Vocus chosen for new Google South Pacific cable system

Vocus has been selected by Google as its preferred partner to work on a new submarine cable system across the South Pacific, linking Australia with Fiji, French Polynesia and the United States.

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Named the South Pacific Connect initiative, the set-up will connect three Australian landings to French Polynesia and the US under the Honomoana cable, combining the Polynesian words for link (hono) and ocean (moana).

Meanwhile, the connection to Fiji will be named Tabua, named after a sacred Fijian whale's tooth. Additionally, the Tabua cable will also link Fiji to French Polynesia.

Also included are pre-installed branching paths, which can be used to connect other Pacific nations in the future.

"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," said Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney.

"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."

In May, Vocus completed its $100 million submarine fibre cable that links the Australia Singapore Cable (ASC), which runs from Perth to Singapore, with the North-West Cable System, which runs from Darwin to Port Hedland.