Google, Vocus to connect US and Australia with new subsea cable system

Google is set to deploy two new trans-Pacific subsea cables between the United States and Australia, via Fiji and French Polynesia, with Vocus to help deliver the project.

The South Pacific Connect initiative “will create a ring between Australia, Fiji and French Polynesia,” Google Cloud’s vice president of global network infrastructure Brian Quigley said in a blog post.

It comprises two trans-Pacific cables: “Honomoana”, which runs US - French Polynesia - Australia, and “Tabua”, which runs US - Fiji - Australia.

In addition, a third “interlink” cable will run between Fiji and French Polynesia to connect the two different cables.

Branching units will also be placed at various points to allow other Pacific Island nations to connect to the cable system.

Both the US and Australian governments will jointly fund some of these additional connections, under an 'Innovation Alliance' agreed overnight.

"The US government, working with the US Congress, and Australia through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, intend to provide US$65 million ($103 million) to finance future submarine cable connectivity for Pacific Island countries, to assist access to global markets and realisation of regional connectivity goals," US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement.

"We plan to work collaboratively with commercial cable providers Google and Hawaiki Nui, in partnership with Pacific Island countries, to provide branching units for Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

"Building on existing support to the region, this work will position all Pacific Island countries to achieve primary connectivity and for countries with existing access to secure options for critical redundancy."

“This is one of the first projects of its kind in the Pacific, providing the ability to bring redundant international connectivity to a region that is susceptible to natural disasters,” Quigley added.

Vocus said in a statement that it is Google’s “preferred partner to deliver” the new system.

“Vocus is delighted to be Google’s preferred partner to deliver the South Pacific Connect initiative, which will significantly uplift the capacity, reliability, and resilience of Australia’s international connectivity,” Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney said.

“These cables are critical digital infrastructure – we depend on them for the online applications we use every day, from banking and government services to social media and streaming video.”

The system “will establish three diverse Australian landings along with dual cable paths to the US, substantially improving the resilience of Australia’s critical connections to the world,” she added.