The federal government has handed $51 million to US firm Manta Ray Solutions LLC to develop a new Pacific subsea cable.
Tuvalu
iStock
Forming part of Google’s Central Pacific Connect initiative, the cable will land at Funafuti, Tuvalu, marking the island’s first undersea telecommunications cable.
The Tuvalu Cable System contract will run until March 31, 2027 while the project is managed by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific.
Last year, Google was tapped to deploy two trans-Pacific subsea cables between the United States and Australia, via Fiji and French Polynesia, with Vocus to help deliver the project.
This part of the project, connecting Tuvalu, comes from $50 million funding from the federal government and $25 million from “likeminded partners”, as announced in May.
Last month, the government announced the formation of the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, which is formed by Australia, the United States, Japan and India.
According to a recent announcement, named the Wilmington declaration, the partnership is exploring collaboration with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to “ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment”.
“The project reflects Australia’s efforts, in concert with partners, to help ensure all Pacific Island countries achieve primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025, as referenced in the Quad Leaders’ statement,” a DFAT spokesperson told iTnews.
Manta Ray Solutions LLC appears to be headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and under the leadership of Brian Quigley.
According to his LinkedIn, Quigley holds the current title of Google vice president of global network infrastructure.
Last year, the federal government also handed $37.3 million to connect certain Pacific Island countries to the Hawaiki Nui cable system, which forms part of a separate US-Australian agreement known as the ‘Innovation Alliance’
Under that arrangement, US$65 million ($103 million) has been set aside to finance future submarine cable connectivity for Pacific Island countries.