Perth taps into Google subsea cables for Australia, Pacific upgrade

A high-tech subsea cable system with new landing points will securely pipe the highest possible volume of data from the US, Australia and Asia.

As well as setting the nation up to be a data warehouse for the region, the Australia Connect project unveiled by Google Cloud and its partners on Tuesday is designed to plug the Pacific more securely into the internet.

The initiative includes the Bosun subsea cable to connect Darwin to Christmas Island, which has onward connectivity to Singapore, and a new interlink cable between Melbourne, Perth and Christmas Island.

In Melbourne, the interlink cable will connect to the existing Honomoana cable system, creating a new interconnection point for the US and Asia.

The project will also connect Darwin to the Sunshine Coast by plugging into the Tabua subsea cable system that runs from the US and Australia to Fiji.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland welcomed the announcement of new and diversified routes that she said would support secure and reliable infrastructure in Australia and across the Pacific.

Google is working with specialist Australian firms NEXTDC, Subco and Vocus on Australia Connect, along with state and local governments in Darwin, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast.

“Investing in digital infrastructure is helping to develop a connected, thriving and tech-ready future for the Sunshine Coast and beyond,” Mayor Rosanna Natoli said.

Jarrod Nink, interim CEO at digital infrastructure firm Vocus, said Australia Connect would bolster the country’s strategic position as a stable gateway between Asia and the US by connecting key nodes located in Australia’s east, west, and north to global digital markets.

New cable landing points are intended to strengthen the digital resilience of Australia and the broader Pacific region.

“Submarine cables are the critical, often unseen lifelines linking Australia to the global digital ecosystem,” NEXTDC chief executive Craig Scroggie said.

He said the work would boost data speeds and strengthen cybersecurity as well as building in resilience and system redundancy.

The project adds to the Pacific Connect initiative which comprises a highest-capacity submarine cable system between Australia and the US, a cable between Fiji and French Polynesia, and scope for future connections to other Pacific nations.