FLAG FEA (Fibre Optic Link Around the Globe) submarine cable

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The invisible infrastructure of global connectivity

FLAG FEA (Fibre-Optic Link Around the Globe / Far East America) was the longest single cable system in the world when it went into operation in November 1997. It connects the United Kingdom with Japan via the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea with 18 land stations in 14 countries. Today, the system is part of the FLAG network, which has been operated again under the FLAG brand by 3i Infrastructure since 2025. The FLAG network is one of the few fully privately operated global cable systems in the world. In addition to FEA, it comprises the FLAG Atlantic-1 (transatlantic), FALCON (Middle East/India) and FLAG North Asia Loop cables. Together they form a network of terrestrial and submarine fibers that connects all economic centers from London to Tokyo.

Route & connection

FLAG FEA connects Porthcurno (UK) via Estepona (Spain), Palermo (Italy), Alexandria and Suez (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Fujairah (UAE), Mumbai (India), Penang (Malaysia), Satun and Songkhla (Thailand), Hong Kong as well as Shanghai (China) and Geoje (South Korea) with the Japanese landing points Ninomiya and Miura. The route covers approximately 28,000 kilometers with fully duplicated terrestrial crossings in Egypt and Thailand.

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Awards for Outstanding Performance

FLAG/FEA submarine cable

Technology & capacity

FLAG FEA was supplied by AT&T Submarine Systems and KDD-Submarine Cable Systems (Fujitsu) and was a technological pioneer in the large-scale deployment of EDFA amplifiers.

EDFA pioneer: First large-scale use of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers at 1480 nm pump wavelength
Multiple upgrades: From original 10G SDH to 100G coherent (Ciena 2012) and WaveLogic 6 Extreme (2025)
Two duplicated terrestrial protection systems: Full redundancy in Egypt and Thailand with less than 50 ms switching time
Global private network: Combined with FLAG Atlantic-1, FALCON and FNAL to form a fully self-operated ring network

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Provider Overview

SAVECALL as access to FLAG/FEA

The FLAG network is one of the few fully privately operated global cable systems in the world. This is precisely what creates particular flexibility in capacity procurement. No consortium with twenty members, no diverging interests, no unnecessary overhead. SAVECALL has direct partnerships with 3i Infrastructure and FLAG and sources capacity on FEA, FLAG Atlantic-1 and FALCON without a reseller chain. We know the strengths of the system: the duplicated terrestrial crossings, the global reach, the direct connection to key markets from London to Tokyo. We negotiate structures that fit your international network needs. For companies with a Euro-Asian presence, FLAG/FEA is a strategically valuable option.

The result for our customers: