Sihanoukville-Hong Kong (SHV-HK)

Overview

The Sihanoukville-Hong Kong (SHV-HK) cable is a submarine cable system connecting Cambodia and China across the South China Sea. Spanning approximately 2,938 kilometres, it forms a direct bilateral link between the two countries, serving a corridor that has historically depended on longer regional systems to carry traffic between Southeast Asia and southern China.

Route and Landings

In Cambodia, the cable lands at Sihanoukville, the country's principal coastal city and main deep-water port, located on the Gulf of Thailand.

In China, the cable lands at Tseung Kwan O, a district in Hong Kong that hosts one of the territory's established cable landing station facilities.

Ownership and Operators

SHV-HK is owned by the Government of Cambodia, making it a state-owned submarine cable asset. Cambodia's direct ownership of the system reflects a national interest in securing independent international connectivity infrastructure rather than relying solely on capacity purchased from multi-party cable consortia.

Status and Timeline

The cable is planned to be ready for service in 2026. At present, it is not yet operational.

Regional Context

The Cambodia–China corridor is served by several established regional systems, most of which are substantially longer multi-country cables. Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), ready for service in 2017, is among the cables that include both Cambodia and China in its landing point network, while systems such as APCN-2, Trans-Pacific Express, and New Cross Pacific reach China as part of broader trans-Pacific or intra-Asian routes. SHV-HK distinguishes itself as a short, direct bilateral cable between the two countries, at 2,938 km considerably shorter than any of its corridor peers.

Measured performance data from recent ping tests records an average round-trip latency of 67.7 ms through this cable, with a best recorded result of 47.3 ms across 33 tests in the last 60 days.

Strategic Role

By providing a dedicated link between Sihanoukville and Tseung Kwan O, SHV-HK will give Cambodia a state-controlled path for international data traffic directly to Hong Kong. This reduces Cambodia's dependence on capacity transiting through multi-owner regional cables and establishes a shorter physical route for traffic between the two landing points than the broader multi-country systems currently serving this corridor.