Mishima Village: A Local Submarine Cable Network in Japan
The Mishima Village submarine cable is a relatively short undersea telecommunications cable connecting four landing points within Japan:
Iojima,
Kuroshima,
Makurazaki, and
Takeshima. Owned and operated by Mishima Village, this cable serves as a regional infrastructure asset, facilitating connectivity between the islands and the mainland. It has been listed as in service since 2010 according to GeoCables records.
What distinguishes this cable is its localized scope and ownership by a municipal entity rather than a larger telecom operator or consortium. However, many technical details about the cable, including its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology, are not publicly disclosed, making it challenging to assess its full capabilities and operational specifics.
Quick facts
| Cable name | Mishima Village |
| Length (km) | 192 |
| Ready-for-service year | 2010 (GeoCables database) |
| Owners | Mishima Village |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Iojima, Kuroshima, Makurazaki, Takeshima (Japan) |
🗺 Show Mishima Village on the interactive cable map
Route
The Mishima Village cable connects four landing points in Japan: Iojima, Kuroshima, Makurazaki, and Takeshima. These locations are situated within Kagoshima Prefecture, a region known for its scattered islands and rugged coastline. The cable provides essential connectivity to these remote areas, linking them to the mainland and enabling communication and data transfer. Given the relatively short length of 192 km, the cable likely spans shallow waters, which may simplify some aspects of its installation and maintenance compared to longer transoceanic cables.
Why it was built and what it carries
The Mishima Village cable was likely built to address the connectivity needs of the islands within Kagoshima Prefecture. As a municipal project, its primary purpose is presumed to be supporting local telecommunications, including internet access, phone services, and potentially other data services. The cable enables the residents of these islands to stay connected to the mainland and beyond, fostering economic, social, and educational opportunities. However, without public disclosure of its design capacity or technology, it is unclear how much bandwidth the cable can provide or whether it supports advanced features such as wavelength division multiplexing.
History: what can be established
GeoCables records indicate that the Mishima Village cable was ready for service in 2010. No conflicting dates have been identified in industry sources, so this year can be considered reliable. The cable's development and deployment were likely driven by the local government's initiative to improve infrastructure in the region. Public information about the planning, construction, and commissioning phases of the cable is scarce, leaving many aspects of its history undocumented.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology of the Mishima Village cable are not disclosed in publicly available sources. Without operator documentation or reliable industry reports, it is impossible to state the cable's technical specifications. This lack of transparency is not uncommon for smaller, localized cables, as they typically attract less attention than large transcontinental systems.
Latency: the physics
Based on the cable's length of 192 km, the theoretical one-way light propagation time is approximately 0.9 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of about 1.9 milliseconds. These calculations assume light travels through fiber at speeds between 200,000 and 204,000 km/s. However, real-world latency would be higher due to additional factors such as land-based connections at the landing points, terminal equipment processing, and routing decisions. No live latency measurements are currently available for this cable.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If the Mishima Village cable experiences a fault, redundancy options would depend on the availability of alternative infrastructure in the region. Given its localized scope, the islands it serves may rely heavily on this cable for connectivity, making outages potentially disruptive. Repairs would follow standard industry practices, including fault localization, deployment of repair ships, and cable splicing. However, the specific redundancy arrangements for this cable are not documented, and alternative routes in the corridor are not listed in the GeoCables database.
Bottom line
- The Mishima Village cable spans 192 km and connects four landing points in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
- Owned by Mishima Village, it has been in service since 2010, according to GeoCables records.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical latency is approximately 0.9 ms one-way, but real-world performance is higher.
- Public information about its redundancy and operational specifics is scarce.