It was confirmed yesterday that Cable and Wireless Plc and International Digital Communications Inc, the consortium in which it has a 16.83% shareholding, have won their hard-fought licence to operate an international telecommunications service from Japan in competition with Kokusai Denshin Denwa and the International Telecom Japan consortium (CI No 821). Including the share to […]
It was confirmed yesterday that Cable and Wireless Plc and International Digital Communications Inc, the consortium in which it has a 16.83% shareholding, have won their hard-fought licence to operate an international telecommunications service from Japan in competition with Kokusai Denshin Denwa and the International Telecom Japan consortium (CI No 821). Including the share to be taken by the IDC consortium, Cable & Wireless will own around 40% of the Japanese end of the North Pacific cable, laying of which is due to start in May 1989. It will also own 20% of the US end. Cable & Wireless is contributing $120m to the cost of the cable, and overall, IDC has budgeted to invest some $300m or so over its first five-to-10 year phase. It expects to be profitable by 1992 and to have cleared losses accumulated by 1994. By then it looks to have 15% of the $1,000m a year Japanese international telecommunications market, which is growing at 30% a year.
