TKO Connect

Overview

TKO Connect is a short intra-Hong Kong submarine cable spanning approximately 6 kilometres. It connects two landing points within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, serving a local corridor between the Chai Wan and Tseung Kwan O districts. Unlike the long-haul international systems that also land in this region, TKO Connect functions as a short-distance link between two data centre hubs on Hong Kong Island and the Tseung Kwan O industrial and technology zone.

Route and Landings

Both landing points are located within China. The cable comes ashore at Chai Wan, a district on the eastern end of Hong Kong Island, and at Tseung Kwan O, situated on the eastern side of the Kowloon Peninsula. The two landings are separated by approximately 6 kilometres of cable routed beneath local waters.

Ownership and Operators

TKO Connect is jointly owned by HKBN and iAdvantage. HKBN is a Hong Kong-based telecommunications and technology solutions provider, while iAdvantage operates data centre facilities in Hong Kong. The pairing reflects the cable's orientation toward connecting data centre infrastructure rather than serving as a conventional telecommunications trunk.

Status and Timeline

TKO Connect entered service in 2023 and is currently operational.

Regional Context

Hong Kong is a landing point for some of the largest submarine cable systems in the Asia-Pacific region, including long-haul routes such as EAC-C2C, Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), the Asia-America Gateway Cable System, APCN-2, the Trans-Pacific Express Cable System, and the New Cross Pacific Cable System. These systems span tens of thousands of kilometres and connect China to destinations across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. TKO Connect occupies an entirely different scale, at just 6 kilometres, and is positioned as a local interconnect rather than a long-distance international system.

Strategic Role

TKO Connect provides a submarine path between two geographically distinct data centre clusters in Hong Kong — Chai Wan and Tseung Kwan O. By routing connectivity under the water rather than through overland infrastructure, the cable offers an alternative physical path between these two locations. Its ownership by a telecommunications operator and a data centre operator reflects a focus on inter-facility connectivity within the Hong Kong market.