Tata Communications announces intent to become anchor tenant customer on Seaborn Networks’ US-Brazil cable

Promising fastest route between Brazil’s major commercial centre and rest of world

New York (NYSE), Mumbai (BSE & NSE) & Boston – May, 10th, 2012 – Tata Communications, a leading provider of The New World of Communications, and Seaborn Networks, the developer and operator of the first direct submarine cable between the United States and São Paulo, Brazil, announce Tata Communications’ intent to become an anchor tenant customer on Seaborn Networks’ cable system.

Seaborn Network’s cable system, Seabras-1, will enable Tata Communications to provide fully integrated network services from Brazil to its networks in the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and India.

“Latin America is a key region on the world stage and our plan to purchase capacity on Seabras-1 would ensure we have the fastest route between Brazil’s major commercial centre and the US. It aligns us with the most viable new subsea project in one of the fastest growing markets in the world”, says Vinod Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Communications. “This expansion would further extend the global reach of the Tata Global Network (TGN) and forms part of our strategic global connectivity plans.”

“With bandwidth and connectivity growth demand in Latin America at unprecedented levels, we look forward to having Tata Communications as an anchor tenant customer,” says Larry Schwartz, CEO, Seaborn Networks. “Tata Communications’ intended acquisition of capacity on Seabras-1 is indicative of the pent-up demand in the market for an express submarine cable route between the US and São Paulo.”

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, the country is experiencing landmark development requirements in its telecommunications industry. 2011 telecommunications investments in Brazil exceeded US$11.8 billion, according to a recent report from Telebrasil*, and Pioneer Consulting** forecasts that international submarine capacity demand for Latin America will be more than 32 Tbps by 2020.

Seaborn Networks plans for the Seabras-1 system to be ready for service in the fourth quarter of 2014.