The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will fund a feasibility study for a “trusted” trans-Pacific submarine cable linking Thailand to the United States, a route designed to avoid the South China Sea.

In a statement on Monday, the USTDA said the grant can help Thailand’s state-owned National Telecom (NT) assess the Thailand-U.S. Submarine Cable System (THUS). The agency did not disclose any financial details.

The proposed cable, up to 11,500 miles (18,500 km) long, can connect Thailand to the United States through five other Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. It can avoid the South China Sea and other routes wwith security risks. The infranstructure can replace Thailand’s aging subsea link to the United States.

The USTDA said the system would use “trusted” technology built to U.S. engineering and security standards, protecting data from exploitation and creating opportunities for U.S. companies to supply hardware, software, and installation services.

Thailand’s state-owned National Telecom (NT) has selected Florida-based APTelecom to conduct the study, covering the project’s commercial, technical, financial, and regulatory viability.

The cable would run on an open-access model serving a regional market of more than 600 million people, and support Thailand’s data-center, cloud, and AI sectors, according to the USTDA.

Thomas Hardy, USTDA’s deputy director, said the study would help ensure the infrastructure connecting Thailand and the United States, with trusted technology, while opening opportunities for U.S. firms.

Sanpachai Huvanandana, National Telecom’s president, said the cable can strengthen the resilience and diversity of Thailand’s networks.He called for the USTDA’s support timely in moving the project toward financing.

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