Hainan to Hong Kong Express (H2HE)

Overview

The Hainan to Hong Kong Express (H2HE) is a short intra-Chinese submarine cable spanning 675 kilometres. All three of its landing points are located within China, making it a domestic coastal cable rather than an international system. It connects sites along China's southern coastline and serves the corridor between Hainan Island, the Pearl River Delta region, and Hong Kong.

Route and Landings

H2HE has three landing points, all within China. These are Chung Hom Kok, Wenchang, and Zhuhai. Chung Hom Kok is located on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. Wenchang lies on the northeastern coast of Hainan Island. Zhuhai sits on the western shore of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province. No laying order is implied by these locations.

Ownership and Operators

H2HE is owned solely by China Mobile, one of China's largest state-owned telecommunications carriers. China Mobile operates extensive domestic and international network infrastructure across mainland China and Hong Kong.

Status and Timeline

H2HE entered service in 2021 and has been operational for approximately five years. No end-of-service date has been announced.

Regional Context

China's submarine cable network is well-established, with cables landing at 15 distinct points across the country. Most cables connecting China to the wider Asia-Pacific and global network are considerably longer intercontinental systems. The regional peers in this corridor — including EAC-C2C, Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), Asia-America Gateway, APCN-2, Trans-Pacific Express, and New Cross Pacific — range from roughly 13,600 km to over 36,500 km in length. At 675 km, H2HE is shorter than the large majority of cables sharing this corridor, exceeding only 13 percent of the other cables touching the same countries in terms of length. This reflects its distinctly regional, domestic function compared to the long-haul international systems it sits alongside.

Strategic Role

H2HE provides dedicated submarine connectivity between three points within China's southern coastal geography: Hainan Island, the Pearl River Delta, and Hong Kong. As a domestically focused system owned and operated by a single carrier, it supports direct capacity between these locations without relying on longer international cable infrastructure. Its short length and concentrated landing configuration reflect a purpose built for intra-regional traffic within this specific stretch of Chinese coastline.