connect Los Angeles, Singapore, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.

Another potential connection could come from the Hawaiki Nui cable, projected to be operational by 2027, which aims to link Timor-Leste with Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore.