BW Digital, a subsidiary of BW Group, a global energy and maritime group, and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), a provider of premium international carrier services, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development and construction of the Hawaiki Nui 1 submarine cable system.
Hawaiki Nui 1 is the first stage of the BW Digital submarine cable development programme. With a design capacity of more than 240 Tbps, it will link Australia, Indonesia and Singapore, and include optional branches to the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste.
Estimated to span some 10,000 km, Hawaiki Nui 1 will chart a new, more efficient route northeast of Australia via the Torres Strait, providing greater connectivity, diversity and security between Australasia and Southeast Asia. It will also provide the first direct cable link between Sydney and Darwin, and from Darwin to Singapore, with branches to Jakarta and Batam in Indonesia.
Under the partnership agreement, BW Digital and Telin will work together to develop, procure and build Hawaiki Nui 1, which is expected to be ready for service in 2027. Telin will also act as the Indonesian landing party for the cable.
This MoU follows the announcement in early March this year of a partnership between BW Digital and Citramas Group to establish a world-class digital ecosystem out of the Nongsa Digital Park in Batam, Indonesia, the centrepiece of which will be an 80MW data centre servicing businesses, governments and communities throughout the country and broader region.
BW Digital and Citramas Group will jointly deliver infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions co-located within the data centre, including landing infrastructure for new submarine cables, international and domestic connectivity, data storage facilities, and computing power for development of AI and machine learning applications.
Citramas Group is a highly diversified group of businesses with interests ranging from oilfield equipment manufacturing to infrastructure development and the hospitality and leisure industry.