Assured Communications to build subsea cable landing in Los Angeles

Solmar Insights

Assured Communications is partnering with Digital Realty to develop a new subsea cable landing station (CLS) at the LAX12 data center in Los Angeles. The project will offer a new entry point for subsea cables linking Asia Pacific and North America, with operations expected to begin in 2028.

A new subsea landing in Los Angeles

The new cable landing station, led by Assured Communications and located at Digital Realty’s key LAX12 data center, brings critical subsea connectivity directly into the heart of Los Angeles’ digital infrastructure. By situating the CLS at this established campus, the project is designed to reduce the physical and operational gap between subsea cables arriving from Asia Pacific and the terrestrial fiber and data services that disperse traffic throughout North America.

This CLS development aims to integrate more closely with cloud providers, carriers, and content delivery platforms that already operate at Digital Realty’s location. Such proximity creates operational efficiencies, potentially lowers latency, and provides easier cross-connects for global digital traffic, especially data traversing the Pacific.

The infrastructure is being engineered with a turnkey approach, targeted at subsea cable operators requiring both reliable landing and rapid access to interconnection ecosystems. This approach is becoming increasingly significant as demand grows for seamless East-West data flows between U.S. tech and business centers and major markets across Asia Pacific.

Project timeline and technical backing

Scheduled to begin supporting subsea cables in 2028, development of the CLS is currently underway, with Assured Communications leveraging its prior experience in subsea infrastructure projects. The company is taking the lead in design, engineering, and construction phases, drawing from a background in cable system deployment and landing site operations.

This process includes detailed site engineering to handle complex landing equipment and submarine cable facilities, as well as physical security and integration with Digital Realty’s data center power and cooling systems. By embedding the landing station within a hyperscale platform, Assured is positioning the site for high-bandwidth, carrier-neutral operations and direct access to vibrant interconnection points.

The incremental timeline also reflects the requirements of modern subsea cable technology, which necessitates advanced site preparation, coordination with marine cable installers, and alignment with North American telecom and regulatory requirements. The 2028 target provides stakeholders with a clear planning horizon for new trans-Pacific routes.

Strategic importance for Los Angeles and the Pacific

Los Angeles continues to serve as a dominant U.S. hub for international telecom traffic, in part due to its established subsea landing infrastructure and proximity to both major U.S. cloud clusters and Pacific Rim economies. The new CLS at LAX12 is expected to add diversity and resiliency to regional and intercontinental connectivity by providing another point of entry for Asia Pacific cables.

This adds capacity alongside existing Southern California cable landings and is likely to reduce single-site bottlenecks for content platforms, financial institutions, and hyperscale cloud operators. For customers, the presence of a carrier-neutral, multi-network landing site expands their options for direct cross-Pacific connections, critical for latency-sensitive enterprise, cloud, and AI workloads.

For the broader market, this integration at a major interconnection campus addresses a growing segment of demand from hyperscalers seeking robust links to Asian partners and users. It positions Los Angeles as a more attractive option for next-generation cable projects and strengthens its status as a gateway city for international digital infrastructure.

Operator benefits and market implications

Cable operators using the new CLS will benefit from streamlined access to terrestrial fiber providers, as well as to a campus ecosystem that offers diverse colocation and interconnection options. The decision to embed the landing within Digital Realty’s environment means customers can instantly peer, transport, and distribute data without backhauling to separate sites.

This approach cuts down on network hops and can simplify both provisioning and scaling for global connectivity projects. By making Los Angeles more accessible for new subsea landings, the development could incentivize further cable system investments aiming to serve the growing digital traffic between Asia and the United States.

For Digital Realty, this partnership not only expands its Los Angeles offering but reinforces its position as an enabler of carrier-neutral, multi-tenant digital infrastructure. For Assured Communications, the project allows it to demonstrate both its technical and engineering capabilities in a large urban context, opening opportunities for similar projects in competitive U.S. coastal markets.

Reporting via the original publisher