Google Cloud has revealed plans to build two new transpacific subsea cables for the South Pacific connecting Fiji and French Polynesia to the United States and Australia.
Billed as the South Pacific Connect initiative, the project aims to increase reliability and resilience of digital connectivity in the Pacific Islands.
One cable, ‘Honomoana’, will connect the US and Australia to French Polynesia. The second cable, ‘Tabua’, will connect the US and Australia to Fiji.
The South Pacific Connect initiative will also construct physically diverse cable landing stations in Fiji and French Polynesia and connect them with an interlink cable. That cable serves to connect transpacific routes, improve reliability, add capacity, and reduce latency for users in the Pacific Islands and globally.
“The South Pacific Connect initiative will create a ring between Australia, Fiji and French Polynesia,” said Brian Quigley, VP of global network infrastructure at Google Cloud in a blog post. “This ring will include pre-positioned branching units that will allow other countries and territories of Oceania to take advantage of the reliability and resilience resulting from the initiative.”
Google Cloud is building the cables in collaboration with In collaboration with Fiji International Telecommunications, Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia, APTelecom and Vocus Group.
No timeline for the initiative has been announced yet.