Datawave Networks, a Cyprus-based subsea infrastructure provider, has signed a binding investment and financing agreement with affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management.

The deal will fund the build-out of the Singapore India Gulf (SING) cable system, a new fibre route linking the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Under the deal, Cerberus will take a majority stake in Datawave through a significant equity investment and provide project financing for the cable’s construction and deployment, pending completion of the transaction. 

The funding will move SING into full execution, targeting rising demand for international bandwidth along the corridor.

Separately, Datawave said it has signed an agreement with a US-based subsea cable supplier covering the design, manufacture, and deployment of the SING system, which is targeting to be ready for service in 2030.

The cable is planned to land in Muscat in Oman, Kalba in the UAE, Mumbai and Chennai in India, Kedah in Malaysia, and Singapore, creating a high-capacity, low-latency route linking key hubs across the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. 

Datawave said the system will include 16 fibre pairs, with each pair designed for at least 18Tbps, to support growing regional bandwidth demand.

SING aims to give customers more flexible and resilient connectivity, with onward routes from Oman and the UAE into Europe and stronger interconnection across the Middle East, including links to Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. 

The company said the system is expected to support growing AI, cloud, and hyperscale data centre build out across India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Gulf.

Datawave CEO Mark Wickham said the company is partnering with Cerberus to move the SING cable system into execution. The project is aimed at meeting future connectivity demand tied to investments in AI and cloud infrastructure across the region. 

“This investment will allow us to move forward decisively and deliver SING as quickly as possible to secure the region’s long-term growth, especially as several existing cables are set to retire,” Wickham continued. 

Gabriel Schulze, representing Cerberus, said the firm was drawn to SING’s position linking markets it expects to see strong growth, and its role in adding route diversity along the east-to-west corridor. 

“With anchor customer commitments already in place, we anticipate strong market adoption. The Datawave team had advanced the project over several years, and we saw a clear opportunity where our strategic and financial capabilities could accelerate SING into reality.”