Interchange, Vanuatu is currently engaged in a US$30 million project involving French telecommunications corporation Alcatel-Lucent to deploy Vanuatu’s first international submarine cable system linking Port Vila (Vanuatu) to Suva (Fiji - Fintel).
This 1230km system will link directly into the high capacity Southern Cross cable between Sydney and Hawaii, connecting all Vanuatu internet users to the global telecommunications highway which includes the USA, Australia, Asia and Europe.
The new cable system will initially be able to carry 20Gps of data transfer – over x200 times Vanuatu’s current capacity – and will ultimately be able to carry up to 1280Gps.
This vastly superior infrastructure will significantly impact virtually all sectors of Vanuatu society; for in addition to infinitely faster download speeds for domestic internet users, the enhanced capacity will underpin rapid developments in areas such as e-healthcare, education, business and commerce, Government communications and tourism.
It will also enable Vanuatu to further cement its position as a strategic multi-lingual e-business hub for the Pacific region.
Upon completion of this cable project in January 2014, Vanuatu will join Fiji, PNG, Samoa, American Samoa, New Caledonia and French Polynesia, each of which already have submarine cable connections