SubCom
SubCom, LLC designs, manufactures, and deploys subsea fiber optic cable systems for global telecom operators, hyperscalers (Google, Meta, Amazon), and governments. It operates a US-based 50-acre manufacturing campus in Newington, NH, a fleet of eight cable ships, and has deployed 200+ systems since 1955.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersEatontown, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SubCom does
SubCom, LLC is a privately held US-based supplier of subsea fiber optic cable systems headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire. The company designs, manufactures, and deploys complete subsea data networks, including the wet plant, shore-end cabling, terminal stations, and end-to-end system testing, using an owned fleet of eight purpose-built cable ships and fifteen submersible tools integrated with a 50-acre manufacturing campus featuring a deep-water pier. Since entering the communications industry in 1955, SubCom has deployed 200+ systems totaling enough cable to circle the Earth more than 25 times, with 9,100+ optical repeaters installed and a claimed 100% on-time delivery record across its portfolio.
SubCom's customer base spans tier-1 telecom operators (Reliance Jio, Telecom Egypt, Orange, Farice, Space Norway), hyperscalers (Google across Nuvem, Firmina, Grace Hopper, and Dunant; Meta and Amazon in consortium projects), and consortium/government buyers. Revenue is generated primarily through multi-year, project-based turnkey contracts awarded via competitive bidding, supplemented by marine installation services and recurring maintenance under agreements such as the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement covering 19 systems. Proprietary technology, including 18kV power feeding, Spatial Division Multiplexed (SDM) optical systems, C+L band transmission (70.4 Tb/s over 7,600 km record), the Ocean Control Suite, and the Enhanced Line Monitoring System (eLMS), supports technical differentiation.
SubCom is owned by Cerberus Capital Management, which acquired the business (then TE SubCom) from TE Connectivity in 2018. In April 2026, Cerberus closed a $2.3 billion single-asset continuation vehicle led by CVC Secondary Partners to fund capacity expansion tied to AI- and cloud-driven demand for subsea connectivity. The company maintains a Forward Deployment Center in Subic Bay, Philippines, and is expanding its Newington manufacturing footprint with new jobs announced in January 2026.
SubCom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SubCom
- Legal name
- SubCom, LLC
- Website
- https://subcom.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- SubCom, LLC designs, manufactures, and deploys subsea fiber optic cable systems for global telecom operators, hyperscalers (Google, Meta, Amazon), and governments. It operates a US-based 50-acre manufacturing campus in Newington, NH, a fleet of eight cable ships, and has deployed 200+ systems since 1955.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SubCom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Subsea Cable Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing (335921), Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33429), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Communications Equipment, Nec (3669), Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Subsea Cable System Supply & Manufacturing (Wet Plant: Cable/Repeaters/Branching Units) (HDAIALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Subsea Cable Construction, Marine Installation & Repair Services (HDAIALAC), Subsea Cable Landing Stations & Cable Terminal Stations (CLS/CTS) (HDAIALAB), Subsea Cable Maintenance Zones & Fleet Operators (Fault Response) (HDAIALAD)
Keywords
Where SubCom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eatontown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
SubCom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subsea Cable System Sales: Design, manufacture, and deployment of complete subsea fiber optic cable systems for customers across multiple industries including telecom, cloud, scientific, and oil and gas applications.
- Marine Installation Services: SubCom controls the installation process start to finish using their fleet of eight purpose-built cable ships and fifteen submersible tools, providing wet plant, shore end, terminal station, and system testing services.
- System Testing and Commissioning: End-to-end system testing services for subsea cable installations, ensuring network performance and reliability.
- Marine Maintenance Services: SubCom maintains over 19 cable systems operated by 14 owners across the South Pacific Ocean under the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement (SPMMA).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing for subsea cable systems |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
SubCom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SubCom designs, manufactures, and deploys modern subsea fiber optic data communication cable systems on a turnkey basis. The offering spans network design, cable and repeater manufacturing at a 50-acre Newington, NH campus with deep-water pier, and marine installation using a fleet of eight purpose-built cable ships and fifteen submersible tools. Customers can contract for complete cable systems (e.g., SEA-ME-WE 6, Firmina, IRIS, Grace Hopper, Arctic Way, MANTA) along with associated wet-plant, shore-end, terminal station, and system testing services.
Product overview
SubCom is a subsea fiber optic cable infrastructure company that provides an integrated platform of design, manufacturing, and deployment services for subsea data networks. The company operates as a single unified offering with distinct project-based systems (SEA-ME-WE 6, IEX/IAX, Firmina, IRIS, Grace Hopper, Oman Australia Cable, Nuvem, SPSC, Arctic Way, MANTA) delivered through its comprehensive capabilities including a 50-acre manufacturing campus in Newington, NH with deep-water pier, an industry-leading fleet of eight cable ships and fifteen submersible tools, and marine engineering expertise. The company has deployed enough cable to circle the equator over 25 times since 1955.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Subsea Cable Systems (Design, Manufacture, Deployment) End-to-end turnkey subsea fiber optic cable systems spanning flexible, future-proofed network design, comprehensive manufacturing at SubCom's 50-acre Newington, NH campus with deep-water pier, and controlled installation covering wet plant, shore end, terminal station, and system testing. Serves telecom operators, hyperscale cloud providers, governments, scientific institutions, and oil and gas customers globally.
- SEA-ME-WE 6 Cable System A 19,200 km subsea cable system connecting South East Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe at 12 locations from Singapore to France. Built for the SEA-ME-WE 6 consortium.
- IEX/IAX Cable Systems The India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system connects India eastbound to Singapore and beyond, while the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects India westbound to the Middle East and Europe. Built for Reliance Jio.
- Firmina Cable System Subsea cable system utilizing SubCom's 18kV technology, enabling the longest cable in the world capable of running entirely from a single power source, connecting the U.S. East Coast to Argentina. Built for Google.
- IRIS Cable System A new high-speed undersea cable system connecting Iceland and Ireland, offering increased security, redundancy, and wholesale capacity. Built for Farice.
- Grace Hopper Cable System A subsea cable system connecting the U.S. and U.K., being one of the first new cables to connect these countries since 2003. Built for Google.
- Oman Australia Cable (OAC) An international subsea cable system directly connecting Muscat, Oman to Perth, Australia.
- South Pacific Subsea Cable (SPSC) A six fiber pair system able to carry 22 Tbps per fiber pair for a total system capacity of 132 Tbps, running along the Latin American Pacific coast.
- Arctic Way Cable System The world's northernmost subsea cable system connecting the Norwegian mainland to Jan Mayen and Svalbard. Built for Space Norway.
- MANTA Subsea Cable System International subsea cable in the Gulf connecting Mexico and the USA with Central and Latin America, providing new low-latency routes to key regional data hubs. Built for the Liberty Networks / Gold Data / Sparkle consortium.
- Nuvem Cable System Google's transatlantic subsea cable system connecting the US and Portugal, with landings in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Azores, and Bermuda. Features 16 fiber pairs with 384 Tb/s total capacity.
- Marine Installation Services End-to-end marine installation and maintenance services using SubCom's fleet of eight purpose-built cable ships and fifteen submersible tools, covering wet plant, shore end, terminal station, system testing, and ongoing marine maintenance under multi-year agreements such as the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% on-time delivery record across 200+ systems deployed
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SubCom
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SubCom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
SubCom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.
- Firmus TechnologiesmajorFirmus Technologies partnered with SubCo (an Australian affiliate) to build Bernacchi-1, a subsea cable connecting mainland Australia to Tasmania. Firmus is underwriting the branch and providing capital for the project.
- Telecom EgyptcoreTelecom Egypt and SubCom completed IEX cable landings in Egypt and SEA-ME-WE-6 landings and crossing activities, demonstrating ongoing partnership on multiple subsea cable projects traversing Egypt.
- Space NorwaycoreSpace Norway awarded SubCom a full system supply contract for the Arctic Way cable system, which will be the world's northernmost subsea cable connecting the Norwegian mainland to Jan Mayen and Svalbard.
- Liberty Networks, Gold Data, SparklecoreJoint venture to build the MANTA subsea cable system connecting the USA, Mexico, Central America, and Latin America. SubCom is contracted to supply the fiber optic cable and optical components for the 5,400km submarine cable.
- GooglecoreSubCom serves as the supply partner for Google's Nuvem subsea cable connecting the US and Portugal, as well as other Google cable systems including Firmina, Grace Hopper, and Dunant.
- Agila SubicsupportingAgila Subic welcomed SubCom to open a new Forward Deployment Center at the Multi-Use Shipyard in Subic Bay, Philippines to support marine operations in the Asia-Pacific region.
- GooglecoreSubCom announced contract-in-force for Firmina, Google's new undersea cable connecting the U.S. East Coast to Argentina. SubCom's 18kV technology enables the longest cable in the world capable of running entirely from a single power source.
- FaricecoreFarice and SubCom announced contract-in-force for the IRIS cable system, a new high-speed undersea cable connecting Iceland and Ireland, providing increased security and redundancy for the region.
- GooglecoreGoogle selected SubCom to design and deploy the Dunant cable system, the first submarine cable to use SDM technology, connecting the U.S. East Coast to France.
- HAVFRUE ConsortiumcoreConsortium including Facebook and Google selected SubCom as supplier for the HAVFRUE cable system, the first new undersea cable to traverse the Northern Atlantic connecting mainland Northern Europe to the USA in nearly twenty years.
- Jupiter ConsortiumcoreConsortium including PLDT, NTT Communications, PCCW Global, SoftBank, Facebook, and Amazon selected SubCom to install the Jupiter cable system, a high-capacity transpacific system.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SubCom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN): ASN, part of Nokia, is SubCom's primary direct competitor, designing, manufacturing, and laying subsea fiber optic cable systems for global telecom operators and hyperscalers. ASN and SubCom regularly compete head-to-head on flagship transoceanic cable tenders and together represent the bulk of the Western end-to-end subsea cable market.
- HMN Technologies: HMN Technologies (formerly Huawei Marine Networks) is the China-backed end-to-end subsea cable competitor, offering system integration, marine installation, and wet plant manufacturing. HMN competes with SubCom particularly on Asia-Africa and intra-Asia routes, and is increasingly relevant given US-China supply chain decoupling dynamics.
- NEC Submarine Networks: NEC is one of the three global end-to-end subsea cable suppliers, with comparable manufacturing, system design, and marine installation capabilities. NEC has won several transpacific projects and competes with SubCom on consortium-led hyperscaler builds across Asia-Pacific routes.
Broad incumbents
- Prysmian Group: Prysmian is the world's largest cable manufacturer with a substantial submarine cable business, producing fiber optic cables for both telecom and power applications. While not as vertically integrated on the marine installation side as SubCom, Prysmian is a credible competitor on cable supply contracts and adjacent power-subsea opportunities.
- NKT A/S: NKT is a leading European manufacturer of high-voltage and submarine power cables, increasingly expanding into fiber optic submarine telecom cables. NKT competes with SubCom on wet plant supply and is a relevant comparable given its scale in submarine cable manufacturing.
Emerging players
- Corning Incorporated: Corning is a leading supplier of optical fiber and is increasingly positioning in submarine-grade fiber for long-haul subsea systems. While Corning supplies into SubCom and other system integrators, it is also a partial competitor on the optical component layer of submarine cables.
- Hengtong Optic-Electric: Hengtong is one of China's largest optical fiber and submarine cable manufacturers, competing globally on price-sensitive submarine cable projects. It is a relevant comparable for SubCom as the Chinese subsea supply chain expands internationally.
- Sumitomo Electric Industries: Sumitomo Electric supplies submarine fiber optic cables and has supplied major Japanese-led cable systems, competing with SubCom on transpacific and intra-Asia projects. Sumitomo is a partial competitor focused on cable supply rather than full turnkey system delivery.
Others
- Aqua Comms: Aqua Comms is a subsea cable operator (customer/competitor on the network ownership side) that builds and operates transatlantic capacity cables. While not a supplier, Aqua Comms is a relevant comparable for SubCom's cable system design and deployment capabilities from a customer-architecture perspective.
Regional players
- Global Marine Systems Limited: Global Marine Systems operates a fleet of cable ships and provides marine installation, maintenance, and survey services for subsea telecoms. While not a direct manufacturing competitor to SubCom, it competes on the marine installation and maintenance services layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SubCom social profiles
Digital presenceSubCom compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
SubCom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SubCom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SubCom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SubCom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SubCom
What does SubCom do?
SubCom designs, manufactures, and deploys modern subsea fiber optic data communication cable systems on a turnkey basis. The offering spans network design, cable and repeater manufacturing at a 50-acre Newington, NH campus with deep-water pier, and marine installation using a fleet of eight purpose-built cable ships and fifteen submersible tools. Customers can contract for complete cable systems (e.g., SEA-ME-WE 6, Firmina, IRIS, Grace Hopper, Arctic Way, MANTA) along with associated wet-plant, shore-end, terminal station, and system testing services.
Is SubCom a public or private company?
SubCom is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was SubCom founded?
SubCom was founded in 1955. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is SubCom based?
SubCom is headquartered in Eatontown, United States, in the North America region.
How does SubCom make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subsea Cable System Sales are the primary driver. The others are marine Installation Services, system Testing and Commissioning and marine Maintenance Services.
Who are SubCom's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), HMN Technologies and NEC Submarine Networks. Broad incumbents are Prysmian Group and NKT A/S. Emerging players are Corning Incorporated, Hengtong Optic-Electric and Sumitomo Electric Industries. Aqua Comms is listed as an others. Global Marine Systems Limited is listed as a regional player.
Does SubCom have an API?
No public API is recorded for SubCom.
What industry is SubCom in?
SubCom's product category is Subsea Cable Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIALAE, Subsea Cable System Supply & Manufacturing (Wet Plant: Cable/Repeaters/Branching Units), with a secondary code of HDAIALAC, Subsea Cable Construction, Marine Installation & Repair Services. Its NAICS code is 335921 and its SIC code is 3669.