Telstra International spreads its Pacific reach

Telstra's international arm has signed on with three new submarine cable consortia.

Telstra International is partnering with Google and APTelecom to became part of the central Pacific Connect Initiative; with Trans Pacific Networks on the Echo cable; and with Latin American providers Axtel and Vivaro.

The central Pacific Connect Initiative membership plans two cables: Bulikula to connect Guam and Fiji, and Halaihai, which will connect and Guam and French Polynesia.

Telstra International’s involvement will start with owning and operating a fibre pair on Bulikula’s core trunk, and the carrier will look to partner with others as well as with governments to build and operate branches to other Pacific islands.

It is also partnering with Google on the Tabua cable, designed to improve path diversity between Guam and Australia via Fiji and other pacific islands, as well as between the US and Australia.

The Echo cable Telstra will build with Trans Pacific Networks will be the United States' first direct cable to Singapore.

Echo’s route will connect California, Jakarta, Singapore and Guam, with the first segments to launch later this year and completion during 2025.

Telstra will deliver cable landing station services in Singapore, as well as network operations services. 

The cable will be landed in Indonesia by XL Axiata.

To improve connectivity to Latin America, Telstra International said it will establish a dedicated point-of-presence (PoP) at the Stemmons Towers facility in Dallas, Texas.

Telstra will use that PoP as the basis of its collaboration with Mexican telcos Axtel and Vivaro.